By Lookout Staff

August 1, 2025 -- On Sunday, August 10, Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (BBB) will roll out more buses running longer hours and covering a broader area as new farees kick in, transportation officials announced this week.

BBB riders can take advantage of restored service to the Pacific Palisades via Route 9 along 4th Street and make seamless connections to the new LAX/Metro Transit Center and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Route 3 along Lincoln Boulevard.

The summer service change is part BBB’s ongoing Brighter Blue initiative, which "aims to make using sustainable transit a more appealing alternative to driving," transit officials said.

The service change also includes:

• More frequent service on multiple routes, including Route 3 on Lincoln Boulevard and Route 7 on Pico Boulevard, with trips every 10 minutes or better most of the day on weekdays, and 15 minutes or better most of the day on weekends;
  
  
• Expanded coverage and service hours on Route 43, which runs on San Vicente and on 26th Street, with a route extension to Downtown Santa Monica and added midday and weekend trips, and
  
  
• Enhanced bus shelters and bus stop amenities through Big Blue Bus’s
  Better Blue Bus Stops program.
  

“This service change brings exciting improvements for Big Blue Bus riders,” said Anuj Gupta, the City's Director of Transportation.

“With the opening of the LAX/Metro Center, Santa Monica residents and visitors can enjoy a seamless ride to and from Downtown Santa Monica, LAX and SoFi Stadium this summer.

"By expanding our frequent service network to include both Pico and Lincoln Boulevards, more riders can feel confident knowing the next bus will arrive within 10 minutes -- making commuting with Big Blue Bus easier and more convenient for everyone,” Gupta said.

The service change will be accompanied by a new rate structure that also takes effect August 10 that increases the cost of all existing fares and passes and eliminates two underutilized passes.

The new fares -- which mark the first rate hike in nearly ten years -- "will help offset the rising costs of fuel, utilities, and supplies accrued in recent years," transit officials said ("Big Blue Bus Fares Go Up Next Month," July 21, 2025).