Glendale Beeline is the municipal bus and paratransit service which serves the city of Glendale, California, United States. It provides service in Glendale, as well as parts of nearby Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta-Montrose. The system functions primarily as a community circulator that complements the regional transit services provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
Following National City Lines' sale of its Glendale operations to Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1962, Glendale lacked a municipal bus system. To remedy this, the Glendale Beeline, operated by Pacific Busing, was launched in December 1984 as a shuttle bus system for downtown Glendale. In 1985, a transfer agreement was reached with Southern California Rapid Transit District.
After Pacific Busing was acquired by Laidlaw in 1989, it did not renew its contract to operate the Beeline. A new contract was awarded in 1990 to Medi-Ride, which already operated Glendale's "Dial-A-Ride" paratransit service.
After pausing fare collection in 1990, a 25-cent general fare was reintroduced in 1993. The reintroduction of fares allowed Beeline to expand beyond downtown Glendale, adding service to Adventist Health Glendale and Glendale Community College.
Following several safety incidents during Medi-Ride's operation of the Beeline, the Glendale City Council awarded a new, 3-year contract to Mayflower Contract Services in 1993.
On January 17, 1994, the Northridge Earthquake struck beneath the San Fernando Valley, with magnitude of 6.7 (). The earthquake caused the collapse of Interstate 5 and other regional highways. In response, Metrolink rapidly accelerated its expansion of its Santa Clarita commuter rail line to the Antelope Valley. This led to an increase in trains at the Glendale Transportation Center and a corresponding increase in Beeline use.
Following Laidlaw's 2001 bankruptcy, the contract to operate the Beeline system was awarded to MV Transportation.
In 2009, a compressed natural gas filling station opened at the Glendale Transportation Center.
In December 2013, Glendale Beeline became the first public transit agency in Los Angeles County to operate with all low-floor buses.
In 2016, Beeline has outgrown its existing maintenance facility, leading to the City's Transportation and Parking Commission to approve the construction of an administration and maintenance facility adjacent to the Glendale Transportation Center. Construction began in 2018. The facility provides dedicated parking for the transit fleet of 37 buses and 9 "dial-a-ride" vans, as well as staff vehicles.
By 2020, Glendale Beeline was facing criticism from environmentalists for relying on compressed natural gas vehicles instead of converting its fleet to electric buses. In 2022, Glendale was awarded $34.6 million in Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funding from the California State Transportation Agency to electrify its bus fleet. The first electric Beeline bus debuted on Earth Day in 2025, with an additional twenty buses to be phased into the fleet over the following three years.
The base fare for Beeline services, including local and express buses, is $1.00.
The primary method of payment for fares is the TAP card, a contactless stored-value card, but cash payments are also allowed.
The City of La Cañada Flintridge pays the fare for passengers who board LCF Shuttle routes 33 and 34, and for passengers who board Glendale Beeline route 3 in La Cañada Flintridge only.
Passengers who use multiple transit agencies on a regular basis are encouraged to purchase a monthly EZ transit pass or a senior/disabled EZ transit pass. The EZ pass is a monthly pass valid for local travel on 23 public transit carriers throughout the Greater Los Angeles region.
In collaboration with Los Angeles Metro and Glendale Community College, Beeline participates in the GoPass program, allowing K-12 and community college students at participating schools to ride the system for free. Students are also able to ride on other participating transport agencies across the county for free, including the Metro's bus and rail services.
Low-income riders can use the Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) Program for 20 free rides per month.
Metrolink Express is an express bus service, consisting of 2 routes, serving the Metrolink station at Glendale Transportation Center during rush hour only.
Services operate weekdays only.
LCF Shuttle, consisting of 2 routes, serves the city of La Cañada Flintridge.
Services operate weekdays only.