Big Blue Bus: A History of Santa Monica's Public Transit
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.
Foundation and Early Years
The Big Blue Bus was founded on April 14, 1928, providing public bus services for the city of Santa Monica and the greater Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Operated by the city of Santa Monica, the agency has consistently used a blue color scheme for its buses, leading to the widely recognized "Big Blue Bus" nickname, which later became the official name.
Evolution and Expansion
Throughout its history, the Big Blue Bus has evolved to meet the changing transportation needs of the region. 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 agency has also expanded its service area and adapted to new travel patterns.
Current Operations
Big Blue Bus operates 18 bus lines: 12 regular routes, 2 rapid routes, and 1 circulator route. These routes serve various destinations within Santa Monica and the Westside region, including UCLA, Brentwood and Culver City. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 9,968,400, or about 33,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2025. 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.
Fleet Modernization and Sustainability
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. In 2018, Big Blue Bus received its last ever internal combustion vehicle. 19 buses out of its total fleet are currently battery-electric. 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 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 vehicles to generate more frequent and accurate GPS data for tracking purposes, such as the Transit app.
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Big Blue Bus has evaluated two main options for zero-emissions propulsion of its buses in an effort to decarbonize its fleet by 2030. Originally powered with a gasoline electric hybrid system. 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 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. 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.
Integration Plan and Route Adjustments
In 2024, the agency underwent 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. The Integration Plan includes an 11% increase in service. Evolution of Blue is occurring in four phases. The plan involves several route adjustments and service enhancements, including:
- Serving UCLA via Sawtelle Blvd.
- Serving Santa Monica and Brentwood via San Vicente Blvd.
- Adjusting service time and frequency between Main St. and Windward Ave., and Venice Blvd. and Walgrove Ave.
- Providing Saturday service between Main St. and Windward Ave., and California Ave.
- Ending Westbound weekday service at 9:20pm (currently 10:20pm).
- Operating service every 20 minutes most of the day with service every 30 minutes during early morning and late evening hours.
- Moving the terminus in Santa Monica from 6th St. and Broadway to 7th St.
- Having Westbound trips enter Rimpau Transit Center and no longer serve the stop on Pico Blvd.
- Adding new stop additions at Pico Blvd.
- Serving Ocean Ave. between Pico Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd. instead of Main St. and 2nd St.
- Serving 4th St. between Wilshire Blvd. and San Vicente Blvd. instead of 7th St.
- Having Westbound trips leaving the Culver City Station Expo Line continue straight on Robertson Blvd., turn left on National Blvd. and no longer service Venice Blvd. and National Blvd.
- Extending service south on Centinela Ave.
- Introducing new route will serve Barrington Ave. and the future Bundy Station Expo Line.
Some service has been discontinued:
- Service north of Montana Ave. and Barrington Ave.
- Service on Washington Blvd., Inglewood Blvd. and Culver Blvd. Refer to Culver CityBus Routes 1 and 2 for service on Washington Blvd. and Inglewood Blvd.
- There will no longer be a connection between BBB Route 14 and Metro Routes 234 and 734 to the San Fernando Valley. Passengers making connections to the 234 and 734 are advised to use BBB Route 2 on Wilshire Blvd.
- Refer to Metro Route 220 for service along Robertson Blvd.
Ridership Trends
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, transit ridership was declining despite efforts to expand and improve the current forms of public transportation. From March 2020 to October 2021, average monthly ridership for LADOT routes 431, 534 and 573 was 83% lower than ridership from January 2019 to February 2020. The percentage decline in total ridership for the Big Blue Bus was approximately 46%. The above ridership charts show a slow improvement in ridership since the first case of COVID-19 in LA.
UCLA and Big Blue Bus
In 2019, more than half of undergraduate students at UCLA, as well as a majority of graduate students, staff and faculty, lived off campus and commuted to class and to work. Active transportation methods were the largest group of sustainable transportation, with walkers constituting almost 24% of all commuters and bikers making up about 3% of all commuters. Of the commuters who use public transit, 49% reported taking the BruinBus, which UCLA operates on routes around campus and Westwood Village. The Stack examined the punctuality of several bus lines around UCLA as well as the monthly ridership of the bus lines, including Big Blue Bus routes 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12.
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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. at the triangular intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Marquez in the Pacific Palisades.
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. Approximately two dozen people were inside the bus at the time of the shooting.
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