Click above to visit the Expo extension’s web page on metro.net, including an interactive version of the map (scroll down).
The Expo Line to Santa Monica opens on Friday, May 20, adding seven new stations between Culver City and Santa Monica. Take heed: Parking along the extension is very limited with just 544 spaces total at three of the stations.
That said, there are many bus connections to each of the new stations and a new bike path that runs alongside most of the extension — between Culver City Station and Palms Station and then from Overland Avenue to the 17th St/SMC Station. The new bike path connects to many existing bike lanes in the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica and there’s bike parking at each of the new stations.
This is a long post with a lot of info. We’ll try to break it down into sections to make it more digestible.
One big thing you should do if you haven’t already….
Get a TAP card, the plastic fare cards used by Metro and muni bus providers in L.A. County. You can buy the card for $1 at TAP vending machines at all Metro Rail stations or buy them online at taptogo.net. You can load daily, weekly and monthly passes on TAP cards or add Stored Value — an amount of money from which fares are deducted.
How to use Expo and a bus to travel to/from four key destinations
•The Expo Line stations closest to UCLA and Westwood Village are Westwood/Rancho Park Station and Expo/Sepulveda Station.
–From Expo/Sepulveda: The Metro Line 234, Metro Rapid 734 and Metro Rapid 788 are being extended to the station beginning May 15. All three connect with Westwood and UCLA (see the individual timetables):
The extension of Lines 234, 734 and 788.
–From Westwood/Rancho Park: Big Blue Bus 8 and 12 can be used to travel between the station, Westwood and UCLA. Beginning in June, BBB 12 will be known as the Rapid 12 and will run at greater frequencies and have weekend service.
•The Expo Line station closest to Century City is Palms Station. Big Blue Bus 5 runs between the station and Century City — check the schedule for BBB 5 buses that make this trip.
•The Expo Line station closest to Santa Monica College is the 17th/SMC Station. It’s about a .8-mile walk or bike ride to the center of campus by going south on 17th Street. Or you can use Big Blue Bus 41 to travel from the station to campus and BBB 42 from campus to the station (the 42 begins service on May 20). In June, BBB 44 will connect the station to SMC’s main campus and the Bundy campus.
•If traveling to Main Street in Santa Monica, Venice Beach or Marina del Rey, the closest Expo Line station is Downtown Santa Monica. Use Big Blue Bus 1 or BBB 18 that runs to Abbot Kinney. Metro Line 33 or Rapid 733 stops at Ocean Avenue and Colorado in Santa Monica (two blocks from the Expo station) and runs south to Main Street, Venice Beach and Marina del Rey.
Here is the Big Blue Bus map that includes the June service changes:
Click above to see larger version.
Here’s the entire list of bus connections and bike parking for the seven new Expo stations
Palms Station
6 bike racks, 8 bike lockers
Bus Connections: Big Blue Bus 5, with Big Blue Bus 17 service to begin June 2016.
Westwood/Rancho Park Station
6 bike racks, 8 bike lockers
Bus Connections: Big Blue Bus 8, BBB Rapid 12, Culver City Bus 3.
Expo/Sepulveda Station
260 parking spaces – fees apply
10 bike racks, 16 bike lockers
Bus Connections: Metro Rapid 734, Big Blue Bus 7 and Rapid 7, Culver City Bus 6 and CC Rapid 6, with Big Blue Bus 17 service to begin June 2016
Expo/Bundy Station
217 parking spaces – fees apply
10 bike racks, 16 bike lockers
Bus Connections: Big Blue Bus 5, Big Blue Bus 7, Big Blue Bus Rapid 7, Big Blue Bus 14, Big Blue Bus 15, and Big Blue Bus Rapid 10.
26th Street/Bergamot Station
6 bike racks, 8 bike lockers
Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share
Bus Connections: Big Blue Bus 5 and Big Blue Bus 16, with Big Blue Bus 43 service to start June 2016
17th St/SMC Station
67 parking spaces – fees apply
10 bike racks, 16 bike lockers
Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share
Bus Connections: Big Blue Bus 41 and 42 and Big Blue Bus 44.
Downtown Santa Monica Station
10 bike racks
Santa Monica Bike Center on 2nd/Colorado
Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share
Bus Connections: Metro 534, Metro Rapid 720, Big Blue Bus 1, Big Blue Bus 2, Big Blue Bus 3, BBB Rapid 3, Big Blue Bus 7, BBB Rapid 7, Big Blue Bus 8, Big Blue Bus 9, BBB Rapid 10 and Big Blue Bus 18.
On Saturday, May 21, Big Blue Bus will be offering free rides on all of their lines, so it’s a good chance to try out the buses and start familiarizing yourself with the connections.
Bike parking and bike share
The new bike path that runs along most of the Expo Line extension. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.
•In order to reserve a bike locker at one of the new Expo stations, please contact 213-922-2660 or send an email to Bikelocker@metro.net for bike locker registration assistance.
•The Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share program has bike kiosks at dozens of locations across the city and near Expo stations — for a small fee you can take a bike from one location and return it to another. Rides on Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share will be free from Thursday, May 19, through Saturday, May 21! You’ll need to create an account via their website or app in order to use the system, but no fees will be charged during those three days on any ride within the bike share’s service area.
•The Santa Monica Bike Center is located at 2nd Street and Colorado, one block from the Expo Downtown Santa Monica Station. The center offers bike rentals, repairs and parking.
•As mentioned above, the new bike path along the Expo Line is pretty sweet. It connects to existing bike lane networks in (map here) and the city of Los Angeles (map here).
Transferring between the Expo Line and Big Blue Bus and Culver CityBus
This isn’t the most intuitive thing in the world for transit newbies, so we’ll try to break it down so that it becomes routine for riders.
Transferring from Big Blue Bus to Metro: The regular fare for BBB is $1.25 and TAP cards can be used to pay. Ask the bus operator for a transfer to Metro, which costs 50 cents (cash only due to equipment limitations). The transfer is good for one ride on one Metro train or bus.
Transferring from Culver CityBus to Metro: The regular fare for Culver CityBus is $1 and TAP cards can be used to pay. Ask the bus operator for a transfer to Metro, which costs 40 cents. You can pay both the fare and the transfer with a TAP card or cash. The transfer is good for one ride on one Metro train or bus.
Transferring from Metro to Big Blue Bus or Culver CityBus: Purchase a 50 cent “Metro to Muni” transfer at a TAP vending machine, located at all Metro Rail stations. The transfer is loaded onto your TAP card — then tap your card when boarding the Big Blue Bus or Culver CityBus.
Some other tips:
•If you’re transferring from BBB or Culver CityBus to the Expo Line and then need to transfer to another Metro bus or train, skip buying the transfer. It’s cheaper to pay the regular Metro fare when boarding the Expo Line — fare includes two hours of free transfers on Metro.
•If you frequently use Metro and muni providers such as BBB and Culver CityBus, it may be cheaper to purchase an EZ Transit Pass that allows for unlimited rides across different transit agencies; a 30-day pass begins at $110.
•You can use Stored Value on your TAP card to pay fares on Big Blue Bus, CulverCity Bus and Metro. The only thing you can’t use the TAP card for is buying a transfer from BBB to Metro — you will need to have 50 cents cash handy for that.
•Keep in mind that Metro offers a variety of greatly discounted fares for seniors, disabled riders/Medicare recipients, students and households with low incomes. Please see this page for more info.
•Finally, there’s one other thing worth noting for those who want to use both Metro and the BBB’s Rapid 10 Bus. The Rapid Bus uses the freeway and charges a $2.50 fare. But the TAP validators on Rapid 10 buses are not set up to collect the entire $2.50 from a single TAP card. You can pay either using two TAP cards (the validator deducts $1.25 from each), pay $1.25 using TAP and cover the difference with cash or entirely with cash.
For more information about the Expo Line to Santa Monica, visit metro.net/moreexpo.