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ChineseNot exactly ‘Mini’
[tags]santa monica, big blue bus, santa monica college[/tags]
Size does not matter at the Big Blue Bus.
Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus introduced Mini Blue, a small network of routes within the city running frequent service with midibuses The latest addition to this network is The Sunset Ride, an improved but not entirely new service.
This weekday-only route was formerly a shuttle run by Santa Monica College. Cutaway vans would connect the main campus on Pico Boulevard with remote parking lots and satellite campuses near the Santa Monica Airport and the Water Garden. Big Blue Bus took over these shuttles, made them into a single line and opened them to the public. Behold, the Sunset Ride.
The cutaway buses are gone, replaced by Big Blue Bus service — and not the small buses, either. For now, regular 40-foot buses operate on the route. College students may ride the bus free with ID, and are encouraged to park at the airport or the Academy of Entertainment Technlogy for free and take the bus to the main campus. The general public may ride for $0.50 ($0.25 for seniors and disabled riders). It only operates until 6 p.m., though, and the college has many classes held at night.
Map of the Sunset Ride, facing north, with a sample picture of the Mini Blue stop sign. Clicking on the map loads a PDF version from the Big Blue Bus site.
Discussion
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What the BBB people really need to do is put more 7 buses on during morning and evening rushes. I could tell classes began yesterday because the buses where so packed.
Does Santa Monica operate a shuttle van service called “Nano Blue?”
This Mini Blue idea will really go through the roof once Expo Line gets built to Santa Monica.
Judging by what I saw on the Sunset Ride yesterday, it would be a good idea to keep the regular buses on that route for a while.
At least parts of the transportation were handled by Big Blue Buses before, when the remote parking was at the airport. It was strange when I went to SMC and would occasionally use that lot and then ride a Big Blue Bus to campus (but completely free at the time).
It looks to me the Mini has more to do with the smaller loop routes and lower prices rather than necessarily the size of the bus.