July 11, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

My Experience: Big Blue Bus’ Real-Time Updates Inaccurate:

As of only a couple of weeks ago, Santa Monicans can now use an application called Transit to track the movement of their Big Blue Bus through real-time GPS updates. In addition to using the schedules posted at stops or looking online – which at best only gives a 30-minute window of when a bus could possibly be arriving – bus users can now see whether or not their bus is behind schedule.

This would have been useful when I was commuting four miles to UCLA from Santa Monica for my junior and senior year, naïvely thinking, before I moved, that the commute wasn’t going to be a big deal.

I was wrong. Really wrong.

That four-mile commute from where I lived in Santa Monica to UCLA would on average take about 30-40 minutes – and that was only on those very rare occasions when the bus was on schedule and would arrive at the bus stop right when I came walking (sometimes frantically running) up.

Most of the time, when you add in waiting for the bus, and then walking to and from the bus stop to my classroom, it would take an hour – and that was when the bus was only mildly behind schedule.

So when I heard that the Big Blue Bus got GPS trackers, I wanted to give it a try, hoping to reduce my bus waiting time around the City.

I left my apartment with the app saying that the bus would arrive in four minutes, so that if timed perfectly I would be getting to the bus stop right as it arrived.

When I got to the bus stop, it wasn’t there – something that I’ve been all too familiar with when trying to time the Big Blue Bus. I opened the app on my phone and it still read four minutes to arrival.  

On the GPS tracker it still showed that the bus was stuck about six blocks down Ocean Park Boulevard, presumably intensive traffic or a glitch in the system.

I waited for about another five minutes, still nothing.

The tracker now read two minutes away. It then went back to four minutes.

After waiting about 10 minutes for the bus while my GPS showed it stopped only six blocks down the street and estimated it being only four minutes away, the blue bus finally materialized down the street, a block away from my bus stop. The real-time GPS finally read “0 minutes until arrival.”

At heavily utilized bus stops, you will find additional seating, lighting, and/or signage that provide real-time bus arrival times, but this, too, like on the app, is not an exact science.

This project is primarily funded by the federal government and the construction costs are approximately $7 million to improve bus stops within the City of Santa Monica only. The funds were earmarked specifically for this project. In general, federal funds are awarded for specific capital projects and cannot be reallocated elsewhere.

“We’re not the first city to do this, but now Santa Monicans can know before they leave for the bus stop whether they have time for another cup of coffee or need to hustle double-time to catch the next Big Blue Bus,” Mayor Kevin McKeown said.

While much better than relying on printed schedules, the tracker is still a little inconsistent, estimating one time and then adding more time a minute later.

But maybe that’s not the GPS’ problem, but rather the nature of public transportation in L.A. and Santa Monica: it’s never going to be perfect. Users must adjust their idea of “real-time” to something more relative to L.A., allowing for the intensive and congestive traffic to slow everything down.

in News
<>Related Posts

L.A. Louver Marks David Hockney’s 88th with Exhibit

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Hockney, a British artist born in 1937, gained fame with the British Pop Art movement and later became known for...

Suspect Arrested in Shoe Retail Theft Spree Across LA County

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

During the search, police recovered two firearms and a significant quantity of merchandise The Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail...

Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica Pier Arson Incidents

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The suspect, matching video footage from an arcade, was taken into custody Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested a suspect...

SMPD Launch New Recruitment Website Amid High Vacancy Rates

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The site features multimedia content, including day-in-the-life videos and officer profiles, highlighting the impact of serving the community The Santa...

Father-Daughter Authors to Host Book Signing to Aid Fire-Affected Women

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Ten percent of proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Fund, a nonprofit initiative created...

Metro Reports Crime Drop, Higher Rider Satisfaction, and Progress on Major Projects

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The Authority said the drop in violent incidents—down to the lowest level since May 2019—coincided with more uniformed personnel and...

Santa Monica Joins Regional Lawsuit to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The motion to intervene seeks to ensure that Santa Monica and other plaintiff-intervenors can advocate for their residents’ rights in...

Promenade Restaurant Introduces Lunch Menu Set at $18 Per Person

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The fixed $18 price point targets commuters and those seeking a power lunch or a change of scenery The restaurant...

Santa Monica Council Votes in Support of Park-Centric Future at Airport Site

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The decision followed a contentious meeting with over 140 public speakers and more than 1,000 emails received by the council...

Housing for Health Chief Appointed to Lead Unified Homeless Services Department

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

Veteran Housing Advocate to Oversee Streamlined LA County Services The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday confirmed the...

‘Adoptapalooza’ Pet Adoption Festival Returns to Main Street This Weekend

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The free, family-friendly event aims to connect adoptable animals with new owners Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center will host...

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Proposed Resilient Rebuilding Authority

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The agency, to be run by political appointees, would manage permitting, development, zoning, and funding, modeled after post-disaster recoveries Los...

New Agenda Coaching: Changing Lives in LA

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Students Work Toward Applied Success with Executive Function Coaching Services The demands of daily routines and studies sometimes bear weight...

Saint Monica Prep Students Win Award for Anti-Street Racing PSA Video

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The winning public service announcement, titled “Not Worth It,” was highlighted in a post on X by @LADOTofficial  Students from...

Anti-Drunk Driving Resolution Introduced as City Council Honors Late Palisades Teen Killed in Crash

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Levi, who was set to attend the University of Virginia this fall, was killed by a drunk driver on May...