L.B. Transit nationally recognized for service

By Ernest J. Castillo, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, January 25, 1999

Cal State Long Beach students who commute to campus using the local bus service can take pride in cheering for another crew besides the Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team.

Long Beach Transit, a transportation system that runs directly through CSULB, was ranked one of the top 10 transit systems in the United States, according to a recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina.

The transit system, which mainly services the cities of Long Beach, Signal Hill and Lakewood was compared with 135 other large urban systems across the country. Each of the systems was ranked in accordance to 12 different measures such as operating costs, fares and ridership rates.

Reasons for the company's high ranking include efficiency, cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction, Long Beach transit Marketing Manager Rhea Mealey said.

Last year, the company had a 90 percent satisfaction rating from riders saying Long Beach Transit was good or excellent.

"Customer satisfaction is the No.1 priority," Mealey said. "We focus on the customer. We are concerned about all the decisions to enhance riding and making it better for the customers."

President and General Manager for Long Beach Transit Larry Jackson stated that in the completed year of ridership, the transit system boarded 25.4 million customers.

Long Beach Transit also has seen a 21 percent increase in the last four years of total boarding.

Victoria Corral, a business major at CSULB who has been riding the Long Beach Transit for 10 years, agrees that it should be ranked in the top 10.

"The drivers are quite helpful when passengers don't know where they're going," Corral said. "They have ample bus schedules and supplies when you need them."

"It's always on time," education major Brian Ham said. "It runs smoothly. When one bus isn't there, another one comes to replace it."

To accommodate the growing number of riders, the company is increasing its services by adding 13 new buses to the line-up and using more buses on the routes that service Anaheim Street, 7th Street, Pacific Coast Highway and Atlantic Avenue.

A new bus line called "AquaBus" will also be introduced in February to provide service for 7th Street, allowing faster access to the VA Medical Center and CSULB.

"There's a lot happening in Long Beach, and our job is to keep up with the growing demand for transit services," Long Beach Transit Chairman of the Board Shirly Saltman said. "There's always room to improve, but it's nice to know that we stacked up against transit systems all across the country."

Regular fare for Long Beach Transit is 90 cents, but students are charged 75 cents and senior or disabled persons are charged 45 cents.

Students can purchase a monthly pass for $23, and senior or disabled riders can buy one for $11.