Topics / TRANSPORTATION : Free Shuttles Serve Hundreds Each Day : Pasadena will spend $500,000 annually to keep six buses running. State sales tax revenue will be used.

Pasadena’s free shuttle buses, which began running earlier this month, have been ferrying about 440 Pasadena residents and World Cup fans a day through the city’s restaurant, shopping and entertainment districts.

The city will spend about $500,000 a year to keep six buses running Monday to Saturday through Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District and South Lake Avenue, officials said. The money will come from state sales tax revenue earmarked for transportation.

The buses run west along Colorado Boulevard and east on Green Street, between North Orange Grove and Catalina avenues. They also head south along Lake Avenue and make a loop through the South Lake Shopping District.

The service is offered from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, and from noon until 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

The buses stop every 12 minutes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The rest of the time, they pass every 20 minutes.

City officials added an aesthetic touch to their new shuttle service: Each of the 25-seat buses is decorated with a mural and features a taped message relating to the artwork.

Pasadena paid artists $2,500 for each of the murals, and an additional $6,000 to $8,000 to have them reproduced and installed on the buses. The murals depict various themes ranging from the arts to the environment.