BIG BLUE BUS LOOKS FOR CONVENIENCE Bus riders may not have the blues anymore when trying to get information on the Big Blue Bus.
Following complaints that the temporary customer service center — located at 1660 Seventh St. near Olympic Boulevard and the 1-10 Freeway — was inconveniently located, difficult to find and not easily accessible for pedestrians, the City Council is expected tonight to order staff to negotiate a lease agreement for a new center at 223 Broadway, just steps away from the Third Street Promenade.
The proposed location, which includes 845 square feet of retail space for an estimated eight staff members, is directly in front of one of the busiest transit stops in the system and will be near many of the city’s main attractions. The new location, staff said, should increase sales revenue and the profile of the bus system.
In a typical month, the customer relations division serves an average of 1,500 walk-in customers, 4,600 phone customers, and sells more than $50,000 in bus passes and other merchandise, according to officials.
A permanent customer service center is being built at the corner of Sixth Street and Colorado Avenue. The new facility is expected to be completed by December 2009. Until then, the bus company will most likely use the temporary facility on Broadway at an estimated cost of $7.25 per square foot, which is $7,448.25 per month, or $468,320 for the entire length of the lease. City Hall has proposed the lease be at least six years, with one five-year extension. Rent will be raised annually based on a rate set by the Consumer Price Index, but never to exceed 4 percent in one year. The City Council also is considering spending $300,000 on renovations to the space. In exchange for the investment, the property owner, Third Street Limited, is offering three months’ free rent.
The cost for renovation and the six-year lease will be covered by a federal transportation grant.
The lease is expected to begin March 1.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 24, 2006. Read the original PDF.