Big Blue Bus plans to increase fare by 25 cents to fund route changes

Big Blue Bus officials will present a plan this month calling for a fare increase of 25 cents to pay for additional routes and a boost in service hours.

The plan, which officials will present to the Santa Monica City Council on April 28, will call for six new lines and a series of 19 changes to bus routes that would create more connections with future light-rail stations. The stations, which are currently under construction, are part of the Metro Expo Line extension project, said Suja Lowenthal, a Big Blue Bus spokeswoman.

Big Blue Bus officials think the changes are necessary because most Big Blue Bus routes run parallel to the Expo Line and currently can’t connect to the new train. Officials want to create more north-south service to accommodate the east-west route of the Expo Line, Lowenthal said.

A fare hike will help pay for the changes and an 11 percent increase in service time and improved bus speed and frequency, she added.

“There is no way to increase service by 11 percent if there isn’t a fare increase,” Lowenthal said.

Though UCLA Transportation subsidizes part of bus fares for individuals with BruinCards, members of the UCLA community will still see their fares rise if the proposal passes. Transportation officials said in an email statement that the department does not plan to increase its current 50-cent BruinGo! service, which allows UCLA students to pay 50 cents less than other passengers on Big Blue Bus fares. Under the new price model, UCLA students would continue to pay 50 cents per ride.

Under the plan, the Route 12 local line that runs on Westwood Boulevard would be discontinued in favor of a single rapid-bus line that will end on Washington Boulevard and Motor Avenue, almost four and a half miles from UCLA.

Officials plan for Route 18 to replace Route 3M while following the same path from UCLA to Santa Monica via Montana Avenue and having extended night and weekend hours.

The Big Blue Bus last raised its fares in summer 2010, when unsubsidized rates increased from 75 cents to $1. The last time the BruinGo! copay option increased was during fall 2011, when it rose from 35 to 50 cents.

Some frequent riders said they would not mind the fare increase if the service provided by the Big Blue Bus improved.

“For a better service, I would not mind the increase, and I would still use the bus,” said Kevin Kato, a first-year economics student.

Natasha Nemanim, a lab assistant at the David Geffen School of Medicine who takes the bus to and from UCLA every weekday, usually notices that some buses don’t run on schedule.

“If the buses show up in a timely manner, I would support the fare increase,” she said.

Others said they are upset about the fare increase.

“I wouldn’t like it because it’s still a lot of money,” said Daniela Arguello, a first-year film student. “The bus is helpful, especially as a student when you don’t have a car.”

If the Santa Monica City Council approves the proposal, officials would implement the changes by a date between February and June 2016. The fare for regular riders would increase to $1.25 by January 2016.