The free shuttle service that has been offered since 2022 in Alamitos Bay and Downtown could be expanded to provide service between the two areas.
Next week, Long Beach City Council members are expected to accept a $410,000 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to connect those areas. Previously, riders could hail a shuttle by using an app in either the Downtown or Alamitos Bay/Belmont Shore area but they could not use the service to travel between the two zones.
The “LB Circuit” shuttles are operated by Circuit Transit Inc., which uses five-person shuttles to move people around the two zones. The city began offering the service in November 2022 as way to reduce short car trips within the two zones, which are some of the most parking impacted areas of the city.
The Downtown zone spans from Junipero Avenue to the 710 Freeway entrance on the west and includes the areas south of Sixth Street east of Alamitos Avenue and the areas south of Fourth Street east of Junipero Avenue.
The Alamitos Bay zone includes the Belmont Heights, Belmont Shore and Naples communities as well as the 2nd and PCH shopping center and Alamitos Bay landing.
Once the bridging of the two zones goes into effect, riders will be able to travel between them. It’s unclear when that will be, a spokesperson for Public Works could not provide a date for when the city expects the new service to begin.
A memo to the City Council said that Public Works is also looking at the possible extension of service hours and days during specific times of the year.
The shuttles currently operate Thursday through Sunday with operating hours on Thursday and Friday running between 4 and 10 p.m.; between noon and 10 p.m. on Saturdays and between noon and 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The extension of the program is being funded in part by a grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which requires the city to match the funds in order to receive the grant. A city memo said Long Beach also intends to use a portion of its Los Angeles County Proposition A funding to match the grant, which could support transportation in the region.
Long Beach City Council members are expected to vote in favor and accept that grant at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
A link to download the Circuit app needed to hail a ride can be found here.