The Antelope Valley Transit Authority is the public transport agency serving the Antelope Valley region of northern Los Angeles County, California. AVTA operates local bus services in Lancaster and Palmdale, and commuter services to Los Angeles. In 2022, AVTA became the first transit authority in the United States to operate a fleet of all battery electric vehicles, including all buses and support vehicles.

The AVTA is structured as a joint powers authority under California law, governed by an appointed board of directors. Antelope Valley Transit Authority services are operated under contract by MV Transportation. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

History

The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works jointly created the Antelope Valley Transit Authority in 1992 to meet the growing need for public transportation in the Antelope Valley. AVTA began local transit service on July 1, 1992, with three types of services: Transit, Commuter and Dial-A-Ride. A fourth service, Access Services, was created in 1996 to provide the disabled with a local complementary paratransit service in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. AVTA opened a larger facility in 2004 to accommodate increased demand.

On March 17, 2017, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was between the driver's union Teamsters Local 848 and the system operator Transdev. After making their statement, the drivers elected to return to service by March 19 while negotiations between the parties continued. However the drivers went on strike again, May 3 was the third walkout which lasted at least a week. As the dispute continued, drivers were locked out on August 22.

In 2017, AVTA became the first transit agency in the United States to operate a 60-foot, articulated electric bus, manufactured by BYD in Lancaster.

In 2018, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority began to charge its electric buses on special wireless charging pads located along bus routes.

In January 2019, AVTA began commuter service to Edwards Air Force Base. Later that year, AVTA celebrated two significant milestones in its conversion to an all-electric fleet, achieving both a one million (May), then two million (December), zero emission miles driven. The service has been suspended since the start of the pandemic.

In May 2022, AVTA drivers struck. The dispute was about unfair labor practices with Teamsters Union 848 and Transdev. The contract expired and MV Transportation took over operations as of June 2022.

Routes

Local routes RouteTerminalsViaNotes1Lancaster The Boulevard Transit CenterPalmdale South Valley Transit Center10th St West Serves Owen Memorial Park, Antelope Valley Mall and Palmdale Transportation Center Palmdale/Lancaster2Palmdale Antelope Valley MallPalmdale South Valley Transit CenterAvenue R Serves Palmdale Regional Medical Center, Antelope Valley Mall3Palmdale Antelope Valley MallPalmdale South Valley Transit CenterAvenue S Serves Palmdale Transportation Center, Antelope Valley Mall4Lancaster The Boulevard Transit CenterLancaster Owen Memorial ParkLancaster Blvd/Avenue K serves Eastside Lancaster, Downtown Lancaster5Palmdale 67th St East & Ave L-15 (Mayflower Gardens)Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkAvenue L serves Quartz Hill, Westside Lancaster7Palmdale Palmdale Transportation CenterLancaster The Boulevard Transit CenterRancho Vista Blvd. Serves Antelope Valley Mall, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster Metrolink Station and Quartz Hill8Lancaster Antelope Valley CollegePalmdale Palmdale Bl & 25th StSierra Hwy Serves Palmdale Transportation Center, AVC Palmdale/Lancaster Campuses 9Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkLancaster Quartz HillAvenue I/60th Street West Serves Lancaster Metrolink Station, Quartz Hill11Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkLancaster Avenue J & 20th St EastAvenue I Serves Westside/Eastside Lancaster12Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkLancaster Avenue J & 20th St EastAvenue J Serves Antelope Valley College, Westside/Eastside Lancaster50Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkLake Los Angeles 170th St & Avenue O (Town Center Plaza)Avenue K/170th Street East Serves Lancaster/Lake Los Angeles51Palmdale Palmdale Transportation CenterLake Los Angeles 170th St & Avenue O (Town Center Plaza)Palmdale Blvd./170th Street East Serves Palmdale/Lake Los Angeles52Palmdale South Valley Transit CenterPearblossom Avenue V-10 & 121st StPearblossom Hwy Serves Palmdale/Sun Village/Littlerock/Pearblossom

School Tripper routes Services operate weekdays only. RouteTerminalsViaNotes94Lancaster Owen Memorial ParkLancaster Antelope Valley High SchoolAvenue K Serves Eastside HS, Eastside Lancaster97Lancaster Quartz Hill High SchoolPalmdale Palmdale Transportation CenterRancho Vista Blvd. Serves Quartz Hill, Palmdale98Palmdale Knight High SchoolPalmdale Palmdale Transportation CenterAvenue Q, Avenue S Serves Eastside Palmdale

Commuter Express routes Commuter services operate weekdays only in the peak direction.

RouteTerminalsViaNotes785LancasterOwen Memorial ParkDowntown LA LA Union StationI-5, SR 14, US 101 Serves the Palmdale Transportation Center, Civic Center/Grand Park and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill station786LancasterOwen Memorial ParkHollywoodHollywood and HighlandSR 14, I-405 Serves the Palmdale Transportation Center, UCLA, Century City and Beverly Hills One trip serves West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Includes stops at the Hollywood/Highland, Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega subway stations.787LancasterOwen Memorial ParkTarzanaVentura Bl & Reseda BlSR 14, SR 118 Serves Palmdale Transportation Center, Cal State Northridge, Northridge Fashion Center, Canoga station and Warner Center station790PalmdalePalmdale Transportation CenterSanta ClaritaNewhall stationSR 14 Designed to fill in gaps in the Antelope Valley Line service

Bus fleet

Fixed-Route fleet Accurate as of July 2025. Make/ModelFleet numbersYearNotesBYD K7M-ER30301-303082023BYD K8M35301-35303BYD K9S35601-356032016Ex-LINK Transit 808, 810-811356042017Ex-LINK Transit 812BYD K940450-404512013BYD K9M40089-40090202040301-40310202340856-408752018407L1-407L3201740976-409882019MCI D45 CRT LE CHARGE45101-451242021Used on Commuter Express routesBYD K11M60314-60318202360701-60705, 60707-60711201760906, 60912-60913

Microtransit fleet Make/ModelFleet numbersYearNotesGreenPower EV Star27901-279082019 Used for On-Request Microtransit Ride Service

Fares Base adult fare for AVTA trips is $1.50. Senior citizens, people with disabilities, active military, and veterans may ride AVTA local buses free of charge with proper ID. Up to 4 children up to 44 inches tall may ride with an adult free of charge.

References

External links