SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San Bernardino Transit Center during peak hours.[1][5] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,718,100, or about 8,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
 | |
 Three SunLine New Flyer C40LF buses in Palm Springs | |
| Founded | July 1, 1977 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 32-505 Harry Oliver Trail Thousand Palms, California |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 10[1] |
| Fleet | 68 buses, 27 paratransit[2] |
| Daily ridership | 8,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[3] |
| Annual ridership | 2,718,100 (2023)[4] |
| Website | sunline |
History and description
editSunLine Transit Agency (STA) was established under a Joint Powers Agreement, initially between Riverside County and Coachella Valley cities (Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs) on July 1, 1977. Cathedral City, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage were added later. Each of the nine member cities selects one member of the SunLine Board of Directors, with the tenth provided by Riverside County.[6]: 1
The service area covers 1,120 sq mi (2,900 km2), bounded approximately by the San Gorgonio Pass on the west and the Salton Sea on the southeast.[6]: 13 In addition to its transit operations, SunLine regulates local taxi services (as the SunLine Regulatory Administration, a division of the SunLine Services Group)[7]: 25 and sells CNG and hydrogen to the public from dispensers at its Thousand Palms and Indio operations facilities, under the brand SunFuels.[8][9]: 3
Routes
editLocal routes
edit| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1EV | Coachella
5th St & Vine Av |
Palm Desert
Town Center wy & Hahn Rd |
SR 111 | |
| 1WV | Palm Springs
Palm Canyon Dr & Stevens Rd |
Palm Desert
Town Center wy & Hahn Rd |
SR 111 | |
| 2 | Cathedral City
B St & Buddy Rogers Av |
Desert Hot Springs
West Dr & Pierson Bl |
Ramon Rd, Gene Autry Trail | |
| 3 | Desert Hot Springs
West Dr & Pierson Bl |
Desert Edge
Dillon Rd & Corkill Rd |
Hacienda Av | |
| 4 | Palm Springs
El Cielo Rd & Kirk Douglas wy |
Palm Desert
Town Center wy & Hahn Rd |
Vista Chino, Bob Hope Dr | |
| 5 | Palm Desert
Town Center wy & Hahn Rd |
Desert Hot Springs
West Dr & Pierson Bl |
I-10 | |
| 6 | Palm Desert
Town Center wy & Hahn Rd |
Coachella
5th St & Vine Av |
Fred Waring Dr | |
| 7 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo |
Palm Desert
Harris Ln & Washington St |
Washington St | |
| 8 | Mecca
66th Av & Date Palm St |
Indio
Showcase Pkwy & Monroe St |
SR 86, Jackson St | |
| 9 | Mecca
66th Av & Date Palm St |
North Shore
Club View Dr & WIndlass Dr |
70th St | |
| 10
Commuter Link |
Indio
Highway 111 & Golf Center Pkwy |
San Bernardino | I-10, SR-210 |
|
School Tripper routes
editServices operate weekdays only.
| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | Desert Hot Springs
West Dr & Pierson Bl |
Gene Autry Trail | ||
| 500 | Palm Desert
Cook St & University Park Dr |
Cook St | ||
| 700 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo |
Palm Desert
Harris Ln & Washington St |
Washington St | |
| 701 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo |
Washington St |
| |
| 800 | Indio
Highway 111 & Golf Center Pkwy |
Jackson St | ||
| 801 | Indio
Shadow Hills High School |
Madison St |
| |
| 802 | Indio
Shadow Hills High School |
Jackson St |
| |
| 803 | Indio
Avenue 44 & Jefferson St |
Madison St |
| |
Destinations
editDestinations served include:[10]
- Agua Caliente Casino
- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
- National Date Festival Fairgrounds
- Indian Wells Tennis Garden
- Palm Springs Air Museum
- Indio High School
- La Quinta High School
- Palm Desert High School
- Palm Springs High School
- Cathedral City High School
- Rancho Mirage High School
- Desert Memorial Park
- Eisenhower Medical Center
- Westfield Palm Desert
- McCallum Theater
- College of the Desert
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
- California State University, San Bernardino
- San Bernardino Transit Center
Governance
editSunLine is governed by a board of directors with 10 members[11]
- 1 City Council member From Palm Springs
- 1 City Council member from the 9 cities in the Palm Springs Area that are not Palm Springs City.
- 1 from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, that represents the Palm Springs Area (District 4)
Chair
Vice Chair
Denise Delgado
Chief Executive Officer
Mona Babauta
Facilities and bus fleet
edit
The initial fleet included 22 buses in 1977. SunDial paratransit operations started in 1991.[12]: 11 The SunLine Board of Directors adopted a resolution in 1992 to convert their fleet to alternative fuel, and became the first transit agency in the United States to do so in 1994, using compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.[12]: 11
Starting in 2000, SunLine began limited operations with hydrogen fuel cell buses, installing a hydrogen fuel station using a Stuart Energy electrolyzer to supply the XCELLSiS ZEbus for a 13-month trial.[13] The first revenue operations were conducted with the Thor/ISE ThunderPower fuel cell bus, using an ElDorado National EZ-Rider II chassis, between November 2002 to February 2003.[14] By that time, SunLine also had installed a HyRadix methane reformer to generate hydrogen.[15]: 6 SunLine tested a hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine (HHICE) bus in early 2005; the bus was subsequently sent to Winnipeg Transit for cold weather testing.[16]
STA plans to convert their fleet to zero-emission buses (ZEB) by 2035, with only ZEBs purchased starting in 2021.[17]: 1, 3 Due to the relatively long fixed routes, the final mix of ZEBs is expected to be mostly hydrogen fuel-cell buses.[17]: 9
Active fleet
edit| Make/Model | Fleet Numbers | Thumbnail | Year | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Flyer XN40 | 622-627 | 2016 | Cummins Westport ISL G | ZF 6AP1400B | ||
| New Flyer XN40 | 628-637 | 2020 | Cummins Westport L9N | ZF 6AP1400B | ||
| ENC E-Z Rider II BRT CNG 32' | 710-719 | 2009 | Cummins Westport ISL G | ZF 6AP1400B | ||
| BYD K9M | 811-814 | 2019 | 2 x TYC-150A 150 kw (max) permanent magnet motor | 600 Ah Lithium iron phosphate batteries | ||
| MCI D4500CT CNG | 2007-2008 | 2020 | Cummins Westport ISX12N | Allison B500R |
| |
| MCI D4505 | 2009 | 2017 | Cummins ISX12 | Allison B500R |
| |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC3 | 2010 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC4 | 2014 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC5 | 2014 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC6 | 2015 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC7 | 2017 | US Hybrid FCe80 | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC8-FC12 | 2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC14-FC18 | 2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens | ||
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC19 | 2015 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | ||
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC20-FC24 | 2021 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens | ||
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC25-FC29 | 2021 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens |
SunLine has two operations and maintenance facilities: one (including the administrative offices) in Thousand Palms, and another in Indio. As of 2021[update], on-site refueling and charging capabilities include an electrolyzer that can produce 900 kg/d (2,000 lb/d) of hydrogen at Thousand Palms, which came online in 2019, and six 80 kW AC/DC battery-electric bus chargers, three each at both Thousand Palms and Indio.[17]: 1, 3, 17 Hydrogen dispensers (using delivered liquid H
2) and additional chargers are planned for both facilities.[17]: 7–8
Hydrogen production started in November 2000. Two electrolyzers and a natural gas reformer were part of the initial installation. One electrolyzer, supplied by Teledyne Brown, generated 40 cu ft (1.1 m3) per hour using 7.5 kW of electricity, supplied by solar panels; the other electrolyzer, supplied by Stuart Energy, produced 1,400 cu ft (40 m3) per hour. The reformer produced 4,200 cu ft (120 m3) per hour.[18] The HyRadix Adéo reformer was installed at the end of 2003.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b "Routes and Schedules". SunLine Transit Agency.
- ^ fleet information
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Sunline.
- ^ a b SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2018/2019 | FY 2020/2021 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2016/17 – FY 2018/19 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "SunFuel Alternative Fuel Stations". SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Affordable, Sustainable Transportation in the Coachella Valley: Solutions for the Local Workforce (PDF) (Report). California State University San Bernardino. January 29, 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Destinations". SunLine Transit Agency.
- ^ "Boards and Committees | SunLine Transit Agency". www.sunline.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- ^ a b SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2017/18 – FY 2019/20 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Cooperative Agreement Project Number CA-26-7022 (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. September 2, 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "SunLine Test Drives Hydrogen Bus" (PDF). United States Department of Energy. August 2003. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Chandler, Kevin; Eudy, Leslie (November 2003). ThunderPower Bus Evaluation at SunLine Transit Agency (PDF) (Report). U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "SunLine Tests HHICE Bus in Desert Climate" (PDF). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. June 24, 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Clapper Jr., William L. "SunLine Transit Agency: Hydrogen Commercialization for the 21st Century" (PDF). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Harness, John (2006). "Auto-Thermal Reforming Based Refueling Station at SunLine Services" (PDF). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
