September 24, 2024, started like any other day. But then, something strange happened on the 173 Long Beach Transit. I heard it from my neighbor first. She said buses were delayed. No one knew why at first.
People were waiting at the bus stop. It was a normal morning. But the bus didn’t come on time. Some passengers said they were there for 30 minutes. That’s longer than usual, right? One guy said he thought maybe the schedule changed, but it didn’t.
I rode the 173 before, and it’s usually reliable. But not today. Drivers started talking to each other at the depot. You could see something wasn’t right. People were getting impatient. Some left to find another way. You know how it is when buses run late—nobody likes waiting.
When the bus finally arrived, it wasn’t full. Which was odd, considering how many people waited for it. A passenger, Laura, said she got on and immediately knew something was wrong. The air conditioner wasn’t working. On a warm day like this, that’s not what you want.
Then, halfway through the route, the bus made an unexpected stop. No one was sure what was going on. The driver said something about an engine issue. A few riders started getting frustrated. “It’s too hot for this,” one of them said.
People started pulling out their phones. Some were calling to let others know they’d be late. It was already an hour behind schedule for some of them. It felt like things were getting worse.
Long Beach Transit officials hadn’t made any announcements. So nobody knew if it was a bigger problem or just this bus. I heard someone on the bus talking to their friend about another delay earlier in the week, but it wasn’t confirmed.
The driver managed to get the bus moving again, but passengers could feel something wasn’t right. It was slow. The usual 20-minute ride was dragging on. One passenger, Steve, said he was late for work. He couldn’t believe this was happening on a weekday morning.
People were getting off at stops they usually don’t. Just to get out of the situation. A few passengers were whispering that they might call a cab. But not everyone could afford that.
At the next stop, the bus paused again. This time, it didn’t move for several minutes. The driver said they were waiting for a mechanic. It was obvious at that point the bus wasn’t going to finish the route as expected.
Some passengers decided to leave and walk the rest of the way. I can’t imagine walking in that heat. But they didn’t want to wait anymore. Laura said she saw other buses driving past, but none were 173. It felt like this was the only bus having trouble today.
At last, after nearly two hours, the bus was pulled from service. Everyone had to get off. The Long Beach Transit sent another bus, but by that time, most of the passengers had already left.
I couldn’t believe what happened. It’s not every day that something like this goes wrong on a city bus. People were upset, tired, and hot. But no one could do anything.
I’m still waiting to see if Long Beach Transit will say anything about the situation. Passengers were left confused, with no updates from the company. It was a frustrating day for anyone who relied on the 173.