As some of my readers may know, I am a huge fan of public transportation, and have been very happy with the transit system here in Long Beach. I typically get a monthly bus pass, and my car now only comes out on special occasions that require leaving the city. Everything else is within bus distance. The only drawback, however, was that the monthly passes were only available until the 10th of the month, and were only good until the end of the month. So, with my variable schedule, sometimes I missed getting one, and ended up having to find change for my trips (more like dollars). Also, if I ended up getting one later in the month, that was less days it was good for.
A few months back, however, Long Beach made some great improvements for our transportation budgets! The new Long Beach bus passes are now available any time, and they are not dated. So, when you buy one, you activate it when you first use it by swiping the magnetic stripe (also a new feature), and it is then stamped with an expiration date 30 days later. They also now have 5-day passes available, perfect if you you have out-of-town visitors and don't want to buy them a full month's pass, or if your public transportation needs are variable. Sweet! Thanks Long Beach Transit! 
With gas prices over the $4.00 mark, I gladly shelled out $50 today to buy my second Long Beach Transit Pass for the month of June, which now costs less than a tank of gas. I bought my first one last month after having recently moved back to the Long Beach area (public transportation was one of my reasons for making the move back), and I just love traveling around town on the Passport and other LB buses. And with convenient locations to buy them, such as grocery stores like Ralph's, it's easier than ever to get a hold of the colorful little pass (this month it's purple!). Besides the obvious environmental benefits and monetary savings, I love the light exercise and fresh air from the short walks to the multitude of stops, relaxation time gazing out the window onto the harbor from the ride down Ocean Blvd., extra reading/studying time, and the good old stand by of people watching, which is one of my favorites. Go get yours today...you have until the 10th of each month to purchase one, and maybe I'll see you on the little red bus!
