Southern California-based Torrance Transit recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the agency also announced it is joining Los Angeles Metro's regional TAP smart card system.

The TAP system is an initiative of Metro, which developed and manages the regional automated transit revenue collection system.

The commemorative event was attended by local officials, including Torrance Mayor Patrick J. Furey, who talked about the transit operation's start using three leased buses to help replace service in the city when the Pacific Electric Railcar ceased operation.

"Those foks were truly visionaries," Furey said of Torrance Transit's founding leadership. He went on to extoll the agency's accomplishments during its 75 years, citing its 4 million yearly ridership to their adoption of hybrid electric vehicles and the forthcoming 15,000-square-foot transit center.

Transit Director Kim Turner talked about how the agency "was there to get people where they wanted to go." She also thanked her "great team of employees" and thanked the other agencies in the Los Angeles region they interact with, as well as Torrance Transit's customers.

She added, "But most of all, we [thank] our customers who ride Torrance Transit each and every day."