Running sbX on Saturdays, better service to Colonies Crossroads, and no long accepting pennies on board are among the changes proposed by Omnitrans for 2018 and 2019. To gather public comments, the transit agency will hold a series of meetings between April 7 and 12. (meeting details below)
The sbX bus rapid transit line serving Loma Linda and San Bernardino launched in 2014 as a weekday-only service with 60-foot articulated buses running every 10 to 15 minutes. Omnitrans proposes to add Saturday service in January 2019, with sbX vehicles operating every 20 minutes from 7am to 8pm.
“In surveys conducted in 2017, both customers and businesses along the sbX corridor supported adding weekend service,” said Omnitrans spokesperson Wendy Williams. Ridership on the sbX line has grown to carry over 3,000 passengers each weekday in 2018 compared to less than 2,000 a day in 2014.
With the sbX expansion, Omnitrans is recommending a reduction on weekend service for local Route 2, which travels the same path as the sbX rapid line. On Saturdays, Route 2 would drop from 20 to 60-minute frequency and on Sundays it would go from every 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Three routing changes are proposed to occur in September 2018:
· Extend Route 83 in Upland with a loop through the Colonies Crossroads shopping center.
· Shift Route 86 in Ontario to travel on Bon View Avenue between Francis Avenue and Mission Avenue to serve the Dorothy A. Quesada Community Center and Baldy View Regional Occupation Program.
· Modify Route 14 in downtown San Bernardino to travel on E Street instead of D Street to improve transfer connections and on-time performance.
Omnitrans is recommending that pennies no longer be accepted as a form of payment on board buses in an effort to improve on time performance. “Depositing pennies is a common cause of fare box jams, which contribute to route delays,” explained Williams. The agency also proposes offering a discounted 10-pack of single-ride fares available only through the Token Transit mobile payment app. The fare policy changes would occur in September 2018.
The service proposals, including any changes made as the result of public comments, are expected to go to the Omnitrans Board of Directors for final approval on May 2, 2018.