With the temporary closure of Big Blue Bus Line 44 and other lines this semester, Santa Monica College is promoting a Lyft rideshare service that transports students between its campuses.

Santa Monica College (SMC) is promoting a free Lyft rideshare service to ferry students from the main campus to the Bundy campus and back amid Big Blue Bus service reductions.

All students currently enrolled in a class on the Bundy campus, as well as the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and Center of Media and Design (CMD), has received an email with information detailing how to get free Lyft Shared rides during the week, according to SMC Sustainability Manager Ferris Kawar. Information is also posted on flyers throughout the various campuses and on the main SMC website.

“We're trying to make sure that every student knows, especially the ones that have classes at other campuses,” Kawar said. “The challenge is just getting the word out.”

By opening the Lyft app and inputting a promo code, students can request a free Lyft Shared ride between 7 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays. Students carpool with each other and are transported to the Bundy campus from either the Expo/Bundy station or the main campus.

Students can also take a free Lyft Shared ride to the PAC and CMD from the main campus or 17th Street/SMC station in the evenings from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Route 41 to the PAC and Routes 16 and 43 to the CMD run every 15 minutes during the day.

Kawar says there are currently no plans to extend this service to the new Malibu Campus due to the distance between the campuses, though Metro Bus Line 134 stops right across from the Downtown Santa Monica station.

Due to a nationwide shortage in bus drivers, Big Blue Bus has been eliminating or delaying the restoration of several bus routes in order to meet demand. Service has also been impacted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a significant decline in ridership. Route 44, which travels between the main SMC campus and the Bundy campus, is one of the lines currently affected.

“Even in the last two semesters where we've had classes on ground, we haven't had very many people riding that line at all,” Kawar said. “So they weren't able to support that line and bring it back this semester.”

Route 42, one of two buses that travel from the main campus to the PAC, is also out of commission. There is currently no indication of when these lines will return. The Lyft rideshare program was started prior to the pandemic but has seen more use over the last couple years. According to Kawar, student reception has been positive.

He encourages students to get the Metro GoPass, which is covered by the $22.50 Student Benefits fee and gives students access to unlimited rides on the Big Blue Bus, Metro Bus and Light Rail, Culver City bus, and more.

“It's the best deal in town,” Kawar said. “It shows that when you take away that barrier or extra step every time you need to go somewhere, having to think ‘well, should I use the car’ or ‘do I have enough change in my pocket,’ if you just know that it's already paid for, people use it.”

To register for the GoPass, students can log into Corsair Connect and click on the Enrollment tab. Under the Spring 2023 semester, they can click the Metro/BBB Tap Card prompt on the sidebar and follow the instructions.

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