Breeze Rapid (stylized as BREEZE Rapid) was a brand of
bus service
Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.
History of buses Origins
While there are indications o ...
with some
bus rapid transit characteristics operated by the
North County Transit District
The North County Transit - San Diego Railroad (NCTD) is the agency responsible for public transportation in Northern San Diego County, California. The agency manages the COASTER commuter rail service between Oceanside and San Diego, the SPRIN ...
(NCTD) in
North County, San Diego. Its first and only route (350) was introduced in 2011. The brand has been quietly retired, but the route is still in operation.
Breeze Rapid Route 350 operates in
Escondido, California
Escondido (Spanish language, Spanish for "Hidden") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County (San Diego area), North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San ...
, between
Escondido Transit Center and Del Lago Transit Center, primarily along Escondido Boulevard and Bear Valley Parkway. Breeze Rapid enhanced the previous Breeze Route 350 service with dedicated buses, branded stops, and faster, more frequent service.
History
The project was initiated by the
San Diego Association of Governments
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for San Diego County, California. It is an association of local county governments, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and Coun ...
(SANDAG) in June 2005, in cooperation with the City of Escondido and NCTD. The purpose of the project was to identify improvements to a rapid bus connection between the
Sprinter at Escondido Transit Center, downtown and south Escondido, the
Westfield North County mall, and the forthcoming
MTS Rapid 235. The previous service was prone to bus bunching, heavy boardings near schools on the south end of the route, and traffic congestion in key locations during the morning and evening commute periods.
Service Enhancements
Breeze Rapid Route 350 includes
bus stop
A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...
improvements,
queue jump lanes at congested intersections, and
transit signal priority. Bus stops were consolidated from 31 stops to 25 stops, and received new benches, shelters and posted route information. Eight bus stops include digital message signs that indicate the next bus arrival, which is provided by using
NextBus technology.
Improvements for pedestrian safety, as well as street system modifications to improve local traffic flow, were also made. The six
New Flyer
New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...
C40LF busses that are used on this route (2301-2306) were painted with a special Breeze Rapid
livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
to distinguish them from the other New Flyer C40LF buses. All have since been retired.
However, Breeze Rapid Route 350 does not include dedicated
right-of-way, off-board
fare collection or
platform-level boarding. It does not adhere to the
BRT Standard
The BRT Standard is an evaluation tool for bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors around the world, based on international best practices. The Standard establishes a common definition for BRT and identifies BRT best practices, as well as functioning ...
and may be a symptom of
BRT Creep.
The cost for the route upgrade was $4,300,000 and the route was projected to have 2,500 riders at opening.
Riders save up to 20%, or six minutes, as a result of the improvements.
Future
The Breeze Rapid brand is no longer present on NCTD's web site or Rider's Guide. All six Breeze Rapid buses are retired as of October 28, 2021.
Future rapid bus services operated by NCTD may also use the Breeze Rapid name.
The 2019 SANDAG
Regional Transportation Plan proposes a number of rapid bus projects within NCTD's service area:
Breeze Route 101 (Oceanside to
Westfield UTC
Westfield UTC is an upscale, open-air shopping mall in the University City, San Diego, University City community of San Diego, California. It lies just east of La Jolla, near the University of California, San Diego. The mall is served by UTC Tr ...
via
Highway 101
Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The initial lineup consisted of Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, vocals), and Scott "Cactus" Moser (drum ...
) was also under consideration for rapid conversion as of 2011,
but is currently not present in the plan.
See also
*
Rapid (San Diego)
References
External links
Official SANDAG web siteSANDAG.org project details
{{USBRT, state=expanded
Bus rapid transit in California
Escondido, California
Rapid transit in California
Public transportation in San Diego County, California
Bus routes in the United States