The restoration is part of a broader summer service overhaul aimed at improving coverage across the Westside
The Big Blue Bus will restore full service on Route 9 to Pacific Palisades starting Sunday, Aug. 10, ending months of modified operations, officials announced Wednesday. The restoration is part of a broader summer service overhaul aimed at improving transit reliability and coverage across Santa Monica and the Westside.
The service change, part of the Brighter Blue initiative to promote sustainable transit, includes more frequent trips on Routes 3 and 7, with buses arriving every 10 minutes or better on weekdays and 15 minutes or better on weekends. Route 43 will extend to Downtown Santa Monica with added midday and weekend trips, while Route 3 will offer seamless connections to the new LAX/Metro Transit Center and SoFi Stadium. Enhanced bus shelters are also part of the upgrade under the Better Blue Bus Stops program.
Route 9, which has operated on a modified schedule since earlier this year, will resume regular service after Aug. 9. Until then, buses have run between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily, every 35 minutes, with a detour via Montana Avenue, 7th Street, and San Vicente Boulevard, bypassing stops north of San Vicente. Alternate stops included 4th Street at Montana Avenue and 7th Street at Montana, Alta, and Marguerita Avenues. Express trips on Route 9 will remain discontinued indefinitely.
“We’re excited to bring these improvements to our riders, especially restoring Route 9 to Pacific Palisades,” said Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation. “With expanded frequent service and new connections like LAX/Metro, commuting with Big Blue Bus will be more convenient this summer.”
