The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Board of Directors approved a new bus network proposal on Feb. 25 to comprehensively redesign the SacRT’s bus system.
The redesign, known as SacRT Forward, was developed with rider and stakeholder feedback. SacRT identified several themes that were brought up during its outreach efforts, which include more weekend service, more frequent service, more late night service, more places served and seven-day-a-week routes.
“We have been actively listening to our riders and the community for the past year and a half to make changes that will best fit their lifestyle and help improve mobility options for the Sacramento region,” said SacRT Board Chair and Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy. “Travel patterns have changed, regional mobility options have been expanded and development has occurred on the periphery.”
SacRT says the focus of the new network has been on building a solid network of core routes on major corridors that will lead to economic growth and reduce congestion. Adjustments have been made to almost every route, some minor and some much more substantial, which SacRT believes will provide improved schedules and better service reliability. The new network consists of:
- 27 regular routes
- 14 peak hour only routes
- All routes have seven-day service (with the exception of bus route 33)
- All routes have 45 minute or better service (with the exception of one rural route)
- Complements the new 15-minute weekend light-rail service
In many areas that don’t have high demand for fixed-route bus service, or are not designed for large buses to navigate the neighborhood, SacRT will deploy SmaRT Ride microtransit service.
Annual bus ridership is forecasted to go up between 400,000 and 1,000,000 boardings a year with the new service improvements. The new service is expected to begin in Summer 2019.
“We are excited to begin the process of rolling out our new bus network in a few months,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “To ensure the success of the new network, SacRT will conduct frequent monitoring of the new bus service to optimize and adjust service where it’s needed most.”
