Santa Monica’s Department of Transportation Celebrates Successful World Cup Service While Looking ahead to LA28

While Santa Monica welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors during the World Cup, the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) worked behind the scenes to deliver a coordinated transportation strategy that kept people moving safely, efficiently, and affordably while minimizing traffic impacts. 

The result was a momentous summer for Santa Monica's transportation network, with increased Big Blue Bus ridership, parking revenues, and shared mobility device usage. The results demonstrate the City's readiness to successfully support future major events, including the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and help advance the Realignment Plan’s vision of activating public spaces through events and community programming.

Increased Ridership for Big Blue Bus

During the FIFA World Cup Tournament, Big Blue Bus provided several flexible options for fans traveling from Santa Monica to all eight matches held at Los Angeles Stadium, including:

• Direct World Cup service from Downtown Santa Monica to Los Angeles Stadium through walk-ups and Park-and-Ride reservations.
• Big Blue Bus Route 3 service to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, where riders could connect to the free stadium shuttle.

As part of the region’s coordinated World Cup Enhanced Transit Service Network, Big Blue Bus provided more than 11,000 rides through its direct service, with zero safety incidents. The agency also saw a systemwide ridership increase of 10% compared to the same period last year.

Creating a Seamless Customer Experience 

In addition to launching direct World Cup service, Big Blue Bus implemented several customer experience enhancements to support the anticipated surge in ridership and to make transit more accessible and user-friendly, particularly for first-time or infrequent riders.  

Transit ambassadors from both Big Blue Bus and Metro were stationed at pick-up and drop-off locations during match days to help assist riders and answer questions. Big Blue Bus’s customer service team remained available throughout the tournament to help riders explore travel options to matches, fan events, and other destinations around the region.  

To further enhance the rider experience, Big Blue Bus offered real-time arrival information for its World Cup direct service, allowing passengers to track buses using familiar trip-planning tools. Temporary wayfinding signage guided visitors through high-traffic areas, making boarding locations easy to identify.

In concert with other regional transit operators, Big Blue Bus launched onboard fare payments via credit/debit card and digital wallet, eliminating the need for TAP cards or exact cash—making transit more accessible and convenient for first-time users and visitors. TAP cards and cash are still accepted for riders who prefer those options. 

Additionally, Santa Monica DOT collaborated with Santa Monica Travel and Tourism and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., local hotels, businesses, and content creators to inform residents and visitors of their travel options. 

“The strong collaboration between City departments and regional transit partners was instrumental in providing convenient and reliable travel options during the tournament,” said Director of Transportation, Anuj Gupta. “This coordinated effort played a key role in DOT’s overall success, enabling the safe and efficient movement of thousands of fans traveling to matches and fan events while minimizing traffic impacts, and maintaining transportation services for those who depend on Big Blue Bus to get them where they need to go every day.” 

DOT Supports Local Economy  

While Santa Monica welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors during the World Cup, DOT seamlessly connected them to local hotels, shopping districts, restaurants, beaches, and FIFA fan events—supporting economic activity across the city. 

Santa Monica’s Parking Operations generated a 22% increase in parking occupancy in its Downtown parking facilities and a 31% increase at its beach parking lots in June 2026 compared to the same period last year. 

At the same time, Santa Monica’s shared mobility options, including e-bikes and scooters, experienced a 33% increase in usage as visitors used them for first-and-last-mile connections.  

Building the Blueprint for LA28 

The World Cup provided more than an opportunity to welcome visitors—it served as a real-world test of Santa Monica's transportation strategy ahead of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

The planning, regional coordination, and community partnerships implemented during the tournament demonstrate how DOT can successfully manage large-scale events while maintaining safe, reliable, and accessible multimodal transportation options throughout the city. 

"Lessons learned and partnerships strengthened through this effort have helped establish a model for successfully managing future major events coming to Santa Monica and the Los Angeles region,” said Gupta. 

As Santa Monica continues to advance its Realignment Plan and invest in sustainable transportation options, the success of the FIFA World Cup demonstrates the City's ability to move people across our region and reinforces its commitment to providing sustainable, accessible, and reliable transportation options that support residents, businesses, and visitors alike.