Torrance Transit
Founded1940 (1940)
Service areaSouth Bay
Service typebus service
Routes12
Daily ridership7,000 (weekdays, Q3 2023)[1]
Annual ridership1,855,200 (2022)[2]
Fuel typeDiesel, Gasoline, CNG
Chief executiveKim Turner
Websitetransit.torranceca.gov

Torrance Transit is a transit agency primarily serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,855,200, or about 7,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

History

Torrance Transit inaugurated service on January 15, 1940 using three leased 1931 Mack-33 buses.[3] The new agency provided primarily municipal transit and maintained a bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles until 1959, when the City Council voted to discontinue bus service entirely. Mayor Albert Isen vetoed the council's action, arguing that "every first-class city has its own bus system."[4]

Gillig Phantom (left, red and white livery) and New Flyer C40LFR (right, new livery) buses for Torrance Transit (2012)
Torrance Transit 2012 New Flyer Xcelsior on Route 3 in Downtown Long Beach

Routes

Local routes

Torrance Transit does not operate on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day. Service on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day operates on Sunday schedule.

Route Terminals via Notes Refs.
1
 South LA
Harbor Freeway station		 Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center		 Figueroa St, Vermont Av, Torrance Bl
2
 Torrance
El Camino College		 Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center		 Crenshaw Bl, Artesia Bl, Inglewood Av, Anza Av
3
 Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach Pier		 Long Beach
Long Beach Transit Mall		 Carson St, Main St, Pacific Coast Hwy
  • Operates daily.
  • Operates alongside limited-stop Rapid 3.
Rapid 3
 Torrance
Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center		 Long Beach
Long Beach Transit Mall		 Torrance Bl, Hawthorne Bl, Carson St, Avalon Bl, Pacific Coast Hwy
  • Operates weekday rush hours only.
  • Operates alongside local service Line 3.
4X
 Downtown LA
Union Station		 Torrance
Hawthorne Bl & Pacific Coast Hwy
(Weekdays)		 In Downtown LA: Alameda St, Los Angeles St, Hill St, Grand Av, Olive St, Flower St
Express Portion: Harbor Transitway
In the South Bay: Vermont Av, Torrance Bl, Hawthorne Bl
  • Connects with the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center.
Torrance
Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center
(Saturdays)
5
 Torrance
El Camino College		 Torrance
Torrance Airport		 Van Ness Av, Arlington Av, Narbonne Av
  • Operates weekdays.
  • Connects with the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center.
  • Interlines with Line 2.
6
 Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center		 Compton
Artesia station		 190th St
7
 Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach Pier		 Carson
Sepulveda Bl & Avalon Bl		 Sepulveda Bl
  • Operates weekdays.
  • Interlines with Line 9.
8
 Westchester
LAX City Bus Center		 Torrance
Pacific Coast Hwy & Hawthorne Bl		 Aviation Bl, Hawthorne Bl
9
 Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center		 Carson
Lomita Bl & Avalon Bl		 Lomita Bl
  • Operates weekdays.
  • Interlines with Line 7.
10
 Inglewood
Downtown Inglewood Station		 Torrance
Pacific Coast Hwy & Crenshaw Bl		 Crenshaw Bl, Imperial Hwy, Prairie Ave, Florence Ave
13
 Redondo Beach
Torrance Bl & Broadway		 Compton
Artesia station		 Catalina Ave, Hermosa Ave, Artesia Bl, Victoria Ave, Central Ave

Discontinued routes

Route Terminals via Notes Refs.
4
 Torrance
Torrance Beach		 Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center		 Madrona Ave, Sepulveda Bl, Palos Verdes Bl Original route was transitioned to Beach Cities Transit as their "Line 104", which was discontinued in August 2012. Revived route was replaced by Line 4X, which began service on October 2, 2017. [5]
MAX 2
 El Segundo
Imperial Hwy & Douglas		 Rancho Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Dr. West & Hawthorne		 Hawthorne, Anza, Aviation Bl, El Segundo Bl Municipal Area eXpress (MAX) commuter service was a joint venture of the cities of El Segundo, Lawndale, Lomita (joined 1990), Los Angeles, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach (withdrew 1993), Torrance, and Los Angeles County, with Torrance Transit as the lead agency. MAX Route 1 ('Beach Cities') discontinued in 1993 after withdrawal of Redondo Beach. Operated during peak commuting hours on weekdays only. Service began on April 18, 1990 and was discontinued on June 30, 2013. [6][7][8][9][10][11]
MAX 3
 San Pedro/Torrance
Pacific at 36th		 PCH, Crenshaw, Aviation Bl, El Segundo Bl, Sepulveda
MAX 3x
 San Pedro
Pacific Crest		 Pacific Ave, El Segundo Bl, Sepulveda

Bus fleet

Active fleet

Make/Model Fleet Numbers Thumbnail Year Engine Transmission Notes
New Flyer C40LFR 300-309 2010 Ford Triton V10 ISE ThunderVolt TB40-HG
New Flyer C40LFR 310-329 2011 Cummins Westport ISL G Allison B400R6
New Flyer XN40 330-338 2012 Cummins Westport ISL G Allison B400R6
New Flyer XN40 339-362 2016 Cummins Westport ISL G Allison B400R6

In the early 21st century, Torrance Transit's fleet was made up of Gillig Phantom (delivered in 1992, 1996, and 1997) and Gillig Advantage (delivered in 2000 and 2002) buses.[12] Each bus is numbered 4--. The fleet is maintained at the facilities department on Madrona Avenue, constructed in 1986.

In 2010 Torrance Transit began replacing its bus fleet with a purchase of 10 gasoline-electric hybrid New Flyer (NFI) GE40LFRs; 20 compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered NFI C40LFRs were delivered in 2011, joined by 9 more CNG NFI XN40s in 2012.[12] The new buses were delivered with a new paint scheme which marked the start of a rebranding effort by the agency.[13]

ZEST

In 1993, Torrance Transit rolled out the Zero Emissions Surface Transit (ZEST) bus, a 25-seat, 29-foot coach which was the largest battery-powered transit vehicle in the United States at the time. ZEST was built by Specialty Vehicle Manufacturing Corporation (SVMC) using a Hughes Aircraft Company-developed powertrain, at a cost of US$300,000 (equivalent to $608,000 in 2022).[14] SVMC in turn had subcontracted the assembly of ZEST to the ACL Technologies division of AAI Corporation, a defense contractor.[15][16] ZEST had a claimed range of 75 miles (121 km) or 10 hours of operation, and the battery pack was designed to be easily replaceable to minimize the time spent out of service while charging.[17]

After several years in operation, service was trimmed back from the morning and afternoon peak commutes to just a lunchtime shuttle from employers to restaurants in order to extend its life.[18] In an interview, John Hall with Torrance Transit stated "[The battery technology] is a long way from where it needs to be. Its useful hours [of service] are not enough. We have learned a lot making this a worthwhile investment. It has a ways to go before it gets to an everyday transit application."[19]

Hybrids

In 2000, Torrance Transit took delivery of two Orion VI hybrid buses equipped with Lockheed-developed HybriDrive series hybrid powertrains. One of the buses, fleet no. 401, was damaged beyond repair in a fire that occurred on September 25, 2002; nearly four years later in June 2016, Orion Bus Industries agreed to buy back the burned hulk from Torrance for $80,000.[20] The remaining Orion VI continued to serve through at least 2010,[21] but was dropped from the fleet by 2014.[12]

The ten gasoline-electric hybrid New Flyer GE40LFR buses delivered in 2010 were procured as part of a joint purchase with other California transit agencies, with Montebello Bus Lines serving as the lead agency. Under the terms of the pilot program, the federal government subsidy was increased from 80% to 90% of the cost of each hybrid bus.[22][23]

References

  1. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Torrance Transit marks 70 years with new gasoline-electric fleet". Metro Magazine. August 10, 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. ↑ Shanahan, Dennis F.; Elliot Jr., Charles (1984). Historic Torrance: A Pictorial History of Torrance, California. Legends Press. ISBN 978-0-9608808-1-2. as quoted in the In motion newsletter, volume 1, issue 1
  5. ↑ "Route Four" (PDF). City of Torrance, Torrance Transit. September 19, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2003.
  6. ↑ "MAX". Torrance Transit. Archived from the original on August 15, 2002.
  7. ↑ "MAX Line 2: Palos Verdes Peninsula". MAXbus. Archived from the original on 11 October 2002.
  8. ↑ "MAX Line 3: San Pedro/Torrance". MAXbus. Archived from the original on 11 October 2002.
  9. ↑ "MAX Line 3x: Freeway Express". MAXbus. Archived from the original on 14 December 2002.
  10. ↑ "About MAX: History". MAXbus. Archived from the original on 15 February 2003.
  11. ↑ Turner, Kim (August 27, 2013). "Transit – Authorize the sale of surplus/obsolete transit buses and equipment". City of Torrance. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 "Table L-2: Fleet Inventory as of June 30, 2014". Short Range Transit Plan, FY2015-2017 (Report). City of Torrance. October 2014. p. 29. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Green, Nick (December 10, 2009). "Torrance buses going green inside and outside". Daily Breeze. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Torrance: 25-Seat Electric Bus Joins Public Transit Fleet". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 1993. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  15. ↑ "AAI Transportation Systems: Electric Vehicles". AAI Corporation. Archived from the original on 23 October 1996.
  16. ↑ White, David Allen (May 1997). Networks and Business Development: Analyzing the efforts to Start an Electric Bus Manufacturing Plant in South Boston (PDF) (Master in City Planning thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 38. ACL/AAI, located in California, was hired by SVMC to assemble several electric buses. Unable to pay ACL/AAI for their work, ACL/AAI never completed all of the buses.
  17. ↑ "Zero Emissions Surface Transit" (PDF). The Transit Advocate. Souther California Transit Advocates. October 1993. p. 6. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  18. ↑ Looper, Mark (24 May 1999). "[Alternative fuel vehicles] at the Torrance City Yards Open House". altfuels.org. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  19. ↑ Realizing Electric Bus Deployment for Transit Service (Report). University of South Florida, Center for Urban Transportation Research. April 1998. p. 30. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  20. ↑ Turner, Kim (June 13, 2006). Sale of Bus #401 to Orion Bus Industries (Report). City of Torrance. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  21. ↑ "Table L-2: Fleet Inventory as of June 30, 2010". Short Range Transit Plan, FY2010-2012 (Report). City of Torrance. October 2010. p. 15. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  22. ↑ Transit – Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to participate in a Cooperative Procurement Pilot Program (Report). City of Torrance. October 17, 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  23. ↑ "City of Montebello adds to hybrid bus fleet". Los Angeles Daily News. December 12, 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
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