Santa Monica City Council approves Big Blue Bus fare policy changes to enhance customer experience

The Santa Monica City Council approved fare policy changes for Big Blue Bus (BBB) that will take effect June 22, 2022. 

The changes include: 

• Introduce free BBB to BBB transfers within two hours for one-way trips. 
• Replace both the Regular and Senior/Disabled/Medicare 13 Rides Pass with a 10 Rides Pass, at $9 and $4.50, respectively. 
• BBB will accept both Regular and Senior/Disabled/Medicare Metro 1-Day Pass. 
• Permanently reduce the Youth 30-Day Pass price to $19. 
• Raise the age that children ride BBB free, from four-years old to five-years old. 
• Reinstate cash fare payments on board. 
• Discontinue acceptance of BBB paper passes and tokens (BBB passes still accepted on TAP and mobile ticketing). 

"The fare policy changes were developed with significant input from our community, and promote safe, convenient and equitable access to our system by lowering fares, maintaining health and safety improvements on board, reducing boarding and travel times and re-aligning fare products with customer preference," said Ed King, Santa Monica Department of Transportation director 

In February 2021, BBB initiated a contactless fare pilot to help staff assess the customer and operational impacts of a cashless system. As part of the pilot, BBB discontinued acceptance of cash, paper passes and tokens on board, and required customers to make contactless fare payments with TAP or a mobile ticket instead. Thus far, 94 percent of BBB customers have transitioned to contactless fare payments, which has helped make buses safer and more hygienic for customers and operators, while improving bus boarding and travel times. Savings in travel times were reinvested in the system to provide better and more frequent service on some BBB routes. 

Although the pilot will conclude with the implementation of the June 22 fare policy changes, BBB says it remains committed to improving access to contactless fares. The agency intends to develop a program to identify and address the fare needs of vulnerable riders and social service agencies, expand TAP retail locations and the distribution of BBB products, and promote access to free and discounted transit fares through ongoing customer education and outreach.