By Lookout Staff

July 25, 2011 – Edward F. King, currently Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority, has been named Santa Monica’s new Director of the Big Blue Bus system.

King will replace Big Blue Bus Director Stephanie Negriff, who announced in April that she will step down this fall.

“Ed King is an exceptional manager with a proven track record in operations management and transportation planning for several large organizations,” said City Manager Rod Gould last week.

“He brings in-depth experience ranging from transit system improvements focusing on service quality and reliability, to strategic transit service planning,” Gould said. “He is known for strong management, staff development and budgeting skills.”

King will start his job with a base salary of $182,040. His appointment follows a nationwide search that attracted more than 50 candidates and interviews with seven finalists over the past month.

In San Luis Obispo, King oversaw the area's transit authority's fleet and operations, focusing on increasing ridership and on-time performance.

A graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, where he earned a Masters degree in Urban Planning, King has served in management positions in transit systems in DesPlaines, Illinois, in Tampa and in Clearwater, Florida, in Long Beach, and in Phoenix, Arizona.

“I am honored to have been selected as the next Director of the Big Blue Bus for the City of Santa Monica,” said King. “I look forward to establishing collaborative relationships with our stakeholders as well as working with the City and Big Blue Bus employees to provide transportation services that improve and enhance the quality of life for the residents and visitors of the City.”

When Negriff steps down this fall, she'll leave a strong legacy behind her.

During her tenure, the city unveiled Downtown Transit Mall, making downtown Santa Monica less “car-centric” as wider sidewalks, bus-only lanes and more inviting bus stops encouraged residents and visitors to ride the bus.

Negriff worked out arrangements with Santa Monica College, the University of California at Los Angeles and LA Metro to make buses either free or less expensive to large groups of riders, encouraging them to use alternative transportation.

And the entire Big Blue Bus fleet was converted to alternative fuels, adding gas/electric hybrids, bio-diesel, and CNG articulated buses to the fleet.

The Big Blue Bus Department has 419 employees and an annual budget of $58.9 million.

It oversees transit service delivery to over 22 million customers a year, and a system that spans 52 square miles across the most densely populated area of Los Angeles County.