SANTA MONICA—On Wednesday, February 10, the city of Santa Monica announced that starting on Sunday, February 14, Big Blue Bus (BBB) will resume fare collection and front door boarding on all buses. BBB suspended fare payment in March 2020 and required customers to board through the rear doors to support social distancing between operators and customers.
“We have retrofitted the fleet with laminated automotive safety glass protective barriers for the Operator’s compartment. These new barriers, along with enhanced safety measures onboard, will help ensure that fare collection and front door boarding can safely resume for our customers,” said Ed King, Director of Transit Services.
On Sunday, February 14, BBB will also introduce a phased pilot program to study cashless boarding. The first phase will include the discontinuation of all paper pass sales on board its buses and at Blue: The Transit Store. BBB will continue to accept paper passes on board its buses through April 2021.
Customers can transition to contactless fare payments with TAP or mobile tickets using the Transit or Token Transit apps. For a limited time, BBB will also discount Single Ride fares for those making contactless payments. When paying with TAP or a mobile ticket, Regular customers will ride for only $1 each way or just $0.40 for Senior, Disabled, and Medicare customers.
TAP cards can be purchased and preloaded with BBB passes or a specified amount online at www.taptogo.net, by phone at 866.TAPTOGO, via the TAP app, in-person at the Transit Store and over 400 TAP vendor locations, or Metro Rail Stations. Mobile tickets can also be purchased for single rides and multi-day passes through Transit or Token Transit apps.
Visit www.bigbluebus.com/contactless for more information about TAP and mobile ticket options.
