Culver CityBus is a public transport agency operating in Culver City, California , currently serving Culver City, the unincorporated community of Marina del Rey , and the adjacent Los Angeles neighborhoods .
69-400: Its regular fleet is painted bright green and its rapid fleet primarily a chrome gray, distinguishing it from Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus , orange-colored Metro Local buses, and red-colored Metro Rapid buses, whose coverage areas overlap on Los Angeles 's Westside . In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,746,900, or about 9,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Culver CityBus
138-508: A 1:1 replacement ratio. Big Blue Bus is installing charging for 100+ buses at its depot using a canopy with overhead reel dispensers, a project set to be complete by the end of 2024. 2010 and 2011 El Dorado EZR II- BRT 32' CNG models are set to be replaced with 15 35-foot Gillig Low Floor Plus EV models. Moreover, Big Blue Bus' 2011 NABI LFW 40' and NABI BRT 60' units have already exceeded their design life. The agency has subsequently delayed its fleet electrification deadline to 2031. Following
207-529: A 3-foot 6-inch gauge, which matched the gauge used by the cable lines: Crown Hill, University, Maple Avenue, Central Avenue and Pico Street. Pacific Railway’s problems were such that the company was thrown into receivership in 1891, with James F. Crank was appointed as receiver. In 1892, Sherman and Clark electrified the Depot Line, and opened it on August 1. They extended the Crown Hill line east to
276-574: A Jitney-caused drop in patronage and the eventual end of the hobble-skirt fashion. One significant drawback to this design was that they could not be converted to one-man operation. Over the years, less major variations in Type B car designs included different lengths, different seat arrangements, various center section window formats, mesh safety gates vs panels, modifications for cars that made longer runs, and modifications for one-man or two-man operation. Older Type B cars began to be scrapped beginning in
345-499: A Rapid route (Rapid 6). Weekend service is provided on New Year's Day , Memorial Day , Independence Day , Labor Day , Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day . Culver CityBus also maintains a fleet of largely electric circulator vans (used on its downtown circulator routes, for example 1C1) and support and paratransit vehicles including Nissan Leaf's and electric vans. Culver CityBus has announced intentions to replace its entire fleet with battery-electric buses by 2028, in time for
414-653: A new electric street railway company, the Los Angeles Traction Company , and secured a franchise for a line headquartered at Georgia Street and 12th Street, which was destined to provide stiff competition to LACE. Hook’s first line opened in February, 1896. In 1894, Sherman and Clark began an inter-urban line between LA and Pasadena, The Los Angeles and Pasadena Railway, and acquired all the street railways in Pasadena. In April, 1894 LACE missed
483-468: A rising new electric railway technology threatened to make the system obsolete. The first electric railway in Los Angeles was built in 1887 to facilitate the sales of a real estate tract on Pico Street . The Los Angeles Electric Railway used the early Daft overhead system with a crude electric car and trailers. Though the real estate venture was successful, after an explosion in the power station,
552-512: A scheduled bond payment. The bondholders, unhappy with Sherman and Clark's management and their attention to their new interurban railway, secured control of the railway. Sherman managed to retain 49% of the outstanding stock, but he and Clark no longer had any management responsibilities. The bondholders created a new corporation called the Los Angeles Railway (LARy) and March 23, 1895 LARy acquired all of LACE’s assets, except for
621-444: A total of 68 miles of track, they owned 80% of the trackage in Los Angeles. Then things began to get more “complicated”. Sherman and Clark faced difficulties and distractions. A national depression, begun in 1893, affected Los Angeles as well. As patronage declined, Sherman and Clark cut service on the system. In 1894, a direct competitor to LACE arrived. William S. Hook, a banker and railroad executive from Illinois, incorporated
690-576: A two-tone yellow paint scheme with a lighter shade for the roof. Under NCL a three-color "fruit salad" scheme was adopted, with a yellow body, a white roof, and a sea-foam green midsection. Original Shops - When the Huntington syndicate acquired the Los Angeles Railway system in 1898, its headquarters was the former property of the old cable car company at Central Avenue and Wilde Streets, just east of downtown. The facility featured
759-569: A variety of other cars. Shorties or Maggies (Type A) - When the Huntington/Hellman syndicate acquired LARy, the line had a large variety of existing wooden cars. The group of short (35’ 5”), wooden cars, which were later designated ‘’’Type A’’’, were either Pullman cars purchased in 1896 or assorted city cars received from Pacific Electric, in 1910. Most of these cars ran on lighter-used lines due to their smaller capacity. Because many had magnetic brakes they were dubbed “Maggies”. Of
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#1732783822800828-476: A variety of other colors. In 2024, the fleet was equipped with passenger information displays in place of the older dot-light signs. These are part of a fleet-wide communications system replacement with Clever Devices systems. The passenger displays currently feature a three-day weather forecast, upcoming stops with time to arrival, and the line's final destination. As part of this upgrade, electric buses also gain access to Clever's EV fleet integration software during
897-415: A variety of tasks on the railway. This included pay and money cars, various specialized repair cars, fuel cars, locomotives and lighter-duty power cars, cranes, material haulers and flat cars, rail grinders, tower cars for overhead maintenance, maintenance-of-way cars for heavy construction, and emergency cars (wreckers). The railway was well known for its distinctive yellow streetcars. Initially cars had
966-635: A zero emissions bus fleet. Sunday schedules are operated on New Year's Day , Memorial Day , Independence Day , Labor Day , Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day . Culver City station Big Blue Bus currently maintains a fleet of 195 buses of various lengths including 29', 40', and 60' articulated, with 35-footers set to be delivered in 2025. In 2018, Big Blue Bus received its last ever internal combustion vehicle. 19 buses out of its total fleet are currently battery-electric . All buses feature destination signs . Newer buses (units 1801 and later) feature white LED destination signs, while older units feature
1035-865: Is not accustomed to. The endeavor ends with Larry being kicked off the bus. The bus station is the Montana/San-Vincente station in Brentwood which serves lines 14 and 18. The lyric from The Doors song “The End” “The blue bus is calling us” is sometimes said to refer to the Big Blue Buses but according Ray Manzarek this is apocryphal . Ayer, Bob. History of Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus . Santa Monica, CA: City of Santa Monica, 1992. [REDACTED] Media related to Big Blue Bus at Wikimedia Commons Los Angeles Railway [REDACTED] The Los Angeles Railway (also known as Yellow Cars , LARy and later Los Angeles Transit Lines )
1104-620: Is older. Santa Monica established the bus line in response to a fare increase on the Pacific Electric interurban trains between Santa Monica and Los Angeles. While independent from other agencies in the Los Angeles area, the Big Blue Bus has always offered connections to the other systems, most notably near the intersections of Pico and Rimpau Boulevards in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles. The historic transfer point
1173-566: Is operated independently from Metro. The agency was founded on April 14, 1928 as the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines and the agency picked a unique blue color scheme for its buses, later leading to the Big Blue Bus nickname. It holds the distinction of being the second oldest public transit bus system still operating in Los Angeles County; only the neighboring Culver CityBus (founded March 4, 1928)
1242-465: Is slated to replace vehicles as they reach the end of their useful service lives. Next to be replaced are El Dorado 32' BRT models, with delivery of replacement Gillig 35' Low Floor EVs slated for 2025. The agency's fleet of remaining NABI vehicles is the next group of buses to be replaced. Due to dynamic service changes, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ridership changes, amongst other factors,
1311-507: The 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge Pacific Electric system on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles (directly in front of the 6th and Main terminal), on Hill St, on 7th St, on 4th Street, and along Hawthorne Boulevard south of Downtown Los Angeles toward the cities of Hawthorne, Gardena and Torrance. The earliest streetcars in Los Angeles were horse-propelled. The earliest horsecar railway,
1380-657: The PCC streamline car was introduced in 1937. Continued rail operating expenses and the introduction of GM 45-seat bus led to the abandonment of the L, K and 2 lines by 1941. Further cutbacks in rail service were approved by the Board of Public Utilities and would have replaced all but the busiest lines with bus service. World War II intervened, and tire and gas shortages increased demand for rail service. Old cars were taken out of storage and women began to work in various capacities to meet demand while minimizing resource use. The system
1449-841: The Spring and Sixth Street Railroad was built in 1874 by Robert M. Widney , and ran from the Plaza area to Sixth and Pearl ( Figueroa ) Street; Not much later, this line would be extended northeast to East Los Angeles (today’s Lincoln Park ). A more ambitious horse-driven line was the Main Street and Agricultural Park Railroad , which ran from the Plaza area, south on Main Street , to Washington Gardens and then to Agricultural ( Exposition ) Park. Transportation technology progressed, and Los Angeles acquired significant investments in cable technology. The first cable car system to open in Los Angeles
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#17327838228001518-548: The St. Louis Car Company . The cars were capable of running in multiple-unit trains for use on heavier lines and were assigned to the Grand Avenue-Moneta line and the S line. The use of multiple-unit operation was stopped in 1930, when reduced patronage due to the depression made the use of trains unnecessary. These cars were updated to accommodate one-operator, two-operator operation between 1934 and 1936. In 1955, due to
1587-544: The 100th anniversary of its founding and the 2028 Olympic Games , while avoiding early retirement of its current fleet, assuming a 12-year useful service life. This deadline is 12 years of the CARB mandate and may be delayed if the agency is unable to make the transition within the 2028 timeframe. The agency will not need to increase its fleet size, thanks to the use of service block restructuring if battery range does not grow to meet current service block demands. As of January 2024,
1656-472: The 1930s, and the last of these iconic cars operated through 1952. All-Steel Cars (Type H) were configured very similar to the Type B cars with open ends and a closed center section. After the disastrous Pacific Electric wreck at Vineyard in July, 1913, the drawbacks of high-speed wooden cars led companies to turn to steel construction. From November, 1921 through early 1924, LARy received 250 of these cars from
1725-674: The Big Blue Bus's official name, the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines. In Raymond Chandler 's novel Farewell, My Lovely , first published in 1940, he writes as protagonist Philip Marlowe , describing a scene in Bay City (Chandler's version of the City of Santa Monica): In the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode ” Namaste " (season 9, episode 7), Larry David is forced to catch a bus, an activity he
1794-684: The Key System, which was being converted to buses by National City Lines in late 1948. Many lines were converted to buses in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The last remaining lines were taken over by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (a predecessor to the current agency, The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( Metro )) along with the remains of the Pacific Electric Railway in 1958. The agency removed
1863-440: The Los Angeles and Pacific Railway and the Pasadena street railways. The new management purchased new cars and began converting all the existing horsecar and cable lines to electricity, a task completed by June, 1896. The system was purchased by a syndicate led by railroad and real estate tycoon Henry E. Huntington in 1898. At its height, the system contained over 20 streetcar lines and 1,250 streetcars , most running through
1932-519: The Pico Street electric line closed, seemingly for good. Development of an effective electric transportation system based on the new Sprague -based technology began in earnest with the arrival in Los Angeles of Moses Sherman , his brother-in-law Eli P. Clark and San Francisco investors late in 1890. Sherman, originally a teacher from Vermont, had moved to the Arizona territory in 1874 where he
2001-616: The Santa Fe La Grande station, and also connected to the Southern Pacific Arcade station on Central. They also started a line to East Los Angeles (Eastlake Park) in 1892, laying track on North Spring and North Broadway Streets . They were forced to build a bridge over the Los Angeles River and Santa Fe rails, which postponed the opening of the line until September 26, 1893. The growth of
2070-562: The W line. As with other cars, in between 1936 and 1938, many cars were updated to accommodate one-operator, two-operator operation. Almost all of these two car types were scrapped after the abandonment of rail lines in 1955. LARy introduced the Streamliners (Type P) in 1937. The streamlined Presidential Conference Car , or PCC, developed by the industry as a hoped-for savior, were the very latest in transit engineering: modern, comfortable, sleek, and smooth-running . The city celebrated
2139-403: The abandonment of many rail lines, many of the units were sold to National Metals for scrapping. In 1956, 41 Type H-4 cars were sent to Seoul and Pusan, South Korea as part of an aid program. LARy also built 50 wood copies (designated Type K) of these steel cars in their own shops between 1923 and 1925. These were initially used on the E (later 5) line; during 1930, they were transferred to
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2208-433: The agency is not on track to meet its goal, according to its rollout plan where 10 battery-electric buses were suppsoed to be in regular service by 2023, which was not achieved. Big Blue Bus Big Blue Bus (stylized in lowercase) is a public transit agency that provides public bus services for the city of Santa Monica and the greater Westside region of Los Angeles County, California . The service, operated by
2277-507: The agency is pursuing a more dynamic fleet replacement timeline than that which was outlined in their original CARB document. On November 20, 2012, a Big Blue Bus turned left in front of an oncoming motorcyclist, which resulted in the 25-year-old man's death. The accident occurred at approximately 10:33 a.m. at the triangular intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Marquez in the Pacific Palisades. Only buses are allowed to make
2346-430: The agency operates 10 bus lines: 9 regular routes and 1 rapid route. The agency is currently undergoing a COA (Comprehensive Operational Analysis) which will inform service and route changes over the next five years. These aim to help the agency better connect with future Metro Rail extensions, most notably the D and K lines, adjust to new travel patterns, increase service frequency, and make service blocks compatible with
2415-719: The agency's transition to a zero-emissions fleet. This also enables vehicles to generate more frequent and accurate GPS data for tracking purposes, such as the Transit app . Buses 1808-1827 and 2101-2118 came standard with free passenger Wi-Fi; this was added to the rest of the fleet with the installation of the new fleet comms systems. Big Blue Bus has evaluated two main options for zero-emissions propulsion of its buses in an effort to decarbonize its fleet by 2030. Both hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric buses have been considered. The agency has determined that battery-electric buses can replace their CNG buses at current service levels with
2484-474: The arrival of these modern cars by creating Transportation Week, where the first car was unveiled by young actress Shirley Temple. LARy only received 65 from the St. Louis Car Company, and successor Los Angeles Transit Lines (LATL) ordered 60 more which were placed in service in 1948 on the most popular lines. The PCC cars were used until final abandonment in 1963. In addition to these three major categories, LARy had
2553-441: The autumn of 1890, the legislature passed the so-called 5-block law, which enabled a street railway company to use another company's rails for up to five city blocks. This would help Sherman immensely with his plans for LACE, but later would be used against him. Sherman and Clark began work immediately. In 1891 alone, they accomplished the following: By the end of 1891, the railway had five electric lines running, all which used
2622-630: The city of Santa Monica, was founded on April 14, 1928 and throughout its existence has used a blue color scheme for its buses, leading to the Big Blue Bus nickname that would later become the official name of the agency. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,289,600, or about 26,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Big Blue Bus receives funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and offers connections to its Metro Bus and Metro Rail systems, but
2691-404: The city to use public streets for transportation purposes) and by 1889 had constructed four major cable lines crisscrossing the growing downtown area, from Jefferson and Grand to East Los Angeles (Lincoln Heights), and from Westlake Park to Boyle Heights. Though considered the latest word in cable railway technology, construction was expensive, legal and operating problems plagued the system, and
2760-483: The company operated a total of 836 cars. By 1914, the arrival of the automobile began to seriously impact company profits. In 1915 alone, competition from jitneys cost the railroad over a half a million dollars and necessitated the closure of a maintenance shop. Worried by this competition, company workers succeeded in passing an anti-jitney ordinance in 1917, causing them to disappear by 1919. Shortages First World War further restricted expansion efforts and brought about
2829-478: The company’s financial situation. These light cars needed only a single operator, consumed less electricity, and produced less wear on the tracks, which did result in reduced costs. First deployed in September, 1920 on lighter lines, their slow, rough ride, hard seats, and lack of open sections made the cars unpopular with riders. All were placed in storage by 1928, but a dozen were used during World War II. After
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2898-438: The conductor could collect fares without having to roam through the car. Center-entrance Cars (Type C), also called “sowbellies” , were modified older Standards with a low-step center entrance and exit to accommodate the “hobble skirt” craze of the early teens. Beginning in 1913, 107 older Standards were converted and 76 new cars were purchased from the St. Louis Car Company, but the conversions were stopped in 1914 because of
2967-582: The core of Los Angeles and serving such neighborhoods as Crenshaw , West Adams , Leimert Park , Exposition Park , Echo Park , Westlake , Hancock Park , Vernon , Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights . The LARy continued to expand throughout the early 1900s purchasing its erstwhile competitor the Los Angeles Traction Company in 1903. In 1910 "The Great Merger" saw Huntington separate himself from Pacific Electric's operations. City operations went to LARy and Pacific Electric took over
3036-577: The electric lines put severe pressure on the Pacific Cable Railway. The two rail companies began negotiations to possibly combine in August, 1892, but foreclosure and sale was their only option. On October 4, 1893, the sale of the Pacific Cable Railway was completed, and LACE acquired all of the assets, including their cable and horsecar lines. LACE was now the largest street railway operator in Los Angeles, owning about 90% of all lines. By
3105-408: The end of 1893, they had 14 lines, with a total of 38.325 route-miles of electric lines including Crown Hill, Central Avenue, University, Maple Avenue, Pico Street, Depot, and East Los Angeles: 20.5 miles of cable lines, including Boyle Heights/Westlake Park, and East Los Angeles/Grand Avenue, and 9.09 miles of horsecar lines, including West Ninth Street, Washington Boulevard, and North Main Street. With
3174-459: The eventual 74 short cars, many were converted to other configurations between 1910 and 1923. Twenty-eight were lengthened and converted to Type B Huntington Standards and twenty-two were converted to Type C center-entrance cars. After sixteen more were converted to arch-roof cars by 1923, there were only eight of the short versions remaining, which were retired in 1939, after the I line was abandoned. Arch-Roof cars (Type F) - In 1922 fifteen of
3243-500: The existing streetcar companies of Los Angeles. LARy and Pacific Electric succeeded in defeating McAdoo's scheme through a public referendum by proposing their own system, the Los Angeles Motor Bus Company . The first service began in August 1923, and by 1925 had 53 miles of bus routes, the second-most in the nation after Chicago . The Great Depression hit the railway hard, and revenue shortfalls forced
3312-499: The gunfire. Approximately two dozen people were inside the bus at the time of the shooting. The attack on Bus 4057 marked the first time a Big Blue Bus came under attack by a gunman in its 85-year service. Two humorous slogans Santa Monica Bank used on Big Blue Buses appeared in the film Speed . The bus operator in the movie is called the Santa Monica Intercity Bus Lines , a fictionalized version of
3381-513: The interurban routes. This took LARy to its historical maximum size, operating on nearly 173 miles of double track. After the merger, Henry Huntington retired and passed control to his son, Howard E. Huntington . Center-entrance, low-floor cars were introduced in 1912 and were joined by a fleet of 75 new cars from the St. Louis Car Company in anticipation of increased traffic from the Panama-Pacific Exposition . In May 1912,
3450-497: The introduction of skip-stop service throughout the system. Even without competition from the jitneys, LARy was forced to cut lines and switch to smaller, more efficient Birney streetcars to maintain profitability. Although the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties brought some relief and a return to the previous quality of service, a proposal to establish a rival bus company by William Gibbs McAdoo greatly concerned
3519-416: The left turn, a maneuver that has been determined to be too dangerous for other vehicles. On June 7, 2013, Bus 4057 of Big Blue Bus was among several vehicles fired at during a thirteen-minute killing spree that left six people dead, including the gunman, and four others wounded. Three women suffered minor injuries aboard the bus, one from shrapnel -type injuries and the other two from injuries unrelated to
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#17327838228003588-604: The line instead. He acquired the line in October, 1890 and renamed it The Belt Line Railroad Company . Sherman created an Arizona corporation called The Los Angeles Consolidated Electric Railway Company (LACE) on November 12, 1890 with Sherman as President and Clark as General Manager. Future mayor Frederick Eaton was chosen as Chief Engineer. The firm was incorporated in Arizona because Arizona incorporation held certain advantages over incorporating in California. In
3657-689: The modification of the Type-H cars to allow operation by a single driver and the closure of the Division 2 car house. The passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act encouraged union growth and spurred a 1934 strike for higher wages by members of the Amalgamated Transit Union . 1/8th of employees joined the strike and were subsequently fired, damaging equipment in the aftermath. Amid these difficulties
3726-664: The remaining five streetcar lines (J, P, R, S and V) and two trolley bus lines (2 and 3), replacing electric service with diesel buses after March 31, 1963. Historian Jim Walker notes that there were three major classifications of LARy cars: the Huntington Standards , the all-steel cars , and the streamliners . All were built to run on narrow-gauge tracks spaced 3’ 6” apart. The type numbers referred to below were created by LARy in 1920 to categorize their cars; there were many sub-categories (e.g., B-2, H-3, K-4, etc.) not recorded here. The Huntington Standard (Type B)
3795-587: The sale of buses and related products to local transit companies controlled by National City Lines and other companies in what became known as the General Motors streetcar conspiracy . National City Lines purchased Key System , which operated the streetcar system in Oakland, California, the following year. The company was renamed as Los Angeles Transit Lines. The new company introduced 40 new ACF-Brill trolley buses which had originally been intended for
3864-552: The short cars were converted into Pay-as-you-enter cars with walkover seats throughout and a distinctive arched roof. Initially used on the 5 line as two-man cars, after World War II, LATL rebuilt them for one-man operation in 1948 and they were used until 1954. Birney Safety Cars (Type G) - In 1919, LARy purchased seventy of these lightweight single-truck cars in response to the California Railroad Commission’s 1919 report which recommended 400 of them to bolster
3933-512: The success of Big Blue Bus' pilot with a prototype Gillig/Cummins BEB (unit 1827), the agency committed to only purchasing zero-emission vehicles moving forward. Big Blue Bus charges its electric fleet with 100 percent renewable energy . The second batch of battery-electric buses are expected in 2025. The agency has set itself a 2030 deadline for full conversion to zero-emissions operation, which as of February 2023, it has determined it can achieve with exclusively battery-electric buses . The agency
4002-783: The time there was any opportunity to buy new cars, the new PCC car had been developed. Trolley Coaches - LARy had ordered a Twin Coach demonstrator trolley coach in 1937, to test its feasibility, but at that time didn’t order more. After 1945, LATL transferred 40 ACF Brill trolley coaches from the Oakland Key System to Los Angeles for use on the new Trolley Coach line 3 (converted from parts of rail lines D, U, and 3). Additional Brill coaches were purchased, and were used to convert rail line B to Trolley Coach line 2 in 1948. The two trolley coach lines ran until 1963. LARy had almost 150 work and maintenance cars designed to carry out
4071-433: The war, LATL used them on shuttle lines until they were abandoned in 1946. Funeral Cars (Type D and Type E) - LARy created two unique Funeral cars to serve the areas cemeteries. The first, a smaller car was rebuilt from a passenger car in 1909 and called “Paraiso”, but was converted again to a passenger car in 1911 when a new, larger car, named “Descanso”, was created. The larger Descanso was used until 1922, when it, too,
4140-408: The world, to a large extent because they were featured in many early movies. The Standards were either rebuilt from older cars or were purchased from manufacturers between 1902 and 1912. Pay-As-You-Enter (PAYE) Standard - Beginning in 1910, Standards were lengthened to 44 feet and modified into a PAYE format. Each end of the original cars were lengthened and an additional entrance door was added so
4209-638: Was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent local services which complemented the Pacific Electric "Red Car" system's largely commuter-based interurban routes. The company carried many more passengers than the Red Cars, which served a larger and sparser area of Los Angeles. Cars operated on 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge tracks, and shared dual gauge trackage with
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#17327838228004278-604: Was established by Santa Monica, the Los Angeles Railway and Pacific Electric Railway and is known today as the Pico/Rimpau Transit Center and is used the Big Blue Bus and Metro Bus. In 1978, Santa Monica became the first transit operator in California to operate a bus with a wheelchair lift, the Grumman- Flxible Model 870 . It was the third agency to order the bus after Atlanta's MARTA , and Connecticut's CT Transit . The Big Blue Bus
4347-807: Was founded on 3 March 1928, making it the second oldest municipal bus line in California and the oldest public transit bus system still operating in Los Angeles County. Big Blue Bus was founded on 14 April 1928, the San Francisco Municipal Railway began streetcar service 28 December 1912. Within its service area of around 25.5 square miles, the Culver CityBus provides service to the communities of: Culver CityBus operates 3 daily routes, 3 weekday-only routes, and 2 Monday-Saturday routes within Los Angeles County . Among its 3 weekday-only routes, Culver CityBus operates
4416-485: Was involved in business and civic affairs, real estate, and street railways. Clark, too, came from the Arizona territory, and was similarly involved in business and civic affairs. Sherman became interested in opportunities in Los Angeles after vacationing there in early 1890. He joined the efforts of a group attempting to resurrect the Second Street Cable Railway , but persuaded them to electrify
4485-481: Was numerically LARy’s largest, with an eventual count of 747 cars. Designed in 1901-1902 by LARy engineers and originally 38’ long, these wooden “California Cars” had open sections on both ends and an enclosed center section, but their most distinctive feature was the five-window front, with two elegant curved corner windows. These cars seemed to dominate the Southern California landscape in the eyes of
4554-539: Was one of the last transit agencies using the iconic GMC New Look "fishbowl" bus, the last of which was retired in 2005. The Big Blue Bus has been honored with the American Public Transportation Association ’s Outstanding Transportation System award in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000 and 2011. Big Blue Bus operates 18 bus lines: 12 regular routes, 4 rapid routes, and 2 circulator routes. On weekends and holidays with weekend service,
4623-627: Was rebuilt as a passenger car, and the original, smaller car was re-rebuilt and named “Descanso”. The second Descanso was later donated to the Railroad Boosters. Experimental cars (Type L and Type M) - LARy purchased two special cars for possible future use. Type L was a low-floor, all-steel car delivered in March, 1925, and Type M , two Peterr Witt pay-as-you-pass cars with front entrances and center exits were delivered in March, 1930. The Depression prevented additional purchases, and by
4692-483: Was sold in 1944 by Huntington's estate to American City Lines, Inc., of Chicago, a subsidiary of National City Lines , a holding company that was purchasing transit systems across the country. The sale was announced December 5, 1944, but the purchase price was not disclosed. National City Lines, along with its investors that included Firestone Tire , Standard Oil of California (now Chevron Corporation) and General Motors , were later convicted of conspiring to monopolize
4761-572: Was the Second Street Cable Railway . Opened in 1885, it ran west from Second and Spring Streets out First Street to Texas Street (Belmont Avenue). Each of these early railroads were built to further the sale of real estate that was considered too far away from the downtown area. The Los Angeles Cable Railway (later named the Pacific Cable Railway , and incorporated in Illinois) owned many exclusive franchises (agreements with
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