Torrance Transit#13

Torrance Transit inaugurated service on January 15, 1940 using three leased 1931 Mack-33 buses.{{cite news |url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/bus/article/211403/torrance-transit-marks-70-years-with-new-gasoline-electric-fleet |title=Torrance Transit marks 70 years with new gasoline-electric fleet |date=August 10, 2010 |work=Metro Magazine |access-date=9 June 2019}} 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."{{cite book |title=Historic Torrance: A Pictorial History of Torrance, California |date=1984 |publisher=Legends Press |author1= Shanahan, Dennis F. |author2=Elliot Jr., Charles |isbn=978-0-9608808-1-2}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20000901045529/http://www.torrnet.com/city/dept/transp/motion1.gif as quoted in the In motion newsletter, volume 1, issue 1]

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, while service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve operates on a Saturday schedule.{{Cite web |title=Holiday Schedule 2024 {{!}} City of Torrance |url=https://transit.torranceca.gov/routes-schedules/holiday-schedule-8933 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240709111356/https://transit.torranceca.gov/routes-schedules/holiday-schedule-8933 |archive-date=2024-07-09 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=transit.torranceca.gov |language=en}}

File:Torrance Transit Old & New Buses (6973206332).jpg

File:Torrance Transit 2012 New Flyer XN40 -331 (18947222559).jpg on Route 3 in Downtown Long Beach]]

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.{{cite report |url=https://torrance.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&event_id=1527&meta_id=223120#page=35 |title=Short Range Transit Plan, FY2015-2017 |date=October 2014 |publisher=City of Torrance |page=29 |access-date=9 June 2019 |chapter=Table L-2: Fleet Inventory as of June 30, 2014}} 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. The new buses were delivered with a new paint scheme which marked the start of a rebranding effort by the agency.{{cite news |author=Green, Nick |date=December 10, 2009 |title=Torrance buses going green inside and outside |url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20091210/torrance-buses-going-green-inside-and-outside |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308183921/http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20091210/torrance-buses-going-green-inside-and-outside |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |newspaper=Daily Breeze}}{{Cite web |title=Torrance Transit About Us |url=https://transit.torranceca.gov/about-us}}

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 {{USD|300000|1993|round=-3}}.{{cite news |date=September 21, 1993 |title=Torrance: 25-Seat Electric Bus Joins Public Transit Fleet |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-21-me-37554-story.html |access-date=9 June 2019}} SVMC in turn had subcontracted the assembly of ZEST to the ACL Technologies division of AAI Corporation, a defense contractor.{{cite web |title=AAI Transportation Systems: Electric Vehicles |url=http://www.aaicorp.com/transportation/electric.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961023034232/http://www.aaicorp.com:80/transportation/electric.htm |archive-date=23 October 1996 |publisher=AAI Corporation}}{{cite thesis |url=https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/70709/37859655-MIT.pdf#page=38 |title=Networks and Business Development: Analyzing the efforts to Start an Electric Bus Manufacturing Plant in South Boston |author=White, David Allen |date=May 1997 |degree=Master in City Planning |institution=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |page=38 |quote=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.}} ZEST had a claimed range of {{convert|75|mi}} 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.{{cite magazine |date=October 1993 |title=Zero Emissions Surface Transit |url=https://www.socata.net/advocate/advocate9310.pdf?page=5 |magazine=The Transit Advocate |publisher=Southern California Transit Advocates |page=6 |access-date=9 June 2019}}

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.{{cite web |author=Looper, Mark |date=24 May 1999 |title=[Alternative fuel vehicles] at the Torrance City Yards Open House |url=https://www.altfuels.org/events/otherafv/torrance.shtml |access-date=9 June 2019 |website=altfuels.org}} 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."{{cite report |url=https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0032250/00001 |title=Realizing Electric Bus Deployment for Transit Service |date=April 1998 |publisher=University of South Florida, Center for Urban Transportation Research |page=30 |access-date=9 June 2019}}

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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 2006, Orion Bus Industries agreed to buy back the burned hulk from Torrance for $80,000.{{cite report |url=http://torrance.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=852&meta_id=39030 |title=Sale of Bus #401 to Orion Bus Industries |author=Turner, Kim |date=June 13, 2006 |publisher=City of Torrance |access-date=25 June 2019}} The remaining Orion VI continued to serve through at least 2010,{{cite report |url=http://torrance.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=8792&meta_id=156949#page=19 |title=Short Range Transit Plan, FY2010-2012 |date=October 2010 |publisher=City of Torrance |page=15 |access-date=25 June 2019 |chapter=Table L-2: Fleet Inventory as of June 30, 2010}} but was dropped from the fleet by 2014.

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.{{cite report |url=https://torrance.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=2467&meta_id=48955 |title=Transit – Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to participate in a Cooperative Procurement Pilot Program |date=October 17, 2006 |publisher=City of Torrance |access-date=25 June 2019}}{{cite news |date=December 12, 2008 |title=City of Montebello adds to hybrid bus fleet |newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2008/12/12/city-of-montebello-adds-to-hybrid-bus-fleet/ |access-date=25 June 2019}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{cite web |url=https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Torrance_Transit |title=Torrance Transit |website=CPTDB wiki}}

{{Southern California Transit}}

{{Greater Los Angeles Area Public Transit}}

Category:Public transportation in Los Angeles County, California

Category:Bus transportation in California

Category:Transportation in Torrance, California

Category:Transit agencies in California

Category:1940 establishments in California