Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

The $1.2 billion, 11-mile extension to the region's light rail system is expected to increase transit ridership by 20,000 boardings a day. The voter-approved project has half of the funds dedicated from the TransNet half-cent sales tax.

Residents along part of the planned route claim they were never told of the plan to pave over a greenbelt in front of their homes, putting buses within 11 feet of their homes every 10 minutes.

Project will add elevators and a pedestrian bridge, making it easier for transit patrons to move back and forth to the busy Grossmont Center-area businesses on a mesa about 40 feet above the center and Trolley station.

Awarded through the first funding cycle of the new TransNet Smart Growth Incentive Program, which will issue grants every two years for the 40-year life of the TransNet extension approved by voters in 2004.

Over the next several months the new Compass Card will provide a host of new benefits for riders, including the ability to register the card for balance protection, automatic reloading, and monthly and 30-day passes.

Among all adults surveyed, approximately 48 percent reported that they had ridden some form of transit in the San Diego region during the 12 months prior to the study interview.