In brief
Without a car, Long Beach works from the Metro A Line to Downtown Long Beach ($1.75 a ride, capped at $5 a day), Long Beach Transit buses ($1.25) and the free Passport bus, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Regular water taxi service has ended for the season and returns in 2027, and the airport page lists bus routes 102, 104, 111 and 405.
- A Line: the June 7, 2026 timetable lists Artesia, Del Amo, Wardlow, Willow St, Pacific Coast Hwy, Anaheim St, 5th St, 1st St, Pacific Av and Downtown Long Beach1.
- Time to Los Angeles: one early weekday row of the timetable shows 57 minutes to 7th Street/Metro Center and 66 to Union Station1.
- Passport (route 37): free, Friday to Sunday, schedule effective August 23, 2026, about every 30 minutes on the printed table56.
- Airport: the airport page names routes 102, 104, 111 and 405; the closest A Line station is Wardlow12.
- Scooters: riders must be 18 with a driver’s license, and sidewalk riding is illegal15.
This page collects what Metro, Long Beach Transit and the City publish for getting around Long Beach without a car, as of October 2026, with the figures and dates each source prints. For the city’s other access points, start with the section pillar, Getting In and Out of Long Beach.
The short answer
| If you are… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Going between Downtown Long Beach and Los Angeles | The A Line: $1.75 a ride, never more than $5 in a day when tapping2 |
| Staying on the downtown and waterfront side | The Passport, route 37, free, Friday to Sunday only56 |
| Using Long Beach Transit buses | $1.25 a ride, $4 a day pass, no transfers within the Long Beach Transit system3 |
| Arriving at Long Beach Airport (LGB) | Routes 102, 104, 111 or 405, or the taxi stand and rideshare curb; see the figure12 |
| Wanting a water taxi | Regular service is off until 2027; concert days run at $12 round trip through 20267 |
The A Line
Metro’s A Line timetable, effective June 7, 2026, is titled “Pomona – Long Beach”. Its line diagram lists, at the south end: Artesia, Del Amo, Wardlow, Willow St, Pacific Coast Hwy, Anaheim St, 5th St, 1st St, Pacific Av and Downtown Long Beach. At Wardlow its connections include Long Beach Transit routes 8, 41, 131, 181 and 182; at the downtown end it lists a loop of Long Beach Transit routes and the Passport1.
Travel time, as read from the timetable. On the printed weekday northbound table, a train leaving Downtown Long Beach at 4:08 a.m. reaches 7th Street/Metro Center at 5:05 and Union Station at 5:14, which is 57 and 66 minutes between the printed times. Departures from Downtown Long Beach are printed every 8 to 12 minutes at peak (7:02, 7:10, 7:18, 7:26) and about every 20 minutes in the earliest and latest rows. After 8 p.m. all rail lines “are subject to Service Delays for systemwide maintenance”1.
Metro’s fares page gives “$1.75” regular one-way; “Pay for 3 rides in one day. Ride free after that. Never pay more than $5.”; a weekly cap of $18; free transfers “within 2 hours when you tap to ride – roundtrips not included”; cash on buses only, with no capping on cash; and free rides for children under 6 with a fare-paying adult2.
Long Beach Transit buses
Long Beach Transit’s fares page lists a single ride at $1.25, a day pass at $4, a 5-day pass at $18 and a 30-day pass at $65. Children 0 to 4 ride free; senior and disabled fares are $0.60 for a single ride and $2.50 for a day pass. “LBT does not offer transfers within the LBT service area”; interagency transfers cost $0.503. Payment on board is by credit or debit card, mobile wallet, the TAP App, or exact-change cash34.
The routes page lists the system map and schedules by route; those serving downtown and the coast include 61, 111 and 112, 121, 131 (“Redondo Ave to Alamitos Bay”), 151, 181 and 182 (“Magnolia, Pacific & Downtown”) and the Passport4. Museum Express is “currently paused for the season”, and the page says “Check back for updates in 2027”11.
The Passport, route 37
Long Beach Transit titles the service “LBT Passport Schedule | Free Downtown Long Beach Bus”6. The timetable effective August 23, 2026 runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Its Friday southbound stops include “10th & Pine NW”, “Long Beach Blvd & 1st SW”, “Shoreline & Village” and “Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal”, with trips every 30 minutes from 6:26 to 10:50 on the printed table; it prints no a.m. or p.m. markers5.
Visit Long Beach also lists a free Circuit shuttle for Belmont Shore, Downtown and Alamitos Beach, Thursdays and Fridays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m., on demand through an app; the page prints no date and may be out of date10.
Water taxis
Official pages disagree Long Beach Transit’s water taxi page says “Regular AquaLink and AquaBus service has ended for the season. Regular service will return in 2027” and “AquaBus will be out of service until further notice”7. A Long Beach Transit service alert dated 08/28/2026 says “AquaBus will be back in service effective Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, after being temporarily out of service”8. The water taxi page speaks of the season ending, so its “out of service” line may be the later; neither page settles it. A 2027 start date and 2027 fares are not published.
AquaLink’s 2026 summer schedule ran May 22 to Labor Day, September 7, 2026, with stops at Alamitos Bay Landing Berth 3, the Queen Mary and Aquarium Dock 49. Visit Long Beach lists the AquaLink fare as $510. Special service continues on F&M Bank Amphitheater concert days through 2026 at “$12 round-trip” between Aquarium Dock 4 and the Queen Mary, with “Contactless payments only (credit/debit card) or TAP card with stored value only. No cash.”; the first listed date is Sunday, October 4, 20267.
The airport by bus or rail
The Long Beach Airport (LGB) ground transportation page, which carries no date, lists Long Beach Transit routes 102, 104 and 111 and Route 405 (Commuter Express), with “Bus fare is $1.25 cents for all routes (subject to change without notice)”12. It does not say which route reaches downtown or the Convention Center, or which connects to Wardlow. For rail it says “The closest Metro Rail station to Long Beach Airport is the Wardlow Station on the A Line”, and gives a cab fare from Wardlow to the airport of $13.35, “subject to change without notice”.
For door-to-door: “Taxis are available at the taxi stand outside the terminal next to Parking Structure A”, at a base fee of $3.10 plus $2.97 a mile, and “Transportation Network Companies” use the outer curb in front of the terminal12. More is in the Long Beach Airport Guide and Long Beach Airport to the Cruise Terminal.
From LAX, Metro says to “Ride the C Line or K Line to the LAX/Metro Transit Center” and take a free shuttle from Bus Bays 1 and 2 to the terminals, and lists nonstop Flyaway buses from Union Station and Van Nuys13. Metro’s timetable lists a “Willowbrook/Rosa Parks” station with the C Line connection; no Metro page gives a single LAX-to-Long Beach trip, a total time or a fare, and no Long Beach FlyAway stop appears on the timetable113. See LAX to Long Beach.
Bikes
The City’s Long Beach Bike Share page, whose figures are “as of January 2023”, lists “650 bicycles and 112 hubs throughout the City”, with prepaid, pay-as-you-go, monthly and annual options and a “Bike Share For All” program at a “$5 annual fee” for eligible adults 18 and older. For current pricing and stations it points to longbeachbikeshare.com14.
The GoActiveLB Hub, at 223 E First St “along the First Street Transit Gallery”, offers bike rentals, repairs and registration; hours are Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Saturday and Sunday; phone (562) 436-245316.
E-scooters
The City’s Micromobility Program page says Bird and Lime “are currently participating”; Visit Long Beach’s page also names VeoRide1015. The City’s rules: it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk; riders “must use a bike lane whenever possible or ride in a vehicle travel lane on streets 25 MPH or under”; riders “must be 18 years of age and in possession of a driver’s license”; “Only one person is allowed to ride a scooter at a time”; the limit is “15mph and slow to 5 mph when pedestrians are present”; and rented scooters “should be parked in designated parking locations”. “Each vendor sets their own pricing, but most charge riders an initial fee with additional fees per minute”15.
The page says “The E-Scooter Beach Bike Path Pilot is active as of May 24, 2025”, a “12-month pilot”, and does not say whether it continued past that15.
Tours worth considering
This section contains affiliate links. If you book through them, the site earns a commission at no cost to you. It does not change what is recommended.
The A Line reaches downtown Los Angeles; it does not reach Hollywood, Beverly Hills or Santa Monica in one ride. One listing sold through Viator does that day from Long Beach:
- You want to see Los Angeles in a day without renting a car. See the Los Angeles highlights tour from Long Beach. The listing says it picks up from all hotels in Long Beach, covers downtown, the Coliseum, the Hollywood Sign, the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Venice, and caps the group at 14.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Passport free in Long Beach?
Are the Long Beach water taxis running?
Not on a regular schedule until 2027, per Long Beach Transit’s water taxi page; concert-day service runs at $12 round trip through 20267.
Can I take the Metro A Line from downtown Long Beach to Los Angeles?
Yes. The timetable’s northbound table shows about 57 minutes to 7th Street/Metro Center in one early row1.
How much is the Metro A Line fare?
$1.75 one way, with a cap of $5 a day2.
How do I get from Long Beach Airport to downtown without a car?
The airport page lists buses 102, 104, 111 and 405 at $1.25, a taxi stand and a rideshare curb; it does not name the route to downtown12.
Can I ride an e-scooter on the sidewalk in Long Beach?
No. The City says it is illegal; riders use a bike lane or a street of 25 MPH or under15.
Related Articles
Sources
- A Line timetable, effective June 7, 2026 (PDF) — Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Fares — Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Fares — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Routes and services — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Passport timetable, route 37, effective August 23, 2026 (PDF) — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- LBT Passport Schedule — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Water taxis — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Service alert: AquaBus service — Long Beach Transit, 08/28/2026. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Water taxi schedule 2026 (PDF) — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Public transit — Visit Long Beach, cited for its own listings only. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Museum Express — Long Beach Transit. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Ground transportation — Long Beach Airport. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- LAX destinations — Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Long Beach Bike Share — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Micromobility Program — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- GoActiveLB Hub — City of Long Beach. Accessed 2026-10-02.