A series of recently approved changes to the Big Blue Bus system will add the first-ever direct bus route from UCLA to Sawtelle Boulevard.
The Santa Monica City Council approved the changes, which include the new Sawtelle Boulevard line and the consolidation of the Line 12 and Rapid 12 routes on Westwood Boulevard, at a public hearing on April 28.
The changes form the Big Blue Bus Expo Line Integration Plan, which aims to create more north-south bus services to complement the east-west route of the Expo Light Rail Line opening next year.
The proposal includes a 25-cent fare increase to fund the plan, but UCLA Transportation officials will continue to offer students the option to pay a reduced, 50-cent fare to ride the bus, Big Blue Bus officials said in an email statement.
The new Sawtelle Boulevard route, Line 17, will start at UCLA and end at the Expo Line’s Culver City station.
Hillary Bretcko, a graduate student in architecture, said she looks forward to Line 17 because she currently relies on friends to give her rides to Sawtelle Boulevard when she wants to shop, as no bus line runs down that street.
Other students, such as Amber Chien, a second-year psychology and economics student, said the lack of a bus line to Sawtelle Boulevard creates an inconvenient walk when she wants to dine and shop in the area.
“We have to walk to the Santa Monica and Sawtelle intersection, which takes us about 10 to 15 minutes,” Chien said.
Big Blue Bus also plans to increase service times for the Rapid 12 line. Under the proposed changes, the line would end at Venice Boulevard and Overland Avenue instead of the Expo Line’s Culver City station.
Line 8 will continue to provide service on Westwood Boulevard and ends in downtown Santa Monica.
Some students said they disagree with the change because they think Line 12 is popular among many commuters.
“The local 12 is always crowded when I get on it,” Bretcko said.
Bryan Nguyen, a lab technician in UCLA’s psychology department, said he thinks Big Blue Bus officials could have made a better attempt to reach out to the UCLA community to see what changes individuals want to see, since many students use Line 12.
“(Bus officials) need to understand that bus changes affect the people that live near the bus stops,” Nguyen said.
Others said they are happy with the consolidation of the Line 12 and Rapid 12 routes because Line 8 also provides service on Westwood Boulevard.
“I think it’s redundant to have multiple lines cover similar routes,” said Devaughn Fraser, a graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology. “In terms of efficiency, the change will makes things better.”
Big Blue Bus officials will begin implementing the first phase of changes in August, but adjustments to Line 12 won’t take effect until summer 2016, according to an email statement.