In July 2024, the Santa Monica City Council adopted Brighter Blue, a five-year plan to improve Big Blue Bus service by providing riders with fast, frequent, and reliable access to jobs, healthcare, education, and other essential services. The last COA was conducted prior to the opening of the E Line in 2016, and the impact of regional light rail as well as the changes in travel patterns resulting from the pandemic necessitated a fresh look at the current system. Big Blue Bus will also be greatly affected by upcoming construction projects improving regional mobility including the extension of the D Line subway to Westwood and the VA Hospital as well as the extension of the K Line to LAX. This plan focused on investing in a core network of high-frequency (10-minute) routes to respond to customer priorities and enhance the usability and convenience of the service. It also expanded operating hours on most routes to provide customers with more travel options and realigned routes to provide more direction connections with planned light rail stations. Big Blue Bus will be working to implement the planned improvements over the next few years.
Relevant Project Materials
Anuj Gupta, the Santa Monica Department of Transportation Director, said the following in a press release regarding the approval of the plan:
“We are thrilled that City Council has approved the Department of Transportation’s Brighter Blue plan. Over the next five years, these enhancements will significantly elevate the experience for Big Blue Bus riders, drivers, and the broader Santa Monica and West Los Angeles community. While travel patterns have changed post-pandemic, the fundamentals of high-quality transit remain the same. Service needs to be fast, frequent, safe, and reliable to serve as an effective transportation mode. Concentrating investments on key high-frequency routes will create a stronger foundation for our overall network, making Big Blue Bus’s service more attractive and convenient, reducing wait times, and providing more flexibility to current and future riders planning their trips.”