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Rapid is a bus rapid transit system serving
San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
. It is part of the
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid (San Diego), Rap ...
(MTS). The system mainly operates on the
HOV lanes A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger, ...
of
Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...
and
805 __NOTOC__ Year 805 ( DCCCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 805th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 805th year of the 1st millennium, the 5th year of the 9th century, and the ...
. Freeway-level stations are located in the medians of Interstate 15, Park Boulevard, and East Palomar Street. The system is administered, built and managed 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). Planning for the initial "showcase" route began in 2002 with the commencement of an environmental review. It took 12 years and $238 million to get Rapid operational. Regular service began in summer 2014.


History


Early Beginnings (1990–2006)

In the 1990s, an extension of the
San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical componen ...
was studied along Interstate 15. However, projected low ridership, hilly terrain and high cost estimates shelved this proposal. It was instead decided to construct a HOV lane system with Direct Access Ramps and transit centers in proximity to these ramps. Construction on these lanes began by 2001 with the first phase (between SR 163 and Sabre Springs) opening for traffic in 2006. At the same time, another trolley proposal was studied in Otay Ranch, but it was also decided that a BRT system would be essential. In July 2002, 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), the county's planning organization, initiated the planning process for what would eventually become the Mid City route. An environmental review for this route would later be published in 2008.


The SuperLoop experiment (2007–2013)

To test the technology to be used on the system, in 2007, SANDAG selected a series of streets in University City to be fitted with
transit signal priority Bus priority or transit signal priority (TSP) is a name for various techniques to improve service and reduce delay for mass transit vehicles at intersections (or junctions) controlled by traffic signals. TSP techniques are most commonly associa ...
, in addition to building stations with real-time arrival displays. These services, dubbed as SuperLoop, began by mid-2009. The success of these routes resulted in the SuperLoop routes becoming permanent additions, and eventually led to SANDAG placing a large order of 60-foot CNG buses, and the start of construction of the rest of the network. All phases of the I-15 HOV investment project were finished by 2011. The ''Rapid'' branding was announced in 2013, with the new buses arriving in December of that year, with corridor testing and driver training beginning the following January.


In Service (2014–present)

On May 17, 2014, the buses were accepted for passenger occupation, and in-service testing began on route 20 during a record-breaking heatwave caused by the
Santa Ana winds The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...
at the time. These buses were wrapped with a vinyl sticker containing the official slogan, all in an effort to promote the upcoming service. MTS also registered the rapidmts.com domain around this time (since merged into the main site). It was also announced that the service would begin at the next service change on June 8, 2014. At the same time, the existing Premium Express routes would gradually be phased out. Former route 810 would become Rapid 235 and supplemented by Rapid Express routes 280 and 290, while former route 880 would be replaced by Rapid 237. The remaining routes would be discontinued altogether with June 6, 2014 being the final date of operation for the Premium Express network. Rapid service formally began the following Sunday, June 8, 2014, on schedule. Free bus rides were offered on that day. Rapid Express service began the following day. It inherited the 26 already existing
motorcoach A coach (also known as a motorcoach or coach bus) is a type of bus built for longer distance service, in contrast to transit buses that are typically used for shorter journeys within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring, inte ...
buses. On March 11, 2018, MTS placed the I-15 CenterLine median stations into commission. These were the first stations on the I-15 Rapid (Route 235) to feature light-rail style station platforms, shelters, and NextBus information displays, and the first to be implemented since the Mid-City Rapid guideway in 2014. By 2019, the full network was implemented and in operation.


COVID-19 pandemic precautions

In March 2020, the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
was declared. MTS began disinfecting vehicles as they return to the maintenance yards, and has begun sanitizing station platforms and installing handwashing stations at transit centers. MTS subsequently announced reductions to all Rapid services in April. There will be only 3 runs of route 280, 2 runs of route 290, 30 minute headways for routes 204, 225, 235 and 237, and 15 minute headways for the remainder. These schedules will remain in effect indefinitely. On January 28, 2021, it was announced that MTS, in cooperation with 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 ...
, would begin offering free rides for passengers en route to receive a
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
, by carrying a confirmation paper for their appointment. On March 1, 2021, MTS placed 24 new Rapid Express motorcoaches into service. These motorcoaches are the MCI D-Series, and replaced the Express 4500s. The agency also switched to Biogas, a renewable form of CNG as an interim measure until the electric transition is completed in 2040.


Current services

Currently there are nine routes, three of which run on the I-15 corridor. Route 235 operates all day serving all stations along the corridor from Escondido to
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
and then to downtown San Diego, ending at the Santa Fe Depot. Service operates every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at all other times. The Rapid Express service operates from selected bus stations to downtown San Diego, bypassing City Heights and
Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa is a community in the central part of San Diego, California. It is bounded by State Route 52 to the north, Interstate 805 to the west, Aero Drive to the south, and Interstate 15 to the east. Adjacent communities include Serra Mesa, ...
. Route 280 serves the two northernmost stations (Escondido and Del Lago) while Route 290 serves the
Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community in the northern hills of San Diego County, California. Geography The topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills that have large bedrock outcroppings. The major floral biomes ...
and Sabre Springs/ Peñasquitos stations. Route 237 serves the Miramar College Transit Station and then proceeds to
UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...
via Mira Mesa Boulevard and the UTC Transit Center. Route 215 is the mid-city line providing service to downtown through
SDSU San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
, while Route 225 is the South Bay route, connecting downtown with the South Bay communities. Additionally, Routes 201, 202 and 204 provide SuperLoop service between UC San Diego and the
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 ...
mall.


Routes 201/202/204 (SuperLoop Rapid)

On September 6, 2015, the MTS SuperLoop (Routes 201, 202 and 204) were incorporated into the network. MTS markets the routes as a sub-brand and called SuperLoop Rapid. Routes 201 (counter-clockwise) and 202 (clockwise) connect
UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...
and
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 ...
on a loop that passes through La Jolla Village, north University City, and the
Jacobs Medical Center Jacobs Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the University of California San Diego, University of California, San Diego campus in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego. Along with the UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest, it serves as a fl ...
complex, while Route 204 serves the office parks and apartment complexes due east of UTC in a clockwise loop. In addition, it inherited the 12 Gas-Electric Hybrid buses that originally provided the service. These buses were re-vinyled into the Rapid livery, and also began serving Route 237 in addition to their native SuperLoop routes. In April 2018, these buses were retired from service and replaced by re-vinyled C40LF buses from the Mainline fleet.


Route 215 (Mid-City Rapid)

On October 12, 2014, the Mid-City Rapid (Route 215) service commenced operations from
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
to downtown San Diego via Balboa Park, North Park, Normal Heights, and City Heights. The buses used on this route are vinyled into the Rapid livery, but feature regular local-style transit bus seating instead. The next day, a peak hour rapid route, Route 237, commenced operation from the
UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...
area to Rancho Bernardo, via
Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa is a community in the central part of San Diego, California. It is bounded by State Route 52 to the north, Interstate 805 to the west, Aero Drive to the south, and Interstate 15 to the east. Adjacent communities include Serra Mesa, ...
and the I-15 HOT lanes. These routes have been described as "diet trolleys", but critics claim that the limited amount of spending on BRT compared to highway spending shows
SANDAG 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 co ...
's emphasis on highway and automobile-based transportation. Eventually, Route 237 was shortened to Miramar College due to an increased amount of transfers there, essentially making the route a school-to-school route, having colleges on both ends. This change was incorporated into the Transit Optimization Plan (TOP) in 2017.


Route 225 (South Bay Rapid)

The South Bay Rapid (Route 225) began limited peak-hour service on September 4, 2018 between the East Palomar Park and Ride in
Chula Vista Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh-most populous city in Southern California, the 15th-most populous city in the ...
and downtown San Diego. The route initially operated in the Rapid Express pattern, headed northbound (into downtown) in the morning and southbound (returning from downtown) in afternoons with no reverse-commute opportunities or weekend service. This route expanded to full daily service on January 26, 2019 and now operates along a 21-mile (34-kilometer) route between the Otay Mesa Transit Center near the
Otay Mesa Port of Entry The Otay Mesa Port of Entry ( Spanish: ''Puerto de Entrada Mesa de Otay'') is one of three ports of entry (POE) in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan region, in the U.S. state of California, connecting Otay Mesa in San Diego with the Otay Cen ...
and downtown San Diego. With this opening five new stations were also opened; these are located at Heritage Park, Lomas Verdes, Santa Venetia, the Otay Ranch Town Center, and at the recently developed, mixed-use Millenia community in Eastlake. It mostly follows the median on East Palomar Street, before running alongside Olympic Parkway and Eastlake Parkway to serve Otay Ranch. Throughout its planning, the route sparked controversy mainly by HOAs due to its bisection of the Otay Ranch and Eastlake communities and its proximity to nearby homes. The buses used on this route feature intercity coach-style seating, but have silver-colored destination displays on the outside compared to the rest of the fleet, which have amber ones. As with the opening of the original route, free bus rides were offered on the first week of operation on this route only.


Route 227 (Iris Rapid)

In late 2018, ABC 10News reported that rumors are speculating on a new route, possibly a route along the border, that would be the first new-built all-electric route. On September 13, 2019, SANDAG confirmed the rumors and announced the route as the Iris Rapid project (proposed route 227). MTS hopes to have the route operational by January 2023 at the earliest. The planned route is expected to run from Otay Mesa to
Imperial Beach Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...
, and call at the route's namesake, the
Iris Avenue Transit Center Iris Avenue Transit Center is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley in the Otay Mesa West neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States. The stop serves a variety of purposes, holding the function of commuter center with ...
along the way. The SDMTS Rapid Route 227 started service on October 15, 2023, although construction completion with full implementation is expected by Late 2024.


Route 235 (I-15 Rapid)

The I-15 Rapid (Route 235) saves up to 45 minutes from local MTS Route 20, which continues to operate along the corridor to serve locations not served by the Rapid network. It also eliminates a transfer at Del Lago Transit Center between Route 20 and
Breeze Rapid Breeze Rapid (stylized as BREEZE Rapid) was a brand of bus service with some bus rapid transit characteristics operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD) in North County, San Diego. Its first and only route (350) was introduced in 201 ...
to central Escondido.


Initial cost

The cost for the initial operating segment is approximately $238 million, consisting primarily of transit centers at City Heights, Del Lago, Escondido, and Rancho Bernardo; parking structures at Miramar College and Sabre Springs; and new 60-foot buses. This is in addition to the investment in the I-15 HOT lane project, which cost approximately $1 billion for four new lanes and direct access ramps. Taxpayer advocates have supported the Rapid due to its lower cost compared to rail extensions at the time.


Route 237 (Mira Mesa Blvd. Rapid)

Route 237 operates between the Miramar College Transit Station and
UCSD The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing ...
with stops at other transit centers and along Mira Mesa Boulevard.


Route 280/290 (I-15 Rapid Express)

Rapid Express service replaced the Premium Express service which formerly operated along the corridor, The new system now only calls at Transit Stations. Until March 2021,
Biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...
powered intercity coaches operate this service, when they were replaced with
Biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...
commuter coaches. Much like the network it replaced, Rapid Express operates peak-hours only, inbound in morning peak and outbound in afternoon peak, without reverse-commute services. Rapid Express services also terminate at the County Administration Building instead of the Santa Fe Depot.


Future plans


South Bay Rapid infill stations

Early concept maps of the South Bay Rapid revealed the possibility of additional CenterLine stations in the medians of I-805 and SR 94. These will be located at Hilltop, National City/East, 47th Street trolley station, 28th Street and in East Village. No concept art was initially drawn or published, but on January 26, 2019, this project was officially announced in a dedication ceremony and concept art was unveiled. Construction will begin once funding is secured.


Converting basic stops into stations

New shelters are due to be installed at the three Kearny Mesa stops, located at Ruffin Road, Overland Avenue, and at the Kearny Mesa interchange. The first shelter was installed on the inbound side of the Ruffin stop in 2017, next to the
Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente (; KP) is an American integrated delivery system, integrated managed care consortium headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield, Sidney R. Garfield, the ...
San Diego Hospital. The remaining shelters are still in the final design stages.


Electrification

On November 30, 2017, MTS announced its procurement of all-electric buses. This makes MTS the fourth agency to place electric buses of any propulsion method into revenue service, only behind
Muni Muni or Munni may refer to: Municipal * A common US abbreviation for municipal, municipal services, and the like *Municipal bond *Municipal Bridge, the former name of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky *"Muni", slang ...
,
Antelope Valley Transit Authority Antelope Valley Transit Authority is the transit agency serving the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster and Northern Los Angeles County. Antelope Valley Transit Authority is operated under contract by MV Transportation, and is affiliated with and offer ...
, and Anaheim Resort Transit. Electrification is set for Summer 2019, when the
Xcelsior The New Flyer Xcelsior is a line of transit buses available in 35-foot rigid bus, rigid, 40-foot rigid, and 60-foot articulated bus, articulated nominal lengths manufactured by New Flyer Industries since 2008. In addition to the different availa ...
CHARGE pilot units arrive. This Demonstrates MTS committed to be in compliance with Initiative Clean Transit, a proposed
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
law that could result in full electrification by 2040. These new buses will be placed into the system's Copley Park division and replace the C40LFs. A grant for 11 more buses has been awarded to MTS.


Downtown layover facility

On June 22, 2018
SANDAG 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 co ...
announced that it has seized control of a block of land currently occupied by an auto maintenance facility, a law firm and a car park. The agency plans to construct a downtown layover facility for buses. Its perimeter will be bordered by A Street, Union Street, State Street and B Street. It will not serve passengers, but act in a similar manner to a yard, but without maintenance bays. SANDAG plans to begin construction in 2021 and the resulting facility being commissioned in Summer 2023.


Operation


Fares

As of September 1, 2019, the fare structure for Rapid is as follows. Passes can be purchased at any fare vending machine within the network.


Maintenance and operations

Operation of Rapid is split, with
Transdev Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a France-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020. Transdev was formed on 3 April 2011 via the merg ...
operating 4 routes under contract to MTS (225, 227, 280 and 290), and directly by MTS for the remainder. This is because buses from different divisions are used on certain routes. The fleet is maintained at the system's Imperial, Kearny Mesa, East County and South Bay divisions. The latter two are under maintenance contract to Transdev, which also includes routes assigned to these divisions. In downtown, the Broadway Rapid stations are patterned after the nearby Trolley stations on C Street, with stops at Horton Plaza, Civic Center/Courts, and at America Plaza.


Fleet

Shown below is a summary of the MTS Rapid fleet from the past, present, and future:


Current Fleet


Past Fleet


Future Fleet

The MTS Rapid fleet is maintained across all of the system's divisions.


References

{{Transdev, state=collapsed Bus transportation in California Bus rapid transit in California Public transportation in San Diego County, California Transdev Transportation in San Diego