How It All Began
Before the establishment of Long Beach Public Transportation Company, which would later become Long Beach Transit, Long Beach residents had multiple privately owned local bus and rail options in the Los Angeles County region.
By the 1950s, many suburban households owned at least one car and the private operation of bus companies proved to be less profitable, causing many companies to cease operations or sell to willing buyers.
The City of Long Beach, like many cities at the time, made the decision to switch to a public transit system model, creating a semi-autonomous city transit authority. On March 15, 1963, Long Beach Transit’s Articles of Incorporation were approved and LBT became the city’s official public transit provider.
Beginning with a fleet of 25 buses, LBT has grown to a fleet of 250 buses, water taxis and on-demand paratransit service, Dial-A-Lift.
Today, Long Beach Transit is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors appointed by the Mayor of the City of Long Beach. Each Board Member is confirmed by the Long Beach City Council and serves up to two, four-year terms. Two additional non-voting Board Members serve as designees of the Long Beach City Manager.
