By Jorge Casuso
March 19, 2025 -- Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (BBB) is preparing to raise its fares for the first time in nearly a decade to offset rising operational costs, transportation officials said this week.
The proposed fare changes would increase the cost of a single ride, as well as daily, weekly and monthly passes. The proposal also eliminates the Annual and Youth 30-Day Passes.
BBB will continue to offer one free intra-agency transfer within two hours, discounts on Single Rides for contactless fare payments and expanded access to reduced fares through regional programs such as LIFE and GoPass.
The proposed rate hikes mark only the fourth fare increase since 1985, and the first since January 2016, "despite the rising cost of fuel, utilities, and supplies in recent years," officials said.
The proposed rate increases will be presented at two public hearings -- the first held virtually on Wednesday, April 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To attend, register at bigbluebus.com/meetings.
The second hearing will take place in-person on Thursday, April 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Monica Main Library in the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium.
“The proposed fare adjustments will help us offset rising costs while investing in the recruitment and retention of our workforce and providing meaningful customer experience improvements," said Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta.
Under the proposed rate structure, the cost of a single ride paid using a mobile device would rise from $1.10 to $1.25 on August 10, then to $1.50 in July 2027.
Cash payments would go up from $1.25 to $1.50 on August 10, and rise to $1.75 in 2027.
The cost of daily, weekly and monthly passes, as well as the 10-ride pass, would also rise, while annual and youth 30-Day passes, along with the $500 yearly pass, would be eliminated.
Under the most recent rate hike in 2016, which raised the base fare cash price from $1 to $1.25, the BBB offered a new 7-Day Pass for $14 and reduced the price of a regular 30-Day Pass from $60 to $50.
It also dropped the price of a Youth 30-Day Pass from $40 to $28, and reduced cash fares for senior, disabled and Medicare riders, who would see fares rise under the current proposal.
The proposed rates, which the City Council must approve, will help offset operation costs that have risen by some $10 million over the past two years -- from about $83 million in Fiscal Year 2021-22 to nearly $93 million for the fiscal year that ended last June 30.
Since the coronavirus shutdown ended in fiscal year 2021-22, BBB has added nearly 3.5 million riders, according to the Transportation Department's latest annual report..
Still, the 8.6 million passengers who rode the bus in Fiscal Year 2023-24 represents a staggering drop from the 23 million BBB passengers in 2010.
In the fiscal year ending last June, the average passenger fare was 70 cents after dropping for the third straight year, according to the annual report for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
The fare revenue generated ticked up during the same period to about $6 million, making only a small dent in the operating costs, which as with transit agencies across the country are heavily subsidized.
The average cost of a ride on the BBB last year was $9.10, with subsidies paying $8.40 for each passenger.
BBB services a system wide total of some 250 directional miles, with 54.6 "unduplicated directional route" miles within Santa Monica, according to former BBB director Ed King.
After gathering public feedback from next month's meetings, Transportation officials expect to present the final proposal to the City Council in May.
Pending Council approval, the first phase of fare changes would take place on August 10, while the second phase would go into effect in summer of 2027.
