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Big Blue Bus

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For other uses of "Blue Bus", see Blue Bus (disambiguation).

Big Blue Bus
Big Blue Bus at UCLA Hilgard Terminal
ParentCity of Santa Monica, Department of Transportation
Founded1928 (as Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines)
HeadquartersSanta Monica, California
LocaleSanta Monica, Westwood, and Venice, California
Service areaUnited States
Service typeTransit Bus
Routes20[1]
Fleet195
Daily ridership26,900 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[2]
Annual ridership8,289,600 (2023)[3]
Fuel typeCNG, Electric
OperatorCity of Santa Monica
Chief executiveAnuj Gupta (Interim)
Websitebigbluebus.com

Big Blue Bus (stylized in lowercase) is a public transit agency that provides public bus services for the city of Santa Monica and the greater Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. The service, operated by the city of Santa Monica, was founded on April 14, 1928 and throughout its existence has used a blue color scheme for its buses, leading to the Big Blue Bus nickname that would later become the official name of the agency. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,289,600, or about 26,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Big Blue Bus receives funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and offers connections to its Metro Bus and Metro Rail systems, but is operated independently from Metro.

History

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A now-retired GMC "New Look" bus in service for what was then-called the "Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines".

The agency was founded on April 14, 1928 as the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines and the agency picked a unique blue color scheme for its buses, later leading to the Big Blue Bus nickname.[4] It holds the distinction of being the second oldest public transit bus system still operating in Los Angeles County; only the neighboring Culver CityBus (founded March 4, 1928) is older.[5]

Santa Monica established the bus line in response to a fare increase on the Pacific Electric interurban trains between Santa Monica and Los Angeles.[6]

While independent from other agencies in the Los Angeles area, the Big Blue Bus has always offered connections to the other systems, most notably near the intersections of Pico and Rimpau Boulevards in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles. The historic transfer point was established by Santa Monica, the Los Angeles Railway and Pacific Electric Railway and is known today as the Pico/Rimpau Transit Center and is used the Big Blue Bus and Metro Bus.[6]

In 1978, Santa Monica became the first transit operator in California to operate a bus with a wheelchair lift, the Grumman-Flxible Model 870. It was the third agency to order the bus after Atlanta's MARTA, and Connecticut's CT Transit. The Big Blue Bus was one of the last transit agencies using the iconic GMC New Look "fishbowl" bus, the last of which was retired in 2005.

The Big Blue Bus has been honored with the American Public Transportation Association’s Outstanding Transportation System award in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000 and 2011.[7]

Routes

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Big Blue Bus operates 18 bus lines: 12 regular routes, 4 rapid routes, and 2 circulator routes. On weekends and holidays with weekend service, the agency operates 10 bus lines: 9 regular routes and 1 rapid route.[8]

The agency is currently undergoing a COA (Comprehensive Operational Analysis) which will inform service and route changes over the next five years. These aim to help the agency better connect with future Metro Rail extensions, most notably the D and K lines, adjust to new travel patterns, increase service frequency, and make service blocks compatible with a zero emissions bus fleet. [9]

Local routes

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Sunday schedules are operated on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Route Terminals Via Days of Operation# Notes
1 Westwood
UCLA 		Venice
Grand Bl & Riviera Av 		Santa Monica Bl, Main St Daily
2 Westwood
UCLA 		Santa Monica
Main St & Olympic Dr 		Wilshire Bl Daily
  • Operates alongside LA Metro 20 (24‑hour service)
  • Operates alongside LA Metro Rapid 720
  • Serves Downtown Santa Monica station
3 Santa Monica
Arizona Av & 5th St 		Los Angeles
Aviation/LAX station 		Lincoln Bl Daily
5 Santa Monica
Main St & Olympic Dr 		Palms
Palms station 		Colorado Av, Olympic Bl, Motor Av Weekdays
7 Santa Monica
7th St & Olympic Bl 		Mid-Wilshire
Wilshire/Western station 		Pico Bl Daily
  • Operates alongside Rapid 7
  • Serves Santa Monica College, Expo/Sepulveda station and Rimpau Transit Center
  • Three trips westbound in the morning and three trips eastbound in the afternoon deviate from Pico Bl to serve Beverlywood
8 Santa Monica
7th St & Olympic Bl 		Palms
Overland Av & Venice Bl 		Ocean Park Bl, National Bl, Overland Av Daily
9 Pacific Palisades
Sunset Bl & Marquez Av 		Santa Monica
Main St & Olympic Dr 		Sunset Bl, Chatauqua Bl, 4th St Daily
14 Brentwood
Bringham Av & Gorham Av 		Inglewood
Westchester/Veterans station 		Bundy Dr, Centinela Av Daily
  • Select trips extend from Brentwood north to Paul Revere Middle School
  • Serves Expo/Bundy station and Santa Monica College Bundy Campus
15 Brentwood
Barrington Pl & Chayote St 		West LA
Expo/Bundy station
(Pico Bl & Bundy Dr) 		Barrington Av Weekdays
16 Playa del Rey
Culver Bl & Vista Del Mar 		West LA
Saltair Av & Wilshire Bl 		Walgrove Av, 23rd St, 20th St Weekdays
17 Westwood
UCLA
(Macgowan Hall) 		Culver City

Culver City station

Sawtelle Bl, Palms Bl Daily
  • Serves Expo/Sepulveda station and Palms station
18 Westwood
UCLA
(Gateway Plaza) 		Marina Del Rey
Via Marina & Admiralty Wy 		Montana Av, 4th St Daily
  • Serves Downtown Santa Monica Station
41 Santa Monica
Santa Monica College 		14th St, 20th St Weekdays
  • Service operates in a clockwise loop and terminates at 14th St & Pico Bl
  • Operated opposite of Line 42 until December 2024.
  • Serves 17th Street/SMC station
43 Santa Monica
Santa Monica College 		Santa Monica
San Vicente Bl & 14th St 		26th St, San Vicente Bl Weekdays, peak hours
  • Select eastbound trips serve Paul Revere Middle School
  • Serves 26th Street/Bergamot station
44 Santa Monica
17th Street/SMC station 		West LA
Santa Monica College Bundy Campus 		Bundy Dr, Ocean Park Bl, 17th St School days
  • Service currently suspended, slated to return in Fall 2024
  • Connects 17th Street/Santa Monica College station, Santa Monica College Main Campus, and Santa Monica College Bundy Campus
  • Limited service when Santa Monica College is not in session

Rapid & Express routes

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Route Terminals Via Days of Operation Notes
Rapid 3 Santa Monica
Arizona Av & 5th St 		Los Angeles
Aviation/LAX station 		Lincoln Bl Weekdays, peak hours
  • Operates alongside Line 3
  • Serves LAX City Bus Center
Rapid 7 Santa Monica
7th St & Olympic Bl 		Mid-Wilshire
Wilshire/Western station 		Pico Bl Weekdays
  • Operates alongside Line 7
  • Serves Santa Monica College, Expo/Sepulveda station and Rimpau Transit Center
Express 9 Pacific Palisades
Sunset Bl & Marquez Av 		Santa Monica
4th & Colorado 		Pacific Coast Highway School days
Rapid 10 Santa Monica
Broadway & 5th St 		Downtown LA
Main St & Alameda St 		In Santa Monica: Santa Monica Bl, Bundy Dr
Express Portion: I-10
In Downtown LA: Grand Av/Olive St, Figueroa St/Flower St, Temple St 		Weekday, peak hours
  • Operates into Downtown LA in the AM rush and into Downtown Santa Monica in the PM rush
  • Serves Expo/Bundy station
Rapid 12 Westwood
UCLA
(Gateway Plaza) 		Culver City
Overland Av & Venice Bl 		Westwood Bl, Overland Av Daily
  • Evening peak hour trips are sometimes platooned

Former routes

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Route Terminals Via
Express 7 Santa Monica
7th St & Olympic Bl 		Mid-Wilshire
Wilshire/Western station 		Pico Bl
42 Santa Monica
Santa Monica College 		20th St, 14th St

Bus fleet

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Big Blue Bus currently maintains a fleet of 195 buses of various lengths including 29', 40', and 60' articulated, with 35-footers set to be delivered in 2025.[10] In 2018, Big Blue Bus received its last ever internal combustion vehicle. 19 buses out of its total fleet are currently battery-electric.[11] All buses feature destination signs. Newer buses (units 1801 and later) feature white LED destination signs, while older units feature a variety of other colors. In 2024, the fleet was equipped with passenger information displays[12] in place of the older dot-light signs. These are part of a fleet-wide communications system replacement with Clever Devices systems. The passenger displays currently feature a three-day weather forecast, upcoming stops with time to arrival, and the line's final destination. As part of this upgrade, electric buses also gain access to Clever's EV fleet integration software during the agency's transition to a zero-emissions fleet. This also enables [12] vehicles to generate more frequent and accurate GPS data for tracking purposes, such as the Transit app. Buses 1808-1827 and 2101-2118 came standard with free passenger Wi-Fi; this was added to the rest of the fleet with the installation of the new fleet comms systems.

Big Blue Bus has evaluated two main options for zero-emissions propulsion of its buses in an effort to decarbonize its fleet by 2030. Both hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric buses have been considered.[13] The agency has determined that battery-electric buses can replace their CNG buses at current service levels with a 1:1 replacement ratio.[10] Big Blue Bus is installing charging for 100+ buses at its depot using a canopy with overhead reel dispensers, a project set to be complete by the end of 2024.[11] 2010 and 2011 El Dorado EZR II- BRT 32' CNG models are set to be replaced with 15 35-foot Gillig Low Floor Plus EV models.[10] Moreover, Big Blue Bus' 2011 NABI LFW 40' and NABI BRT 60' units have already exceeded their design life.[14] The agency has subsequently delayed its fleet electrification deadline to 2031.

Active fleet

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Manufacturer Model Length (ft) Fleet Numbers Thumbnail Year Fuel Notes
Gillig BRT 40 1300
2012 CNG
1301-1344 2013
1345-1357 2014
1500-1510 2015
New Flyer XN60 60 1560-1566
2015
  • Used primarily on Rapid services
Gillig BRT 29 1600-1603
2015
40 1701-1725 2016-2017
29 1801-1807 2018
40 1808-1826 2018
Low Floor Plus 1827 2018 Electric
  • Unit 1827 is a Gillig prototype and features the old livery and interior design
  • Units 2101-2118 and newer feature the redesigned livery with dark blue on the bottom third and light blue on the top. Up until these buses, the primary livery consisted of a bottom and top section connected by a downwards facing curve, but these buses now have a straight line separating the bottom and top two thirds
  • Units 1827 and 2101 are equipped with the old interior layout with forward facing seating in the low-floor section of the bus. These do not include the powered wheelchair securement devices from Quantum. The former has its interior in the green color that had been standard up until the 2100 series. 2101 is configured with the old interior layout with the new light blue color seating.
  • Units 2102 and later feature the powered Quantum wheelchair securement devices and only 2 forward facing seats in the low-floor section of the bus, and instead feature more longitudinal seating. This interior configuration is always in light blue.
2101-2118
2021
ENC E-Z Rider II BRT 32 2900-2904
2010 CNG
  • Originally powered with a gasoline electric hybrid system. Later converted to CNG.
  • Soon to be retired and replaced by Gillig 35-footers[10]
  • Regularly suffer mechanical issues during revenue service leading to 40-foot buses to be occasionally used on 30-foot routes
2905-2914 2012
NABI LFW 40 3868-3876
2011
BRT 60 5300-5310
  • Used primarily on Rapid services
  • Soon to be retired
5311-5320
  • Used primarily on Rapid services
  • Soon to be retired

Awaiting Delivery

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Manufacturer Model Length (ft) Year Quantity (Fleet Numbers) Drive Notes
Gillig Low Floor Plus 35 2025 15 (2501–2515) Electric
  • Set to replace ElDorado 32-footers from 2010 through 2012 which are at end of useful lives
40 2027 73 (2701–2773)

Future and Electrification

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Following the success of Big Blue Bus' pilot with a prototype Gillig/Cummins BEB (unit 1827), the agency committed to only purchasing zero-emission vehicles moving forward. Big Blue Bus charges its electric fleet with 100 percent renewable energy. The second batch of battery-electric buses are expected in 2025. The agency has set itself a 2030 deadline for full conversion to zero-emissions operation, which as of February 2023, it has determined it can achieve with exclusively battery-electric buses.[10]

The agency is slated to replace vehicles as they reach the end of their useful service lives. Next to be replaced are El Dorado 32' BRT models, with delivery of replacement Gillig 35' Low Floor EVs slated for 2025. The agency's fleet of remaining NABI vehicles is the next group of buses to be replaced.

Due to dynamic service changes, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ridership changes, amongst other factors, the agency is pursuing a more dynamic fleet replacement timeline than that which was outlined in their original CARB document.

Incidents

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On November 20, 2012, a Big Blue Bus turned left in front of an oncoming motorcyclist, which resulted in the 25-year-old man's death. The accident occurred at approximately 10:33 a.m. at the triangular intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Marquez in the Pacific Palisades. Only buses are allowed to make the left turn, a maneuver that has been determined to be too dangerous for other vehicles.

On June 7, 2013, Bus 4057 of Big Blue Bus was among several vehicles fired at during a thirteen-minute killing spree that left six people dead, including the gunman, and four others wounded. Three women suffered minor injuries aboard the bus, one from shrapnel-type injuries and the other two from injuries unrelated to the gunfire.[15] Approximately two dozen people were inside the bus at the time of the shooting. The attack on Bus 4057 marked the first time a Big Blue Bus came under attack by a gunman in its 85-year service.[16]

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Speed

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Main article: Speed (1994 film)

Two humorous slogans Santa Monica Bank used on Big Blue Buses appeared in the film Speed.[17] The bus operator in the movie is called the Santa Monica Intercity Bus Lines, a fictionalized version of the Big Blue Bus's official name, the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines.

Raymond Chandler

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In Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely, first published in 1940, he writes as protagonist Philip Marlowe, describing a scene in Bay City (Chandler's version of the City of Santa Monica):

"Outside the narrow street fumed, the sidewalks swarmed with fat stomachs. Across the street a bingo parlor was going full blast and beside it a couple of sailors with girls were coming out of a photographer's shop where they had probably been having their photos taken riding on camels. The voice of the hot dog merchant split the dusk like an axe. A big blue bus blared down the street to the little circle where the street car used to turn on a turntable. I walked that way."

Curb Your Enthusiasm

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In the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode ”Namaste" (season 9, episode 7), Larry David is forced to catch a bus, an activity he is not accustomed to. The endeavor ends with Larry being kicked off the bus. The bus station is the Montana/San-Vincente station in Brentwood which serves lines 14 and 18.[18]

The Doors

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The lyric from The Doors song “The End” “The blue bus is calling us” is sometimes said to refer to the Big Blue Buses but according Ray Manzarek this is apocryphal.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Routes and Schedules". Big Blue Bus. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Our History – Big Blue Bus". www.bigbluebus.com. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Public Transit Ridership, Los Angeles County, California". www.laalmanac.com. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Hobbs, Charles P. (September 6, 2011). "Big Blue Bus Breakthrough | More Than Red Cars – The Obscure, Offbeat and Half-Forgotten Transportation History of Southern California". Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "2011 APTA Awards Program" (PDF). October 4, 2011. pp. 25–26.
  8. ^ "Routes and Schedules - Big Blue Bus". www.bigbluebus.com. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "Brighter Blue".
  10. ^ a b c d e "Santa Monica City Council: Approval of Agreement with Gillig LLC to Purchase Fifteen 35-foot Battery Electric Buses".
  11. ^ a b "Big Blue Bus Receives $22.9 Million State Grant for Fleet Electrification, Workforce Development, and Customer Experience Enhancements - Big Blue Bus". www.bigbluebus.com. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "We're Upgrading Our Fleet Communications System - Big Blue Bus". www.bigbluebus.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  13. ^ "Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan" (PDF). California Air Resources Board. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "Bus Testing Procedures- GovInfo" (PDF).
  15. ^ "Injured victims of Santa Monica shooting". Cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  16. ^ ""City of Santa Monica: July 7th, 2013 Shooting Incident After-Action Report"" (PDF). Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  17. ^ Pool, Bob (December 1, 1999). "Bus Line's One-Liners to Stop". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Surrey, Miles (November 13, 2017). "Who Won 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Week 7?". The Ringer. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  19. ^ "SongFacts: "The End" by The Doors".

Further reading

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Ayer, Bob. History of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus. Santa Monica, CA: City of Santa Monica, 1992.

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Media related to Big Blue Bus at Wikimedia Commons

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