Why could a Los Al Link car pick up a household in Los Alamitos at its front door this spring, while a Rossmoor household a short drive away had to get to a shopping center first? The grant that pays for the shuttle covered the city, and Rossmoor sits outside it. The city's newest recreation brochure suggests that line no longer marks the edge of the map.
Los Al Link is the on-demand electric shuttle the City of Los Alamitos runs with Circuit. It launched on January 6, 2026. The city's Winter 2027 brochure now says the service "has now expanded" to include the community of Rossmoor. Understanding why it took most of a year to get there tells you how to use it now.
A Grant Written for One City
The money behind Los Al Link is local transit funding. The Orange County Register reported in February that the program runs on a $1.9 million OCTA Project V grant covering seven years through fiscal year 2030–31. The city matches that amount, for $3.8 million in total program funding. OCTA describes Project V as a Measure M2 program that funds local transit services designed to complement the regional system.
That grant went to the City of Los Alamitos. Rossmoor sits right next door, but it is unincorporated Orange County, so it is not part of the city. The Rossmoor Homeowners Association made that connection in a reply on its own site. It said the shuttle "is being paid for through a grant that the city obtained for their city," and that "this is why the Los Al Link service is not available for Rossmoor residential pickup and drop off."
So the original service map was a jurisdiction map. The city's January 22 press release said anyone could ride, resident or not, but trips had to stay "within City limits, including the 'Shops at Rossmoor.'" In the same reply, the Rossmoor Homeowners Association said it hoped the County Board of Supervisors would put Measure M or other Rossmoor-allocated funds toward extending the program, and named District 1 Supervisor Janet Nguyen as the place that conversation would start.
Three Versions of the Same Map
The rules have changed in public over the course of 2026, and the three documents below don't fully agree. Here is what each one said at the time.
| Source and date | Rossmoor coverage | Fare as stated |
|---|---|---|
| City press release, January 22, 2026 | City limits plus the Shops at Rossmoor | Riders 50 and older free; riders under 50 pay $2.50 per trip |
| Rossmoor Homeowners Association, March 7, 2026 | Three Rossmoor-area retail pickup points; no residential pickups in Rossmoor | Free for all riders |
| City Winter 2027 brochure | "Expanded ... to include the community of Rossmoor" | Free rides for all, "subject to certain restrictions" |
Circuit's Los Alamitos page still shows traces of every version. Its service info lists, one after another, that rides are free of charge, that rides have a fare of $2.50, and that rides are free for users 50 and up. The brochure is the city's most recent statement, and it sends riders to the Ride Circuit app for "operating hours, service details, and applicable restrictions." The app shows the fare and boundary that apply to your trip before you confirm the ride.
How Rossmoor Rode It Before the Expansion
Before the brochure, the Rossmoor workaround was a short trip to a shopping center. The Rossmoor Homeowners Association listed three pickup and drop-off points:
- The Shops at Rossmoor, which the city's launch release had already folded into the service area
- Old Ranch Town Center, home to Target and Ralphs
- Rossmoor Village Square, home to Polly's Pies and The Meat Company
From any of those three, a rider could book a trip to anywhere in Los Alamitos and back. The association's reply spelled out what that opened up: doctor visits, restaurants, and grocery runs to Vons, Ralphs or Sprouts.
Those retail centers worked like informal stations at the county line. Circuit's own list of destinations reflects the overlap. It names Polly's Pies, Target and Ralphs next to Los Alamitos stops like Sprouts, Maderas Steak & Ribs, The Potholder Cafe, Los Alamitos Race Course and Los Alamitos Medical Center. A shuttle paid for by the city still had a Rossmoor pie shop on its list of popular stops.
The expansion language matters most here. If Rossmoor is now inside the service area, as the brochure says, the walk to one of those three centers may no longer be part of the trip. The brochure doesn't spell out pickup rules street by street, so check the app for whether a ride can now start at a Rossmoor address.
What the Service Looks Like This Winter
The basics haven't changed since launch. Rides run Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no service on Sunday or Monday. The longer 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. summer schedule runs from the Tuesday after Memorial Day to Labor Day, so winter trips follow the 7-to-7 clock.
There are two ways to book. You can use the Ride Circuit app or call dispatch at (562) 609-4121. The phone line is the option for anyone who doesn't use a smartphone. Each request can carry up to five passengers. Rides may be pooled with other riders, and you may be asked to walk a short distance to meet the car. An ADA-accessible ride can be requested when you book.
The brochure counts four electric vehicles, one of them ADA-compliant. Circuit's launch post lists the mix as two sedans, one wheelchair van and one ID. Buzz. The fleet is the same size it was in January, and the brochure says that same fleet now covers Rossmoor too. Pooled rides and short walks to the pickup point are how four cars handle a bigger area, so leave some slack before a timed appointment.
The city describes the service as a way to improve mobility, support local businesses and strengthen connectivity "throughout Los Alamitos and Rossmoor." In February, Ron Noda, the city's assistant city manager, told the Orange County Register that the city hoped to work with the County of Orange and the City of Seal Beach to extend the service to their residents. The brochure moves the Rossmoor half of that hope into the city's description of the service as it runs now.
A December Calendar That Fits the 7-to-7 Window
The city's winter calendar shows how far the service hours stretch and where they stop.
Coffee with a Cop, Wednesday, December 2, 5 to 7 p.m. It takes place at the Starbucks at 3575 Katella Avenue. The event ends exactly when the shuttle does, so book the ride home before the last half hour.
Winter Wonderland, Saturday, December 5, 4 to 7:30 p.m. It's at 10901 Pine Street, with snow play, sledding, a tree lighting, musical entertainment and Santa's Village. Saturday is a service day, but the event runs half an hour past the 7 p.m. cutoff. Families who ride in should either leave by 7 or arrange another way home after the tree lighting.
Toy drive, Monday, November 30 through Thursday, December 10. Collection bins sit at the Community Center, City Hall and the Police Department. Nonprofit groups will hand out the toys on December 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the Community Center. The Monday start date falls on a no-service day, so a shuttle drop-off at a bin has to wait until Tuesday.
The brochure notes that listed events can change or be canceled, so check with the organizer before you go.
One more thing affects anyone riding along Katella this month. OCTA and Caltrans have already finished several stages of the I-605/Katella interchange work: the Katella median upgrade, the southbound loop on-ramp, the northbound on-ramp and off-ramp, and the widening of Katella Avenue to add a bike lane in each direction. Starting in November, crews move to the southbound on- and off-ramps on the eastbound Katella side, including the third and last retaining wall. Paving of Katella and the ramps is the last major piece, and the project is expected to finish in Spring 2027. Closures and detours are posted at octa.net/605Katella, where you can also sign up for weekly construction alerts. A shuttle trip toward the freeway side of town may take longer than the app first estimates.
Rossmoor and Los Alamitos have always shared shopping centers, a hospital district and a Katella Avenue commute, even though they sit on opposite sides of a city line. For most of 2026, the shuttle stopped at that line. If you've been walking to Rossmoor Village Square to catch it, open the Ride Circuit app this week and enter your home address to see whether the expansion now reaches your street.
At The Elmer Team, we keep track of the small changes that shape daily life in Los Alamitos and Rossmoor, from a shuttle map to an interchange schedule. If you'd like to know how those changes affect what your home is worth, get your instant home valuation and we'll walk through it with you.
