Long Beach Transit (LBT) will offer free rides starting at 5pm on New Year’s Eve, with free service available as late as 2:35am on New Year’s morning, as service will be extended with routes leaving the transit gallery on 1st Street between Long Beach Boulevard and Pine Avenue, according to LBT. No special coupon or ticket is required.
The promotion encourages the community to make responsible plans and take public transit to and from festivities in Long Beach to avoid drinking and driving, according to LBT.
The free service was made available in part by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance in promotion of the New Year’s Eve events in downtown Long Beach. The events include a family-friendly celebration and fireworks display at Rainbow Harbor along the waterfront, as well as a street party on Pine Avenue between 1st and 4th streets.
“Being safe doesn’t mean you can’t have fun,” said Debra Johnson, Long Beach Transit’s deputy CEO. “Long Beach Transit will be there on New Year’s Eve to get you safely to your destination. Celebrate until late-night, and let LBT get you home.”
For revelers traveling between Los Angeles and Long Beach, the LA Metro Blue Line will also be free on New Year’s Eve from 9pm to 2am on New Year’s Day. The Downtown Long Beach Metro Station will be closed from 7pm to 3am. Instead, riders should use nearby 1st Street Station on the corner of 1st Street and Long Beach Boulevard or Pacific Ave Station on the corner of Pacific Avenue and 4th Street.
The northbound Passport trip will be on detour because of the event. The bus stop on Long Beach Boulevard at 4th Street and the stop on 3rd Street at Pine Avenue will be closed. Instead, the bus will operate west on 4th Street, north of Long Beach Boulevard, west on 7th Street and south on Pacific Avenue and resume its regular route.
To access the event from the north end on the Passport route, riders can exit a stop on Long Beach Boulevard at 5th Street or on Pacific Avenue at 3rd Street.
Some bus routes during the extended service hours will be shortened, so customers are encouraged to plan their trip early by calling LBT’s customer-service team at (562) 591-2301 Monday—Friday from 7am to 6pm and Saturdays from 8am to 5pm or by visiting the Transit & Visitor Information Center at 1st Street and Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach. Transit assistance from an LBT community relations representative will be available on the southeast corner of 1st Street at Pine Avenue in downtown Long Beach during the New Year’s Eve festivities, and regular route information is available 24/7 at lbtransit.com.
Source: LBT
