Glendale Beeline

Following National City Lines' sale of its Glendale operations to Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1962,^[4] Glendale lacked a municipal bus system. To remedy this, the Glendale Beeline, operated by Pacific Busing, was launched in December 1984 as a shuttle bus system for downtown Glendale.^[5] In 1985, a transfer agreement was reached with Southern California Rapid Transit District.^[6]

After Pacific Busing was acquired by Laidlaw in 1989, it did not renew its contract to operate the Beeline. A new contract was awarded in 1990 to Medi-Ride, which already operated Glendale's "Dial-A-Ride" paratransit service.^[7]

After pausing fare collection in 1990, a 25-cent general fare was reintroduced in 1993. The reintroduction of fares allowed Beeline to expand beyond downtown Glendale, adding service to Adventist Health Glendale and Glendale Community College.^[8][9]

Following several safety incidents during Medi-Ride's operation of the Beeline, the Glendale City Council awarded a new, 3-year contract to Mayflower Contract Services in 1993.^[10]

On January 17, 1994, the Northridge Earthquake struck beneath the San Fernando Valley, with magnitude of magnitude 6.7 (M_w).^[11] The earthquake caused the collapse of Interstate 5 and other regional highways. In response, Metrolink rapidly accelerated its expansion of its Santa Clarita commuter rail line to the Antelope Valley.^[12] This led to an increase in trains at the Glendale Transportation Center and a corresponding increase in Beeline use.^[13]

Following Laidlaw's 2001 bankruptcy, the contract to operate the Beeline system was awarded to MV Transportation.^[14]

In 2009, a compressed natural gas filling station opened at the Glendale Transportation Center.^[15]

In December 2013, Glendale Beeline became the first public transit agency in Los Angeles County to operate with all low-floor buses.^[16]

In 2016, Beeline has outgrown its existing maintenance facility, leading to the City's Transportation and Parking Commission to approve the construction of an administration and maintenance facility adjacent to the Glendale Transportation Center.^[17] Construction began in 2018. The facility provides dedicated parking for the transit fleet of 37 buses and 9 "dial-a-ride" vans, as well as staff vehicles.^[18]

By 2020, Glendale Beeline was facing criticism from environmentalists for relying on compressed natural gas vehicles instead of converting its fleet to electric buses.^[19] In 2022, Glendale was awarded $34.6 million in Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funding from the California State Transportation Agency to electrify its bus fleet.^[20] The first electric Beeline bus debuted on Earth Day in 2025, with an additional twenty buses to be phased into the fleet over the following three years.^[21]

The base fare for Beeline services, including local and express buses, is $1.00.

The primary method of payment for fares is the TAP card, a contactless stored-value card, but cash payments are also allowed.^[22]

The City of La Cañada Flintridge pays the fare for passengers who board LCF Shuttle routes 33 and 34, and for passengers who board Glendale Beeline route 3 in La Cañada Flintridge only.^[23]

• Burbank Bus
• Los Angeles Metro Bus