Fixing the Pass Transit Bus System

(3/20/13) – IE Transit Talking Points Short

The City of Beaumont plans to hire a consultant to conduct a transit study of the Pass Area which is welcoming news for the region, although it is questionable that Beaumont taxpayers are footing the bill instead of Riverside County. The Transit Coalition has noted that the Pass Area’s local bus routes are very circuitous and there are no connections through the City of Calimesa into San Bernardino County outside of rush hour.

As Beaumont’s study moves forward, it is evident that Pass Transit’s trunk routes which connect Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon need to be simplified and streamlined into a hub-and-spoke model combined with feeding bidirectional circulator routes. Calimesa is long overdue to have its bus service reinstated with a regional connector route.

It’s also clear that Pass Transit’s commuter express route can use additional intermediate stops in Downtown San Bernardino and Loma Linda to build up its commuter ridership base. Also, why is the last AM-peak bus departure at 5:00 am? The 24 hour reservation mandate also needs to go. These are just a few issues of the Pass Transit bus system that the consulting firm needs to address in its report.

Stay tuned for more details.