Long Beach city council approved funding for the creation of a micro-transit shuttle program that will transport residents from downtown to Alamitos Beach and from Belmont Shore to Alamitos Bay Landing for free.
The 100% electric, six-person shuttles will run Thursdays through Sundays, but hours and days of operation may change due to incoming data. Users will be able to request a ride through the app Ride Circuit or hail down an available shuttle like a taxi cab.
The shuttles are “tentatively” expected to begin transporting residents in mid to late October, according to Joy Contreras, Community Relations Officer for the Public Works Department.
The two-year, $1.14 million contract with Florida company Circuit Transit Inc. is meant to decrease traffic in congested areas of the city, encourage the use of already-existing public transit, reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and stimulate foot traffic around businesses.
There is also a $200,000 contingency to expand the hours and days of the shuttle if there is a demand. The City will base this decision on monthly reports conducted by Circuit Transit.
The total cost of the project is a little over $1.6 million, with $1.15 coming from the Long Beach Recovery Act, a fund that contributes to the social and economic recovery of the city post-pandemic, and the remaining $450,324 being supplemented by Measure A funds.
Circuit Transit will provide the charging and storage of vehicles servicing the Belmont Shore/Alamitos Bay area while the City will provide the charging and storage for the vehicles in the downtown/Alamitos Beach area.
The city previously launched a pilot program in 2018 with the same company which served the downtown area for two months.
“It really is connecting the downtown with 2nd street and we’ve been missing that for a while ever since the passports went away,” Councilmember Mary Zendejas said. “I think it’s a great way to showcase both sides of our city.”
Zendejas also pointed out that there is one ADA-compliant shuttle per route, which she said she was “really excited about.”
Users may only be picked up and transported within the bounds of the geo-map, Public Works Director Eric Lopez explained. The shuttles servicing the downtown area to Alamitos Beach will span from Magnolia Avenue to Cherry Avenue and from Ocean Boulevard to 6th and 4th Streets.
The second route includes Belmont Shore, Naples Island and Alamitos Bay Landing from Livingston Avenue to PCH and Marina Drive as well as from the waterfront to Appian Way.
Rides will run Thursdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
This story was updated on Sept. 14 to add the tentative start date for the micro-transit shuttle program.
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