Why Go Transit?

Why do different people take public transportation in San Diego?

When I step onto a Gillig Low Floor 40 foot bus, I feel a sense of comfort. The feel of a new
bus rolling out onto the street is one of the best feelings ever. When I step onto it, the bus has a
completely unique interior: seats that ascend slowly after the lowest floor, like stairs in a staircase,
and a lot of grey, with rare splashes of color. There are a lot of guard rails, which can be used for
handholds. The exterior has 6 windows in the back (3 windows on each side), while the rear exit
door is a bit skinnier than the regular bus doors.
I have been studying the ridership in the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. I have
conducted research by going on many different routes varying from the bus, trolley, train & shuttle
services, and by visiting sites that are involved with public transportation. I have also looked at
graphs showing what has improved from back in 2009, all the way to present day.
Just recently, about 3 months ago, new buses were recruited for the San Diego Metropolitan
Transit System. Approximately 60 new Gillig Low Floor 40 ft. buses for more busy & rural areas, &
12 Xcelsior XN60 articulated buses for the new rapid routes, are currently in action. Newer buses
for the rapid routes, and current routes, are expected to roll out in the year 2016. These buses,
according to Administrative Offices, are cleaner, smoother, and will provide a very comfortable rider
experience. The new rapid buses run every 15 minutes as opposed to the older routes such as 210,
15 routes that were later replaced with new routes: the 60, 170, 215, 235, 237, 280, & 290 routes.
As an enthusiast, I took a ride on the 215 & 235 routes. Both rides take you to Downtown quickly &
the new timetables really help because the route 210, which originally travelled through City Heights
Transit Plaza, was later changed to the route 110 & does not pass through the Plaza anymore. On
August 9, 2014, SDMTS has reached a record of over 95,010,550 trips taken by passengers on
MTS buses and Trolleys. These statistics come from observing the people who use public
transportation in San Diego.
San Diego does not just consist of the SDMTS. North County has their own transit system,
known as the North County Transit Department, or NCTD for short. There is a transit center where
these 2 transit systems merge in La Jolla called University Town Center, or UTC. The bus routes
that visit this stop are: MTS/SuperLoop: the 30, 31, 41 (on weekends), 50, 60 (originally numbered
960), 105, 150, 201, 202, & 204 routes. The only bus route for NCTD that visits this stop is the route
101. The reason I chose this transit center is because I found that it is one of the merged stations in
the San Diego County.
Also, this transit center is unique because 3 of the routes that run here (the 30, 50, & 150)
all go to Downtown one way or another. For example, the route 30 passes through Pacific Beach
and Old Town Transit Center, but takes longer to get to Downtown. The route 150 also goes to
Downtown, and stops at Old Town Transit Center, takes the freeway passing Pacific Beach but
arrives at Downtown 5 minutes faster than the 30. The route 50, on the other hand, does not stop at
Old Town, and it arrives in Downtown 5 minutes faster than the 150. This is due in part of being an
express route just like the 150. The major difference between SDMTS and NCTD is the means of
transport. The North County Department has the coaster train that runs through San Diego and

arrives at Oceanside Transit Center, the same place that route 101 stops at. SDMTS has shuttles,
just like North County, but the shuttles of North County have 2 different services: Lift (not to be
confused with Lyft, the paid car service) and Flex. The shuttles that run for MTS are called MTS
access, and the routes that the shuttles are used for are the 18, 83, 84, 88, and the 888, and a few
others. These routes help people, such as college students, high schoolers, and even some middle
and elementary schoolers get to classes, and help adults who cannot afford a car get to work faster
and safer.