Big Blue Bus – Rapid 3

Most unpredictable bus ever. Constantly having to plan ahead and catch the earlier one because you never know if the bus will pass way to early and way too late (20 min late)
They should also really get on top of the tracking option that most bus services have. The ability to see exactly where the busses are would be so helpful.

Yeah, I’m an Angelino and I’m obsessed with public transpo. The Big Blue Bus is my quick and easy fix, since I live right by a 3 and Rapid 3 stop, and can take it for most needs in my life. I can hop it to go grab dinner or a drink in the Marina, Venice, or Santa Monica. I can hit the ocean with a short walk from one of its stops. I can hit shopping, people watching and more across a variety of neighborhoods. And if I really need to, I can take it to hop out of LA, either by taking it to LAX or to the green line outbound to Long Beach eventually on the blue.
Yes, public transpo and I, even in a city like LA, are inseparable friends.
So why should you ride the Big Blue Bus? Drink, without driving. Save money on gas, and save headaches on parking in some LA’s worst neighborhoods to park in. Get rides to and from LAX without having to ask you friend for a pick up or drop off at that awkward time. On and on I could go, but alas, it’s about to throw my dollar fare in the approaching bus, and bring this review to a close. What could make the Big Blue Bus better? A bit more frequent service during off hours, and perhaps the easiest fix of all– a killer app for your Android or iPhone that would allow you to track busses and more!

This line rocks! Super friendly drivers and punctual buses! For a buck you can be at the airport in (almost) no-​time.
There is a downside (or two) — if you’re taking this line to/​from LAX, be careful after dark. Even around 6pm, the LAX transfer station is super shady, and all but abandoned. I’ve waited by my lonesome there for a bus before, and it was maybe 7pm and I was freaked out. At that point I wish I had coughed up the 40 – 60 bucks for a taxi to Venice.
Also, every now and then there are last minute schedule changes. So you’ll board at LAX and then get dumped at some random stop because your bus goes out of service. But, you just have to spit out another buck and get on the next bus.

I like going to visit the 3^rd street promenade on a weekend but try not to drive. Granted it would be quicker to drive but with the congestion of west la traffic I would rather veg and look out the window instead of trying to handle the stop and go crap. I always catch the bus at the green line aviation station and it’s only a $ 0.30 extra if you buy a transfer at the station. When I was commuting to work in santa Monica I found the combination of the green line and #3 bus took the same amount of time as driving shows how screwed up traffic is on the westside. Actually in the summer it’s a great ride if the tops are down and the halter straps are in

Leaving on a jet plane to go hump a tree frog in Costa Rica?
This is the bus to get you to the airport if you live in Santa Monica or Venice. I’m seriously people… why would you pay for parking or an overpriced taxi to get to the airport when you can pay $.75? That’s right, people. 75 cents!
Here’s the drill:
1) Get on the Rapid 3
2) Get off at the LAX Commuter Transfer Station
3) Walk 100 feet towards the airport and get on the blue/​yellow/​white LAX Shuttle bus (it’s FREE)
(if you screw up)
4) Don’t worry if you missed this stop and have a bit of time. Just take this bus to the Aviation Metro train station (4 minutes away) and catch a free LAX shuttle from that station to the airport.
Do the math, folks. The roundtrip from 7^th and Montana to LAX and back is:
Taxi: $ 60.00
Rapid 3: $ 1.50
Don’t half step. You’ll have to exit at the back, so drag your bag/​suitcase down to that portion of the bus so you can depart super easy.