To reverse a two-year decline in ridership, mass-transit officials continue to make significant changes to the region’s bus network to increase frequency along its most popular routes.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System rolled out the second phase of the agency’s Transit Optimization Plan starting this week.

“The changes are … a plan that improves speed of service and better meets the market’s demand,” MTS CEO Paul Jablonski said in a press statement. “People asked for better bus frequency. We are providing it.”

The transit agency has made numerous changes since January, including boosting service on about a dozen routes. In total, about 60 of the agency’s 95 bus lines are slated to be altered in some way.


Bus routes get overhaul as ridership continues to slip »

Under the agency’s new blueprint, more than 30 bus routes will arrive every 15 minutes or less, and the most popular ones will arrive every 12 minutes or less during rush-hour commutes, according to MTS officials.

The agency has allocated an additional $2 million to fund the changes, paid for in part by the state’s newly enacted gas tax under Senate Bill 1.

The optimization plan was approved by the MTS board in September after roughly 6,000 surveys, more than 50 outreach events and a public hearing on the issue. To see the changes online, go to sdmts.com/top.


Here are a number of key changes to bus lines in effect as of this week:

Route 12 — serving East Village, Barrio Logan, Southcrest and Skyline Hills — had Saturday frequency increased from every 30 minutes to 20 minutes.

Route 13 — serving serves National City, Lincoln Park, Chollas View, City Heights, Grantville and Allied Gardens — saw weekday frequency increased from every 15 minutes to 12 minutes. Morning and evening service was added between the 24th Street Transit and Euclid Transit centers.

Route 833 — serving El Cajon and Santee — early morning trips added.

Route 852 — serving Redwood Village, Rolando, La Mesa and Grossmont — has a new route operating every 30 minutes, 7 days a week.

Route 962 — serving National City, Paradise Hills, Bay Terraces and Spring Valley — has service increased to every 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends.

Route 7 — serving downtown San Diego, Balboa Park, North Park, City Heights and Redwood Village — is now operating every 10 minutes in both directions, instead of every 6 or 12 minutes depending on direction.


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Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com