Brand spanking new BBB customer service center opens
DOWNTOWN The biggest shopping district in the city is now home to the bluest green business in Santa Monica.
The Big Blue Bus’ customer service center and retail shop opened its doors on Monday at its new digs on the 100 block of Broadway, a move lauded by frequent public transit riders who long complained of the inconveniences of the old location on Olympic Boulevard and Seventh Street.
An information hub where riders can acquire bus schedules, inquire about routes, receive assistance with trip plan-ning and purchase monthly passes, the customer service center is now housed in a building that is easily accessible from most of the Big Blue Bus’ major lines, whereas the old location was a block away from only one bus line. Directly in front of the BBB store is the stop for some of the system’s busiest lines.
Morgan Genser IN THE HEART OF THE CITY: ‘Blue: The Transit Store’ opened its doors to customers Monday. The Big Blue Bus’ new 900-square-foot customer service center, retail store and information hub downtown should prove more convenient for customers than the agency’s former digs at Olympic Boulevard and Seventh Street. The service center is located at 223 Broadway near Second Street.
The store attracted more clients on opening day than what BBB officials expected, attracting more than 50 people during the first few hours, a high figure considering it was a bank holiday.
One of those visitors was Marsha Parkinson, who while visiting Santa Monica on Monday afternoon stumbled upon the Big Blue Bus store after spending a few moments in front of a bus stop in confusion. Parkinson, who is visiting Southern California from Kansas City, was trying to find a bus back to her hotel in West Hollywood.
“The people here are extremely helpful,” she said.
The new digs is a hit with the seven BBB employees that work out of the office, enjoying the conveniences of being close to restaurants and shops.
“This new location is really all about convenience and about bringing transit into more of a public place so that it’s more visible, and also more contemporary,” — said Dan Dawson, spokesman for the Big Blue Bus. THIS NEW LOCATION IS REALLY ALL ABOUT CONVENIENCE AND ABOUT BRINGING TRAN- SIT INTO MORE OF A PUBLIC PLACE SO THAT IT’S MORE VISIBLE, AND ALSO MORE CONTEMPORARY.” Dan Dawson, Spokesman for Big Blue Bus
“We always have to call (orders) to go,” said Lois Safriwe, a BBB customer service representative.“It’s great to have the variety.”
The 900-square-foot space was designed by Warren Wagner of W3 Architects and built to look like the exterior of a Big Blue Bus, covered in a blue paneling that starts at the store’s facade and extends inside. The shop was designed to incorporate environmentally friendly concepts, from the floors made of recycled rubber tires to the high windows that utilize natural lighting and cuts down on energy costs. The project cost an estimated $585,000 and was funded mainly by grants from the Federal Transit Administration.
In addition to buying monthly fares and picking up route maps, customers will also be able to see a real time system-wide map of the buses, shown on a flat screen television inside the store, said Jose Barba, the customer service supervisor.
In planning the new center, called “Blue: The Transit Store,” Big Blue Bus officials looked to public transit agencies in London and Dallas for inspiration, both of which have successfully molded together the retail store and customer service center concept.
“It attracts people who are not even thinking about transit,” Dawson said.
The BBB merchandise will not go on sale until this weekend but the store’s shelves are already stacked with Big Blue theme towels, toy buses, organic cotton T-shirts and even baby clothes. The store will also sell jewelry made from old Big Blue Bus tokens from the 1930s, discovered in a safe and transformed into jewelry by two local Santa Monica artists.
The former location drew anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 walk-in visitors a month. That number is expected to rise, especially with tourists.
Another added bonus for BBB riders will be the extended hours at the new service center, now open for two hours longer every weekday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
“The drivers are the first initial contact (for riders), but we’re the second one,” Barba said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.