SunLine Transit Agency Launches SunLine Refueled

Initiative will shape the future of public transportation in the communities of the Coachella Valley as well as regional commuter service

 

(Thousand Palms) – SunLine Transit Agency is embarking on the launch of a major initiative in which its transit network will be reinvented, reimagined, and refueled. SunLine Refueled incorporates new transportation trends and alternatives – from rideshare options to modified transit solutions including more direct and express service routes. The Agency’s leaders have identified new ways of approaching how SunLine delivers transit services by developing a “right-fit” transit system.

 

“We’ve been working on SunLine Refueled for the past three years in various planning phases, so we’re really excited to be at the point where we can roll it out to the community and improve the mobility connections for our residents and riders,” said Lauren Skiver, CEO/General Manager of SunLine Transit Agency. “By transforming our network, we are able to better accommodate our passengers and enhance the overall passenger experience.”

 

There are four pillars of SunLine Refueled: the 10 Commuter Link, SunRide, a Consolidated Fixed Route Network and the Route 111X. The 10 Commuter Link, SunRide and the new Consolidated Fixed Route Network are slated to begin January 2021, with the Route 111X proposed for May 2021.

 

The Consolidated Fixed Route Network will provide increased frequency in service as well as improved connections and access. The Agency will focus resources on the system’s most productive bus corridors to create more “one-seat rides”  meaning fewer transfers and a more comfortable and leisurely ride for customers. This consolidated network will feature a new bus route numbering system, and reduce wait times in extreme temperatures at bus stops.

 

The 10 Commuter Link will offer service between the Coachella Valley and San Bernardino. The route is 92 miles, with two stops in the Coachella Valley at the SunLine Indio facility and the California State University, San Bernardino – Palm Desert campus. The route continues, stopping in Beaumont, the California State University – San Bernardino main campus, and at the San Bernardino Transit Center and Metrolink station which offers connections to Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and Riverside County.

 

Perhaps the most innovative new transit solution SunLine is bringing to the community is SunRide, which is a microtransit service that will be available in four Coachella Valley zones to connect riders to the fixed route network. Riders will use this service with a smartphone app, which will call for a SunRide vehicle to pick them up at a destination within the designated zones and bring them to and from bus stops within the same zone.

 

Finally, the Route 111X will provide faster travel times between key stops and one additional weekday trip per hour in the Hwy-111 corridor. Riders will be able to take advantage of more rapid service with limited stops along the existing Route 111.

 

The community is encouraged to take a survey and provide feedback about SunLine Refueled, and can do so by visiting https://www.sunlinerefueled.org/ – where they can also review the proposed routes and find more detailed information about each of the four SunLine Refueled pillars. The survey closes on October 4, 2020.

 

For more information, call 760-343-3456 or e-mail refueled@sunline.org.