Big Blue Bus

Big Blue Bus

Big Blue Bus at UCLA Hilgard Terminal
Slogan	Ride Blue. Go Green.
Parent	City of Santa Monica
Founded	1928
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California
Locale	Santa Monica, Westwood, and Venice, California
Service area	United States
Service type	Transit Bus
Routes	20[1]
Fleet	196
Daily ridership	65,600 (weekdays, Q1 2016)[2]
Fuel type	CNG, LNG
Operator	City of Santa Monica
Chief executive	Edward F. King
Website	www.bigbluebus.com

The Santa Monica Big Blue Bus is a municipal bus operator in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, that provides local and bus rapid transit service in Santa Monica and adjacent neighborhoods of Los Angeles (including LAX). Express service is also provided to Downtown Los Angeles and Union Station.

History

In 1928, the City of Santa Monica launched its first route. Choosing a blue livery, it was called Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines. It kept its base fare at 10 cents for a long time.Template:Howlong The impetus for the creation was a fare increase on the Pacific Electric interurban trains between Santa Monica and Los Angeles. The Santa Monica bus connected with the Los Angeles Railway streetcars at Pico and Rimpau Boulevards in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles. That historic terminus point has become an important transit center in Los Angeles simply because it is the point where thousands of bus riders along Pico Boulevard must transfer to continue their trips eastward to Downtown Los Angeles or westward to the Westside.

The Big Blue Bus is considered one of the best bus services in the Los Angeles area. The system won the American Public Transportation Association’s Outstanding Transportation System award in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000 and 2011. The Big Blue Bus did not raise its regular fare above 50 cents until 2002, when it became 75 cents. In contrast, most public bus lines in California were charging fares of a dollar or more well before 2000. There was no monthly pass until August 2010^[3] except for the EZ Pass, and unlike other EZ Pass agencies, Metrolink fare media are not accepted. However, allowing for the inevitability of traffic delays on weekday afternoons, the Big Blue Bus system provides frequent and convenient service to most neighborhoods in its service area. Many routes serve UCLA.

The Big Blue Bus was one of the last transit agencies using the GMC New Look buses; they were retired in 2005. Big Blue Bus received the last New Looks ever built. The last one built, #5180, was driven off the property in May 2013 after being donated to the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which preserves the bus. It was also the first transit agency in the State of California to use the Grumman-Flxible Model 870 advanced design transit buses equipped with Lift-U wheelchair lifts beginning in 1978, and the third customer after Atlanta's MARTA, and the Connecticut's Department of Transportation's CT Transit's order of these buses. These buses never experienced the same chronic structural problems that plagued these early vehicles that were also sold to other transit agencies. These were also the very first production buses built with wheelchair lifts before ADA effectively became law of the land in 1990

For 20 years until December 1999 Santa Monica Bank ran a series of humorous ads on the back of the buses. Examples include "Old and wrinkled is beautiful. Especially in large denominations", "Go invest, young man", "Was it his eyes? His lips? His jumbo CD?" and (the final one) "After 20 years on the bus, we've reached our stop". The campaign ended as the bank was absorbed by U.S. Bank.^[4]

The system was started by former Brentwood resident Ruldolph F. Brunner, who later sold the system thinking it wouldn't amount to any more than a few dollars a week.

Incidents

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

Some popular destinations

A Big Blue Bus in Westwood.

Big Blue Bus provides service to the following popular destinations:

• Century City
• Downtown Los Angeles
• Downtown Santa Monica, including the Third Street Promenade
• Los Angeles Convention Center
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Metro Expo Line Culver City Station
• Metro Green Line Aviation Station
• Metro Purple Line Wilshire/Western Station
• Rimpau Transit Center
• Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
• Santa Monica College
• Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park
• UCLA
• Union Station
• Venice Beach
• Will Rogers State Beach

Routes

Big Blue Bus operates 14 local routes, 3 Rapid routes, and 1 express route in Los Angeles County.^[7]

• # Sunday schedules are operated on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
• ‡ On the non-rapid routes, weekday trips between 7am and 8pm serve UCLA Transit Center / Hilgard Terminal; weekday trips from 8p-7a and all weekend trips serve Charles E Young/P2 Hub (Charles E. Young Dr. between Westholme Ave. and Manning Ave.). Rapid 12 always serves Charles E Young/P2 Hub.^[8]

Fares

• † Children five years of age and under may ride free (maximum 2 children with accompanying adult).
• ‡ Proper identification must be presented to obtain the reduced Student and Senior/Disabled/Medicare fare.
• S Santa Monica College students and staff may ride free with college I.D. and valid semester sticker.^[9]
• The BBB ended intra-agency transfers on January 1, 2014.

UCLA students and staff

Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Culver CityBus participate in BruinGo program, in which UCLA students and staff can swipe their BruinCard (university I.D.) on the farebox, so that the university pays a part of the fare.^[8]

Fleet

Current

Order Year	Manufacturer	Image	Model	Length (ft.)	Fleet Series (Quantity)	Powertrain (Engine/Transmission)	Fuel Propulsion	Notes
2002	NABI		40-LFW	40	4001-4037 (37) As of November 2016 [4001,4008, 4013,4015, 4021, 4022, 4030, 4031, 4033 ,4036] (10)	Detroit Diesel Series 50G Allison WB-400R	LNG	Santa Monica's very first buses to run on Natural Gas.[10] Soon to be retired 4001,4008,4013,4015,4021,4022,4030,4031,4033,4036 (still remain in weekday service) 4017,4028,4029 have been taken out of active service and remain in the BBB yard. 14 Remain in service as of October 31, 2015 \ 10 remain in active service as of November 2016 4024 is retired and off the yard. Has been auctioned at Ken Porter auctions. Some are used during mid day, but most are used during peak hours Used on lines 1,2,3,R3,5,7,R7,8,9,R10,R12,14,15,16,17,18,41,44 Some are retired; only 24 buses remain active as of September 2014.[11]
	MCI		D4500	45	5501-5504 (4)	Detroit Diesel Series 60 Allison WB-500	Diesel	Used exclusively for Charter service. Sold off in 2012 when the city terminated the charter program on July 1 of that year.
2004-05	NFI		L40LF	40	4038-4089 (51)	Cummins Westport C-Gas Plus ZF Ecomat 6HP602	LNG	4070-4072, 4078, and 4080-4089 are in big blue bus livery but retain the rapid blue paint.
2006			L40LF	40	4090-4099 (10)	Cummins Westport C-Gas Plus ZF Ecomat 6HP602	LNG	4091-4099 are in big blue bus livery but retain the rapid blue paint Last New Flyer L40LF buses ever built Soon to be retired
2010/2012	ElDorado National		E-Z Rider II BRT	32	2900–2914 (15)	Ford Triton V10 ISE Thundervolt TB40-HG Cummins Westport ISL-G Allison B300R	Hybrid & CNG	All buses have big blue bus livery except 2900-2904 which remains with mini blue livery 2900-2904 are 2010 models & have been converted to CNG 2905-2915 are 2012 models powered by CNG Weekdays: used on lines 8,15,16,18,41/42,43 (routes are not exclusively 30 foot buses; 40 foot buses run them too) Weekends: used on lines 2,5,8,9,15,18,41/42 (routes are not exclusively 30 foot buses; 40 foot buses run them too)
2010/2012	NABI		60-BRT	60	5300-5320(21)	Cummins Westport ISL-G Allison WB-500R	CNG	Used exclusively on Rapid 3, Local 3, Rapid 7, and Rapid 10 service. 5300-5315 are 2010 series & 5316-5320 are 2012 series models
2011	NABI		40-LFW	40	3868-3876 (9)	Cummins Westport ISL-G engine 44' turning radius Allison WB-400R Generation IV	CNG	Replaced 1997-98 New Flyer D40LF's and some 1995 Novabus Classic's these were an option of 58 units but was canceled after 9 units were delivered
2012	Gillig		BRT	40	1300(1)	Cummins Westport ISL-G Voith D864.5	CNG	Delivered Replaced 1997-98 New Flyer D40LFs
2013	Gillig		BRT	40	1301-1344(44)	Cummins Westport ISL-G Voith D864.5	CNG	Delivered Replaced 1997-98 New Flyer D40LFs
2014	Gillig		BRT	40	1345-1357(13)	Cummins Westport ISL-G Voith D864.5	CNG	Delivered Replaced some 2002 NABI-40 LNG LFWs
2015	NFI		XN60	60	1560-1566(7)[12][13]	Cummins Westport ISL-G Allison	CNG	Replaced some 2002 NABI-40 LNG LFWs Used exclusively on Rapid 3, Local 3, Rapid 7, and Rapid 10 service. On very rare occasions on line 8
2015	Gillig		BRT	40	1500-1510 [14]	Cummins Westport ISL-G Voith D864.5	CNG	Delivered Replaced some 2002 NABI-40 LNG LFWs
2016	Gillig		BRT	29	1600-1603	Cummins Westport ISL-G Voith D864.5	CNG	Replaced some 2002 NABI-40 LNG LFWs All seats on board do not face forward except those in the very back Run on same routes as the El Dorado E-Z Rider II BRTs The buses were purchased to run on new lines introduced in 2016 such as 16, 18, 42 and 43.

Retired

In popular culture

Speed

The most famous Big Blue Bus is probably the one rigged with a bomb in 1994's hit movie Speed. Driving through Los Angeles at rush hour, the bus has to keep its speed over 50 mph (80 km/h) or the bomb on the bus will detonate.

The bus operator in the movie is called the Santa Monica Intercity Bus Lines, a barely fictionalized version of the Big Blue Bus's official name, the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines. Even more tellingly, the bus in the film is a General Motors "New Look" bus, introduced in 1959 but kept in prominent and active service by Santa Monica until early 2005, long after most other American cities had retired the retro-looking bus.

In another effort to differentiate the movie's bus from any real-world bus, the headsigns on the Speed bus display:

33 DOWNTOWN | VIA FREEWAY

However, number 33 buses are operated by Metro, not Big Blue, and run on Venice Boulevard, not the Santa Monica Freeway. The closest thing to the movie bus's routing is Santa Monica's number 10 express route.

The bus number was 2525, not within any equipment number range operated by the real company at that time.

It should also be noted that at the time the movie was released, Santa Monica's GM New Look fleet were the Canadian-built versions with wheelchair lifts; the US-built version were retired in 1990 to make room for the Classics.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In an episode that originally aired on May 15, 2007, the ABC late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was filmed on a New Flyer L40LF model LNG bus. In this episode, titled Jimmy Kimmel Live on a Bus, Kimmel sat behind the desk, which was rigged to fit in a bus. This particular Santa Monica Big Blue Bus that was used in the episode was driven by veteran bus driver Erskins Robinson, who picked up unsuspecting passengers along his route. The celebrity guests who appeared in the Jimmy Kimmel Live on a Bus episode were Paula Abdul, Flavor Flav, and musical guest Feist.

The Doors

A Blue Bus is referred to twice in The Doors's classic 1967 song "The End", when singer Jim Morrison says "The blue bus is calling us", and "Meet me at the back of the blue bus".

Raymond Chandler

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."

References

Further reading

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

External links

• Big Blue Bus homepage
• Google Map of Routes (last updated 2007)