Long Beach Bus

This article is about the bus system in Long Beach, New York. For the bus system in Long Beach, California, see Long Beach Transit.

Long Beach Bus

Now-retired Gillig Phantom bus #175 leaves the railroad station, preparing to serve the East Loop route
Parent	City of Long Beach Department of Transportation
Commenced operation	c. 1950
Headquarters	1 West Chester Street Long Beach, NY 11561
Locale	Southern Nassau County
Service area	Long Beach, Lido Beach, and Point Lookout
Service type	Local bus service
Routes	6
Stops	~70
Hubs	Long Beach LIRR station
Fleet	10 (fixed route) 4 (paratransit) [1] (2013 figures)
Daily ridership	1,469 (weekday) 827 (Saturday) 550 (Sunday) [1]
Operator	City of Long Beach Department of Transportation
Chief executive	Brendan T. Costello
Website	Long Beach Bus

Long Beach Bus is a public transportation system serving Greater Long Beach on the Long Beach Barrier Island of Long Island, New York. The service operates twenty-four hours a day, with six different routes connecting to one another and to Nassau Inter-County Express and Long Island Rail Road at Long Beach station in the city center.

Although Long Beach Bus is designed to complement county bus and commuter rail service, it is run independently by the Long Beach Department of Transportation.

Service overview

The service operates 24-hours a day, except early Monday mornings. The service operates six routes, with two regular services within the city, one extended route to the Long Beach's eastern suburbs, two midday routes on weekdays, and one overnight circulator; tourist trolleys are used during the summer months. ^[2] Viability of such an extensive service in a suburban setting is made possible by Long Beach's high-density layout: due to the limited supply of land on the island, fewer than 40% of homes are detached houses, making Long Beach one of the fifty densest cities in the country. ^[3] The service also plays an important role in transporting the many tourists who arrive in the summer by train from New York City, and a tourist trolley route is operated during the summer months. ^[2]

Because it is owned and operated independently by the City of Long Beach, and not by Nassau County, Long Beach Bus was unaffected by the 2012 privatization of Long Island Bus.

Most service information is provided bilingually in both English and American Spanish. ^[2]

History

Much of what now constitutes the Long Beach Bus network originally was operated privately. ^{[4] [5] [6]} It was taken over by the City of Long Beach in the mid-20th century, following the 1947 bankruptcy of the Long Beach Bus Company and subsequent legal issues with the Beach Transit Corporation, which operated the system under a franchise for the city from 1947 until the early 1950s. ^{[7] [8]}

In 1973, the City of Long Beach considered possibly having the system taken over by the then-new Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority. ^[9] The plans were ultimately called off, with the system remaining in the city's control. ^[9]

Fare

The fare for all routes is $2.25, except for the Point Lookout service, which has a $2.75 base fare. ^[10]

Long Beach Bus Pass

Bus passes, known as the Long Beach Bus Pass, are also available for purchase. ^{[2] [11] [12]} The passes, introduced on October 1, 2022, come in two variants: 10-trip passes and 20-trip passes. The standard fare for a 10-trip pass is $22.50, while the standard fare for a 20-trip pass is $45.00. ^{[2] [11] [12]}

Bus routes

A map of the Long Beach Bus routes and select stations, as of 2024.

Long Beach Bus operates six bus routes within the City and to Lido Beach and Point Lookout, all originating from the system's hub: the bus terminal at the Long Beach station on the Long Island Rail Road's Long Beach Branch, adjacent to City Hall. ^{[2] [13] [14]} The network consists of approximately 70 bus stops. ^[14]

Route	Terminal	Major streets	History and notes
East Loop	Maple Boulevard and East Broadway	Edwards Boulevard Broadway Maple Boulevard East Park Avenue	Counter-clockwise loop.
West End	West Beech Street and Nevada Avenue	West Park Avenue and West Beech Street	Counter-clockwise loop.
Shoppers' Special East	Maple Boulevard and East Broadway	East Park Avenue Maple Boulevard Broadway Edwards Boulevard	Weekday middays only. Clockwise loop. Reverse of East Loop route.
Shoppers' Special West	West Beech Street and Nevada Avenue	Edwards Boulevard Broadway Maple Boulevard East Park Avenue	Weekday middays only. Clockwise loop. Reverse of West End route.
Point Lookout Line	Point Lookout	Lido Boulevard East Park Avenue	Branch Bus Corp at 1973 MSBA takeover; route transferred to Long Beach in 1984 Weekday rush hour service only. No passengers carried within Long Beach on this route. Formerly N69
Late Night Express	West End service first, then East Loop service	West Beech Street Nevada Avenue Edwards Boulevard Broadway Maple Boulevard Park Avenue	Overnight service. No late night Sunday/early Monday morning service.

Paratransit

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, paratransit service is offered by Long Beach Bus to those unable to utilize traditional buses. ^[2]

Fleet

A Gillig BRT bus running on the East Loop route in 2021.

The bus garage on Long Beach Boulevard and East Pine Street.

Mainline bus service is operated using Gillig Advantage buses. These are supplemented by Gillig Trolley Replicas on the tourist trolley line and Ford E-Series-based paratransit vehicles. ^[15]

All vehicles are wheelchair accessible. Mainline buses are equipped with bicycle racks and extensive bicycle parking is available at the bus terminal.

Long Beach Bus Fleet: ^{[15] [16]}

Fleet Number(s)	Photo	Build Date	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
169-172		2013-2014	Gillig	BRT 35'	Cummins ISL9
176-178		2010		BRT HEV 29'	Cummins ISB6.7	Allison H 40 EP hybrid system	176-177 retired
179				Trolley Replica 29'
180		2014	Classic Trolley	California Street			Built on a Freightliner XB-S chassis.
181		2015	Gillig	Trolley Replica 29'	Cummins ISL9
182-183		2021	Gillig	BRT 29'	Cummins L9

See also

• Transportation on Long Island
• Huntington Area Rapid Transit

References

1. NTD Program filing for City of Long Beach, 2013
2. "Transportation". www.longbeachny.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
3. US Census Bureau Factfinder. Archived 2020-02-10 at archive.today
4. TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (1947-12-10). "LONG BEACH BUSES FACE NEW BARRIER; Insurance Expiring Tonight Adds to the Woes of Drivers Operating Fleet of Six CITY COUNCIL PLANS MOVE Temporary Permit Is Forecast for One of the Four Bidders for 'Unprofitable' Line". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-15.
5. "LONG BEACH BUS CASE HEARD BY THE P.S.C." The New York Times. 1950-01-21. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-15.
6. Frankel, Art (November 6, 1947). "LONG BEACH FACES BUS SERVICE LOSS: L. Beach Bus Co. to Quit Nov. 15; Employees Act to Protect Jobs". Newsday . p. 1 – via ProQuest.
7. "LONG BEACH BUS CASE HEARD BY THE P.S.C." The New York Times. 1950-01-21. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-15.
8. "Resort Bus Fares Co Up Nickel for Summer". Newsday . June 4, 1952. p. 43 – via ProQuest.
9. Mollison, Andrew (June 3, 1973). "Nassau Negotiates for Long Beach Buses". Newsday . p. 19 – via ProQuest.
10. "Fares (Pasajes)". www.longbeachny.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
11. "Long Beach Bus Pass". www.longbeachny.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
12. Barmash, Jerry (2022-10-09). "ICYMI: Long Beach Offers Convenience Of Bus Pass Package Purchasing". Long Beach, NY Patch. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
13. "#89—Take A Ride on Long Beach's Eco-Friendly Buses". Long Beach, NY Patch. 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
14. "Bus Stops in Long Beach (Paraderos en Long Beach)". www.longbeachny.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
15. "Budget & Financial Information - Long Beach, NY". www.longbeachny.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
16. "Long Beach Bus". cptdb.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-05.

External links

• Official website (Long Beach Department of Transportation)
• Schedule