Tag: Big Blue Bus

SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica announced on its website on Monday, September 25, that Stephanie Negriff, former director of Big Blue Bus, died earlier this month at the age of 67.

Negriff became the Big Blue Bus director in August 2002, previously served in various capacities, including assistant director of operations, manager of transit development and intergovernmental relations and senior administrative analyst. She retired from Big Blue Bus in 2011, after 25 years of service. Before joining Big Blue Bus, she held roles with transit agencies in the states of Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

“Stephanie was a visionary leader who helped establish a bedrock of enduring programs and services that continue to support our community’s transportation needs,” said Anuj Gupta, Interim Director of Santa Monica’s Department of Transportation. “She led with care and compassion for Big Blue Bus staff and customers, and embodied the agency’s values of teamwork, community service, integrity, innovation, and continuous improvement. She will be greatly missed.”

As the director of Big Blue Bus, Negriff’s responsibilities included the creation of Downtown Santa Monica’s Transit Mall, the implementation of two bus rapid transit lines, and the completion of the Big Blue Bus campus expansion project. She oversaw development of an award-winning, state-of-the-art bus maintenance facility, and the implementation of student and regional fare programs through innovative partnerships with Santa Monica College, UCLA, and LA Metro.

She helped guide Big Blue Bus’s transition to a clean energy fleet, which included gas/electric hybrid, biodiesel, and compressed natural gas vehicles. She helped in negotiating funding policies for the distribution of Prop C, Measure R and other regional transportation formula programs, to ensure economic sustainability for Big Blue Bus and other municipal transit systems in Los Angeles County.

The Big Blue Bus won the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award in 2011 while Stephanie was the director and she was named APTA Outstanding Public Transit Manager. Her funeral will be held on Friday, September 30 at 10 a.m. at Chapel of the Gardens, Mountain View Mortuary, 2300 N. Marengo Avenue in Altadena. Her family is requesting donations be made in Negriff’s name to the Westside Family Health Center, where she served on the Board of Directors until her passing. She is survived by her husband, Larry, stepchildren Sonya and Liza, and one grandchild.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—Santa Monica is the latest city to test the use of artificial intelligence camera technology to enforce parking laws. The city’s latest innovation is allowing buses themselves to write tickets instantly for parked cars in the way of bus lanes.

Santa Monica’s Big Blue Buses has worked with Hayden AI on a 45-day pilot program that utilized cameras to detect and identify vehicles that were parked illegally. During the pilot program, the AI system identified more than 500 potential violations.

While buses are on their routes, these cameras capture license plates of cars that are illegally parked or stopped in a designated bus lane.

The cameras are installed on the windshield that capture anything occurring ahead in the bus lane. Information the cameras capture is sent to a computer box inside the bus which allows AI to assess what’s happening in the photos. The cameras are accurate within 10 centimeters, and they can determine if a car is moving or stopped. The system can flag cars that make violations can issues tickets in real time.

In 2022, the bus system provided 7.7. million trips but many were delayed due to cars parked improperly or cars stopped in bus lanes.

There are a growing number of cities who are exploring the use of AI cameras to find parking violations and issue tickets immediately to the offender. Buses in New York City are already equipped with these AI cameras. Officials plan on installing them in Washington DC soon.

Santa Monica hasn’t determined if they will officially implement the technology.

By Christianne

SANTA MONICA—The City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus is upgrading communications and GPS technology to provide “more reliable and efficient” rides, according to an announcement by the bus service made on July 12.

By 2024, a new communication system on all Big Blue Buses will allow dispatchers to track buses and communicate with operators through voice and text messages should any disruptions occur en route. 

GPS location data on Big Blue Buses will also be updated to reflect more accurate bus arrival times on electronic bus stop signs and in apps like Transit and Google Maps. GPS location data updates every 45 seconds with the current technology, but with the upgrades it will update every 10 seconds. 

Monitors on Big Blue Buses will also reflect more accurate information regarding upcoming stops and arrival times as well as destination, detours, and weather information. 

In the meantime, riders can expect incorrect or missing display information on buses and signage while the upgrades continue to roll out.

On July 13, a pilot of the new upgrades was employed through a small fleet of buses equipped with the new communications system as part of a four-week testing period. These buses will provide service on Routes 3, 7, 8, 9 & 41, and Rapids 7 & 12.

According to Big Blue Bus, while testing is being conducted, riders may experience:

• onboard audio announcements that are mistimed or include incorrect and/or mispronounced bus stops and destinations 
• Incorrect route or destination information displayed on electronic bus signs
• Missing or inaccurate real-time bus arrival predictions for select stops 

Questions or comments about the communications system upgrade can be directed to the City of Santa Monica at  santamonica.gov/311. 

By Paige Strickland

SANTA MONICA—The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced that Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus (BBB) will receive a $22.9 million grant to purchase 5 battery electric buses (BEBs) and develop infrastructure to support on-site charging for more than 100 buses.

The city of Santa Monica indicated in a press release from April 27 that the BBB is one of 28 transit agencies in the state to be awarded grant funding through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). It is part of a multiyear investment to improve the state’s transit system to support transportation equity, improve service and mobility options, and reduce overdependence on driving.

Funding will help BBB complete Phases 2 through 4 of its Fleet Electrification Master Plan, which outlines the agency’s fleet transition from renewable natural gas to zero-emission by 2030. It will support electric utility and charging equipment upgrades at BBB’s depot, including construction of a large canopy with overhead reel charging dispensers. The grant will allow BBB to create green jobs, provide over 1,100 hours of advanced, high-voltage safety training for its staff in partnership with the California Transit Training Consortium, and improve transportation outcomes for marginalized communities impacted by climate change.

The Big Blue Bus will use TIRCP funds to enhance the customer experience, by purchasing and deploying 5 BEBs on Route 3 and Rapid 3, as part of a comprehensive plan to reimagine service along the Lincoln Boulevard corridor, between Downtown Santa Monica and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Route 3 and Rapid 3 will be rerouted to connect to both the Metro Rail K Line and the LAX People Mover, when the new LAX/Metro Transit Center is completed in 2024.

An additional mile of bus lanes will be implemented on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice during peak hours, and BBB will add 11,500 service hours annually on Route 3 and Rapid 3, to increase frequency to every 10 minutes during the day.

“This is a landmark moment for Big Blue Bus and the City of Santa Monica in our collective efforts to realize carbon emission reduction goals; provide frequent, sustainable, and equitable transit service to low-income and disadvantaged communities; and strengthen the region’s transportation network,” said Ed King, Director of Santa Monica’s Department of Transportation. “The funds will be used to make substantial investments in climate and workforce resilience, as well as capital improvement projects that increase ridership and improve the customer experience on our system.”

As part of Phase 1 of the Fleet Electrification Master Plan, BBB installed 20 standalone chargers at its depot and purchased 19 BEBs. In February 2023, the Santa Monica City Council approved BBB’s request to purchase 15 additional BEBs. Funds received from CalSTA’s TIRCP will elevate the agency’s number of zero-emission buses to 39, and support the construction of infrastructure capable of charging up to 104 buses at its depot.

TIRCP provides grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, to fund transformative capital improvements that modernize California’s transportation systems and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and congestion.

By Casey