Long Beach Transit (LBT) announced today that it will resume fare collection on Sunday, Sept. 19. The typical price per ride ($1.25) will remain the same.
LBT hasn’t collected fees since April 2020 as a result of the pandemic. The transit provider closed off its front doors, where fare collections take place, in an attempt to ensure social distancing from drivers, LBT spokesperson Michael Gold said.
“We’re looking forward to building back and bringing our customers back, which we know is going to be a gradual growth,” Gold said.
LBT will install acrylic barriers on all of its buses to separate bus operators from riders to promote social distancing. Current barriers separate riders from the front portion of the bus.
In addition, Gold said that each bus will be upgraded with a new filtration system by Sept. 19.
The transit provider saw a “steep decline” in ridership immediately after the pandemic hit, which “leveled off” after a few months, Gold said. LBT is currently seeing ridership levels about 30% to 40% lower than pre-pandemic levels, he said.
“It really followed the cycle of the pandemic,” he said, noting that ridership dipped during the fall and winter surge at the end of 2020.
Fare collection accounts for about 15% to 20% of LBT’s total revenue, Gold said, meaning reduced riders caused a “hit” to LBT’s budget.
The transit provider was able to continue offering service thanks to about $20 million in federal CARES Act funding and $26 million in assistance from the state, according to its 2021 budget.
The resumption in fare collection will come just a few weeks after schools reopen in Long Beach. California State University, Long Beach students will return to campus on Monday, Aug. 23. Long Beach Unified School District will resume classes on Tuesday, Aug. 31.
“We want to assure parents and students that it’s safe to ride,” Gold said. “It’ll be free for students to ride when school starts because we won’t collect fares for another month, so we encourage people to come back to Long Beach Transit.”
Riders can pay for LBT fares using a TAP card, the TAP app or by providing exact change.
