In compliance with a California statute, a public hearing will be hosted by Long Beach Transit (LBT) on Monday, February 23 at 12:00PM in the Long Beach City Council Chambers at City Hall, in regard to the purchase of transit buses. Public comment will be heard before and during the hearing.
While the weight of buses has increased due to new requirements and improved design, the Axle Weight Limit Statute established in 1976 says that individual axles cannot exceed 20,500 lbs., according to LBT’s website. A 2012 Assembly Bill requires that the authorization of any buses to be added to a fleet after January 1, 2013, which may potentially exceed the axle weight limit, must be preceded by a public hearing.
The hearing will present information to the public on why LBT needs to replace their buses over the next five years, including more information on the buses currently in use, which have exceeded their usable life span of 12 years, according to the release. The new buses will have to meet current and future air quality standards and be able to accommodate the needs of all customers now and in the future.
LBT plans to introduce a fleet of Battery Electric Buses and to expand their current fleet of CNG buses.
Public comments will be accepted before the hearing through Friday, February 13 through Long Beach Transit’s Customer Service call center at (562) 591-2301 or the public can submit their opinions by filling out the Customer Contact on this page.
LBT serves over 28.6 million customers in Long Beach, Lakewood and Signal Hill, as well as areas of Artesia, Bellflower, Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos, Norwalk, and Paramount and Seal Beach.
Long Beach City Hall is located at 333 W. Ocean Blvd.