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# Money for the bus
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/money-for-the-bus/
- Published: 2003-10-30T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:08:50.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

Thanks to a new transit plan the City Council authorized Tuesday, Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus system soon will be eligible for more money.

Called a “Short Range Transit Plan,” the submission to the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will ensure that the Big Blue Bus is up for federal, state, and local transit funds through 2006.

Every year a transit plan must be filed. It is a planning document that includes a forecast of operating expenses and other infrastructure needs — including fleet replacement, facility improvement, and equipment updating.

This information, based upon the current year’s financial plan which is approved by the City Council, allows the LACMTA to allocate transit funding. Short range transit plans do not bind City Hall to a specific plan.

During the fiscal year of 2003-2004 the LACMTA estimated the operating budget for the Big Blue Bus at $37.6 million with transit subsidies at $23.1 million — 61 percent of the operations budget.

The remaining 39 percent is made up from local operating revenues — a combination of fares, charter, advertising, leasing and special transit services which total $14.5 million.

The fiscal year 2004-2005 includes an $18.5 million capital improvement program, covering replacement vehicles and maintenance costs. In 2005-2006, another $13.5 million will be spent on capital improvements. Approximately $7.5 million of that is for ongoing expenses. The remaining $6 million is expected to fund upgrades to the Transit Mall.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 30, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/103003.pdf?ref=smdp.com)