Spikes in fuel prices prompt Big changes
CITYWIDE — As the price of gasoline continues to rise, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus has laid out plans to trim its service.
During community meetings held in February and March, the Big Blue Bus presented several proposed service changes. Feedback on the changes varied from applause to consternation over certain proposals, according to transit officials.
At the meetings it was explained that trimming unproductive service is something the Big Blue Bus does year round, but that this year it was especially important, because fuel costs have hit record highs — around $72 per barrel of crude oil as of Thursday — and most experts agree there is no relief in sight.
“When we were budgeting two years ago, we had no idea fuel costs would go through the roof the way they have,” said Dan Dawson, acting customer service manager for the Big Blue Bus.
In the last 12 months, Dawson said the price for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has increased by almost 20 percent, “but that’s nothing compared to diesel costs, which in the last 12 months has increased 35 percent.”
And in the last two years, diesel costs have skyrocketed, spiking by 180 percent. This year, the bus company has budgeted $3.65 million for fuel costs. Last year, the budget was $2.9 million, Dawson said.
Of the 200 buses in the Big Blue Bus fleet, 89 buses run on LNG, with the remaining using diesel fuel. Dawson said 10 LNG buses were purchased and should be brought online in the next few months. LNG is slightly less expensive than diesel.
The higher fuel costs make providing typical Big Blue Bus service more expensive than projected, Dawson said. In addition, more resources are needed for a new service called “Community Transit,” which is intended to make traveling in and around Santa Monica easier and better for residents and visitors.
The Big Blue Bus has conducted surveys on Community Transit over the last few weeks with key community members, Dawson said, and should be releasing the results of that survey within the next few weeks. The survey will help identify where routes should be created.
To begin Community Transit, which will rely on smaller buses that make more stops at locations of interest, resources are needed and the service cuts will be a start in helping Big Blue Bus shift resources toward the new service, according to transit officials.
The following is a summary of the changes that will be made, beginning in June. ■ Line 9: Service will be rescheduled on Sundays from the current 30-minute frequency to 60-minute frequency, and there will be some minor schedule and route changes on weekdays. The route changes will affect only the stops at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue. For northbound passengers, the closest new stop will be at the corner of Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue. For southbound passengers, the next closest stop is located on Broadway at Fourth Street. The southbound route will change at Fourth Street and Broadway, and will now travel west on Broadway and south on Second Street to Colorado Avenue. ■ Line 4: Slight schedule changes will be made to the timetable, the end of the route and the layover point, which will change to Second Street and Colorado Avenue. There will be no route or frequency changes to the weekend schedule. ■ Line 5: After 7 p.m., all trips will end on Pico Boulevard at Beverly Street. After 8 p.m., service will be changed from a 30-minute to 60-minute frequency. Both of the changes will be effective seven days per week. The last trip leaving downtown Santa Monica heading eastbound will be at approximately 9:15 p.m. ■ Line 12: The line ends at Pico Boulevard and Robertson with no peak-period extension to the Pico Rimpau Transit Center. There will be no changes to the weekend service. ■ New Fare option: A day-pass and the elimination of free local transfers were discussed at the meetings and are still under consideration. Any proposed changes to fares will be publicly noticed and will go through a public hearing process before the City Council this spring. ■ Combining of bus stops: The Metro and Big Blue Bus stops have been combined at the westbound Santa Monica Boulevard and Bundy Drive stop to make it more convenient for passengers. This suggestion was made at one of the meetings, and this change has already been put into place.
To raise more revenue, Dawson said transit officials are also considering restructuring bus fares by eliminating free transfers and creating an all-day transit pass much like the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation District’s $3 day pass, which offers unlimited rides.
Dawson said transit officials have also cut back “tremendously” on overtime for maintenance employees and have delayed refurbishments to buses.
Big Blue Bus is also in negotiations with its fuel suppliers to lock in a long-term contract that would cap fuel prices to help stabilize operations, Dawson said.
So far, layoffs have not been considered. “We already operate on a very lean human resources budget,” Dawson said. “Some days we run close to not having enough drivers. If we made any more cuts that would start to negatively affect service.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2006. Read the original PDF.