City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: March 11, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Planning & Performance
Subject: Approval of Department of Transportation's Big Blue Bus Service Design Guidelines Update
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding that the Guidelines updates is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Approve the proposed updates to the Big Blue Bus Transit Service Guidelines, formerly known as the “Big Blue Bus Service Design, Performance, and Evaluation Guidelines”.
Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses across 69 square miles of greater Los Angeles providing more than 800,000 rides each month. BBB’s Planning and Performance Division is responsible for planning and scheduling Big Blue Bus service. As required by Chapter 4 of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1B, Title VI Requirements and Guidelines, DOT staff must set system-wide standards and policies for Big Blus Bus service design and operations. The standards and policies must address how service is distributed across the system and must ensure service design and operational practices do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The updated Big Blue Bus Transit Service Guidelines (Attachment A) are consistent with the federal requirements and addresses how service is designed, how performance is measured, and how service is evaluated across the system. Big Blue 2 of 5
Bus Transit Service Guidelines were last updated in October 2018 and are a component of the Big Blue Bus Title VI Standards and Policies.
Discussion
The FTA revised its Title VI Circular (C 4702.1B) on October 1, 2012, to provide additional clarification on Title VI regulations for transit agencies receiving federal funds.
DOT, as a recipient of federal funds, must comply with the evolution of revised Title VI guidelines. Non-compliance with Title VI may cause federal funding to be conditioned or withheld.
The following updates were made to the Big Blue Bus Transit Service Guidelines from the current 2018 version:
• Simplified name from “Big Blue Bus Service, Design, Performance, and Evaluation Guidelines” to “Big Blue Bus Transit Service Guidelines”. • Simplified the “Overview” and “Background Information” sections. • The “Service Performance” section was renamed to “Service Performance Monitoring”.
• The “Service Design” section was reorganized and expanded to better reflect the sub-categories comprising Service Design.
• Routes shown on the Service Categories table were updated to reflect changes under the Brighter Blue Five Year Service Plan the City Council adopted on July 9, 2024. An “Other Services” category for supplemental fixed route service was added to Service Categories.
• Minor modifications to “Span of Service” determination for Low Ridership routes and guidelines for changing span of service.
• Minor modifications to “Service Frequency” sub-category. • Simplification of “Vehicle Assignment” sub-category.
• Major modifications to “Stop Spacing, Placement, and Amenities” sub-category that include:
o Requiring adequate lighting at all stops.
o Lowering the requirement for seating at bus stops to 20 or more boardings.
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o Lowering the classification of a “Very high volume” stop to 750 or more boardings for the purposes of installing amenities.
o Accessibility compliance guidelines for bus stops, amenities, and loading areas as required by the recently enacted “Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG)” law.
• Service Performing Monitoring is reorganized into five sub-categories with emphasis on data needs and reporting schedule.
o Data Needs for Service Evaluation Process is moved from the Service Evaluation section.
o All items related to “Service Effectiveness Measures” and “Corrective Action” have been reorganized under the Service Evaluation sections namely the “New Service Evaluation” and “Changes to Existing Service” sub-category.
• Service Evaluation is reorganized into five sub-categories. o Changes to “Passengers per Revenue Hour” thresholds table to reflect current ridership trends and recommended actions.
o Changes to “Title VI Service Equity Analysis,” specifically what constitutes a major service change.
o Addition of “Annual Transit Service Plan” schedule and task description. o Addition of “Comprehensive Operational Analysis” as an as-needed planning and service design process.
o Removal of “Conclusion” section.
• Updates to Appendix section.
Environmental Review
The Transit Service Guidelines is not a “project” subject to CEQA. The guidelines are administrative in nature. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the guidelines update does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.” Additionally, per Section 15378(b) of the CEQA Guidelines, a “project” does not include continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as 4 of 5
purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making. Therefore, the guidelines are not subject to CEQA.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
09/24/2013
(attachment B)
Adoption of Big Blue Bus Service Design, Performance &
Evaluation Guidelines
07/28/2015
(attachment C)
Big Blue Bus Title VI Service Standards and Policies for Conducting Service/Fare Equity Analyses
10/09/2018
(attachment D)
Modifications to BBB Service, Design, Performance, and
Evaluation Guidelines
07/09/2024
(attachment E)
Approval of Big Blue Bus Comprehensive Operational
Analysis (COA) Recommendations
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the recommended action. Adopting the proposed Transit Service Guidelines allows DOT to meet Federal requirements and to remain eligible for Federal funding. On average, DOT receives approximately $12 million annually in Federal financial assistance which supports the Department’s capital projects.
Prepared By: Alfredo Torales, Strategic Transit Planner Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Attachment A - TSG_Final_2025
B. Attachment B - September 24, 2013 Staff Report - Adopted BBB Service Design, Performance & Evaluation Guidelines (Web Link)
C. Attachment C - July 28, 2015 Staff Report - BBB Title VI Service Standards & Policies for Conducting Service/Fare Equity Analyses (Web Link) D. Attachment D - October 9, 2018 Staff Report - Modifications to BBB Service, Design, Performance, and Evaluation Guidelines (Web Link) 5 of 5
E. Attachment E - July 9, 2024 Staff Report - Approval of Big Blue Bus Comprehensive Operational Analysis (Web Link)