The South Bay has a new way to get around that looks less like a bus and more like a city-run rideshare.
A rideshare-style shuttle, city-funded
Manhattan Beach has rolled out MB Wave Rider, a small fleet of electric vehicles available on demand to anyone inside city limits. There are no fixed routes or timetables: riders open the Circuit app, request a pickup, and a driver takes them anywhere within the city. The flat fare is $5 a trip, with a discounted $2.50 rate for adults 55 and older — well below a typical rideshare fare for a local errand or beach run. Limited service began June 4 and full operations on June 9, Manhattan Beach News reported.
How the fleet works
The city contracted with Circuit Transit, a national operator of electric on-demand microtransit, which supplies five vehicles: two compact neighborhood EVs for the denser blocks west of Sepulveda Boulevard, two full-size electric sedans for citywide trips, and one wheelchair-accessible van. Circuit's drivers are employees rather than gig workers, and the company will give the city real-time ridership data — peak hours, popular destinations — to inform a staff report to the City Council before the pilot ends.
Hours and coverage
The Wave Rider runs seven days a week: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The whole city is in the service zone — an expansion over a 2017 pilot that covered only the western end of town. Rides can't be booked ahead; the Circuit app summons a vehicle on the spot.
Funding and goals
The City Council approved the program at its April 7 meeting, Patch reported, on a split vote — a mayor pro tem opposed it over concerns about unaccompanied minors, and one member abstained over cost. The roughly $540,000 six-month contract is funded through Proposition A Local Return, a restricted pool of Los Angeles County sales-tax money dedicated to local transit. City officials framed the pilot around reducing short car trips, easing downtown and beachfront parking pressure, and connecting residents to regional transit. If ridership holds up, staff are expected to recommend later this year whether to extend, expand or end it.
