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By CHARLES HAND
Hemet Valley Chronicle
May 6, 2009
Two commuter bus lines will be launched in Hemet on June 29, one heading to Escondido and the other to Riverside.
By all accounts, riders cannot wait to get aboard, said Bradley Weaver, spokesman for the Riverside Transit Agency.
Riders have been asking for commuter lines for some time, said Weaver, and the agency has a long list of people who have asked to be notified when the buses stop.
Hemet Mayor Eric McBride said during this week’s City Council meeting that the bus lines have generated more telephone calls to him than any other recent issue, which drew agreement from other council members.
The Riverside bus will depart Florida Avenue and New Chicago Avenue at 4:10 a.m., 4:45 a.m., 5:30 a.m., 7:06 a.m., and 7:44 a.m. It will make stops at Esplanade and San Jacinto avenues, Hemet Valley Mall, Perris, UC Riverside, the Riverside Metrolink station at the Marketplace, and the downtown terminal in Riverside.
The return bus will depart the downtown terminal at 5:10 p.m., 5:56 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
The return buses will wait for the returning Metrolink trains, but only for limited times.
There will also be an afternoon run to Riverside. The buses will depart the Florida and New Chicago stop at 3:52 p.m., 4:38 p.m., and 5:12 p.m.
Both routes will flow both ways because, said Weaver, RTA believes there are commuters living in San Diego County and Riverside who work in the San Jacinto Valley who can make use of the routes.
The first bus to Escondido out of Hemet will depart from Esplanade and San Jacinto avenues at 4:15 a.m., with others following at 4:35 a.m., 4:55 a.m., and 5:15 a.m.
They will stop at Hemet Valley Mall, The Promenade mall in Temecula, Equity Drive and Ynez in Escondido, and the Escondido Transit Center.
They will arrive at the transit center at 6:02 a.m., 6:22 a.m., 6:42 a.m., and 7:02 a.m.
The return buses will leave the transit center at 5:10 p.m., 5:50 p.m., 6:10 p.m., and 6:45 p.m.
The Riverside route is the new 212, and the Escondido run, the 217.
Buses used on the commuter routes have padded high-back seats covered in fabric, rather than the plastic seats used in regular buses.
They also make fewer stops, which makes the trips faster, Weaver said.
Cost of the runs will be $3 each way with a day pass available for $7 and a monthly pass for $75.
Fares will not be collected, however, until the third week.
“The first two weeks will be free,” said Weaver, to encourage commuters to try the new routes.
If the routes succeed as RTA officials believe they will, they will follow a pattern already established with existing commuter routes.
“Express routes have experienced substantial ridership gains,” Weaver said. “We have 12 percent more boardings on commuter buses than this time last year.” |
