SolTrans seeks to eliminate Solano bus routes to increase frequency

VALLEJO – The SolTrans Board of Directors released a draft plan for public review on Thursday detailing widespread service changes that will eliminate five bus routes to increase frequency and extend evening and weekend hours on the remaining modified routes. 

The draft plan is the result of systemwide comprehensive analysis conducted by SolTrans and transit consultant Jarrett Walker & Associates to address post-pandemic ridership decline.

SolTrans planning and marketing manager Mandi Renshaw said that the key goals in the effort included increasing the frequency of service, extending service hours and improving regional connections but the draft changes are “all within the current existing budget,” she said.

Evan Landman, principal consultant at Jarrett Walker & Associates, emphasized that because of the budget constraints some routes need to be cut to make improvements throughout the system.

“We don’t have any new money to spend, we don’t have any new resources to deploy so there are trade-offs,” he said. “We want to know from everyone who is interested whether the way that we have approached these trade-offs is the right way to move forward in improving SolTrans service in the future.”

According to Landman, the key trade-off in the draft plan is that some riders would have to walk farther to reach a bus that would come every 30 minutes instead of every hour. 

The plan would increase midday service along the I-80 corridor to match travel data indicating that people take more trips throughout the day. The trade-off would be a shift away from an emphasis on peak commute hours to favor increased service throughout the day. 

To accommodate the shift, SolTrans would eliminate the Green Line, an express route that runs from Fairfield-Suisun to El Cerrito Del Norte BART while bypassing Vallejo, and use those resources to reinforce the Red Line, which covers the same route with stops in Vallejo. 

The Blue Line – which runs from Davis through Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfield and Benicia to Walnut Creek – would sacrifice the Davis stop, making the Dixon the final Northeastern stop in the transit system. Landman said that although Davis is an important destination and has seen recent ridership increases, at this point he believes that funds are better spent on areas where there is a higher concentration of riders. 

Landman noted that the Solano Transit Authority expressed interest in reestablishing the route in the future as part of a North County service. He also said that, currently, the Davis stop does not maximize the potential connections to Sacramento destinations, so a future redesign of the route could offer better service.

The draft plan also aligns schedules of local Vallejo routes so that all buses arrive at the Vallejo Transit Center at the top of the hour to reduce wait times for riders transferring to another route. 

The Yellow Line that runs from the Vallejo Transit Center through Benicia to its current terminus at the Walnut Creek BART station would be rerouted to the Concord and North Concord BART stations. This change is also intended to match travel data that show an increase in traveler destinations that are easier to reach through connections departing the Concord stations.  

The regional lines would also run on the hour at the Vallejo Transit Center so those traveling into and out Vallejo will be able to easily transfer, according to Renshaw.

The draft plan would combine Routes 1 and 2 to create a single loop that runs on Broadway to 37, stops at Six Flags, runs on Whitney and Mini Drive and then returns to the transit center via Sonoma and Sacramento streets. 

Local Routes 4,5 and 8 will be discontinued in the draft plan. Some of the major stops along those routes are picked up by the draft plan modifications to the remaining routes. However, there are some areas where riders will have to walk more than 10 minutes to reach a bus line or may have to walk farther to reach their destination. 

Vallejo Councilmember Helen-Marie Gordon, who represents South Vallejo and also serves on the SolTrans Board of Directors, raised concern about the loss of service at the stop in front of the Solano County Courthouse and the buildings that house other county services at 355 Tuolumne. 

The stop is currently part of Route 4 that is slated to be discontinued. Landman said that in the draft plan this location will be covered by a Route 7 stop on Florida, which is a block away. He estimated that the stop would be a 5-6 minute walk but the bus line would run every 30 mins. 

“Seven minutes may not be a lot to you,” said Gordon. “But it also serves doctor’s appointments, social services for senior citizens. Where the stop is now people can get there but when you are walking and you have children and you have walker chairs, it can be challenging. On top of that, if you have a wheelchair, like I had with my son, that is a challenge.”

SolTrans board member and Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce said that she appreciates the point that Gordon raised from her lived experience. “I think we are going to have to weigh some equity issues here,” she said. 

“I just came off a citywide campaign and hoofed quite a bit of this city,” Sorce said. “So, I do want to think about the longer walk times for people with disabilities, some of this city is really hilly. ”

Sorce also pointed out that on a map from the presentation showing walking times to reach transit, a portion of the Country Club Crest neighborhood has walking times of more than 10 minutes to reach a bus. She suggested looking at ways to improve service to that area.

County Club Crest is not the only area to have longer than 10-minute wait times. Neighborhoods near Chabot Terrace, Benicia Road, Wilson Avenue, and Ascot Parkway among other areas also have longer walk times under the draft plan.

The reductions in the routes would not only allow some routes to come more often but also allow buses to run later and all routes will run on the weekends.

Currently weekday service starts at 5 a.m. and runs until 7– 8 p.m. Under the draft plan evening service will run until 9-10 p.m. 

The current Saturday and Sunday service starts at 8 a.m. and last rides are during the 5 and 6 p.m. hours with only two routes running on Sunday. In the draft plan, weekend service would start at 6 - 7 a.m. and go until 9-10 p.m., with all routes running on Sunday.

The board unanimously approved the release of the draft plan for public comment with the understanding that there is more work to be done to ensure that the plan is a good fit for the community. 

SolTrans representatives will be conducting outreach at transit facilities, on buses and at public events to solicit feedback on the draft plan. The public comment period runs until the April 17 board meeting. 

Interested members of the public can review the draft plan, find information about public events and make public comments here.