The MTA sure has gone a long way in the past couple of years toward promoting its transit system as an effective cost-cutting measure against soaring gas prices and traffic-choked commutes. The marketing scheme has been effective, yet not foolproof in the face of costs. They did, eventually, have to bump that day pass up to five dollars from three. Meanwhile, the LADOT somehow manages to run a tremendously effective and wider-reaching DASH bus system than ever ... and it's still only a quarter. Yep, one-third to one-fourth what it costs you to wash your clothes. True, the system is slightly less straightforward than memorizing which number runs on which east-west or north-south thoroughfare, but it's well worth it to take a moment to jot down the DASH lines that serve your area. (You might be surprised at the reach of some; Beachwood Canyon, you got your own line, you know!) Leave the car in the garage, get out and see the city on loose change. DASH runs seven days a week on 30 lines, plus seven serving the downtown area, ladottransit.com.