By Daily Press staff
The Getty Center has decided not to pay for the Big Blue Bus service to the museum any longer.
As a result, the Big Blue Bus is recommending changes on Line 14. At the Santa Monica City Council meeting on Aug. 13, the Big Blue Bus will recommend that the new northern terminus be changed to Sepulveda Boulevard and Church Lane. The transit agency also will recommend that more early morning buses be added to the southern end of the line, where standing room only has become increasingly common. The changes would take effect Sept. 8 if approved by the city council.
“We’ve had an ongoing agreement with the Getty Center to provide them with bus service as long as they provided the funding, and now they’ve opted to cancel the agreement,” said Joe Stitcher, Big Blue Bus customer relations manager. “It’s regrettable that after five years they have decided to stop funding the service hours to the Getty Center.”
Before opening in 1997, the Getty Center approached the Big Blue Bus to pay for service to the museum to offset parking and traffic issues, as well as encourage its patrons to use public transportation. After the Getty informed the Big Blue Bus of its decision, the Big Blue Bus offered a variety of options to amend the original terms service agreement. However, the Getty Center opted to terminate bus service from Santa Monica, officials say.
The proposed changes to Line 14 would still enable commuters to make the regional transfer to the MTA, but at a cost that the Big Blue Bus will have to absorb. Stitcher said the proposed service reduction should also improve on-time performance for buses traveling south of Sunset Bouelvard, since they will have a shorter route and encounter less traffic from Interstate 405.
“A growing number of people have become reliant on Line 14, not to reach the Getty Center, but to transfer to MTA Line 561, which takes them into the San Fernando Valley,” Stitcher added. “ We’re trying to be responsive to the needs of the majority of our daily riders by shifting our finite resources to improve on-time performance and reduce overcrowding on the other end of Line 14.”
Service at Line 14’s southern terminus at Centinela Avenue and Culver Boulevard begins at 6 a.m. Passenger demand has been growing so much that people are forced to stand on the bus. Officials believe that’s a strong indication that more early morning service is necessary.
“It’s too bad the Getty chose this course of action, since many visitors to Santa Monica are avid users of public transportation and loved the fact they didn’t have to drive or worry about parking,” said Debbie Lee of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau, who noted that Santa Monica is one of the most most-visited destinations in southern California.
“Unfortunately, this means that the Big Blue Bus is forced to figure out how to do more with less in a time when budgets were already shrinking,” Lee said.
Riders and residents can view the city’s staff report online at www.Santa- Monica.org. Interested parties can also call the Big Blue Bus customer service line, (310) 451-5444, or send e-mail to
Information about service or schedule changes on any of the Big Blue Bus lines can be found at http://www.bigbluebus.com/home/index.asp.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 7, 2002. Read the original PDF.