SunLine Transit Agency explained

SunLine Transit Agency
Headquarters:32-505 Harry Oliver Trail
Thousand Palms, California
Service Type:bus service, paratransit
Routes:10
Fleet:68 buses, 27 paratransit[1]
Ridership:
Annual Ridership:

SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San Bernardino Transit Center during peak hours.[2] [3] In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of .

History and description

SunLine Transit Agency (STA) was established under a Joint Powers Agreement, initially between Riverside County and Coachella Valley cities (Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs) on July 1, 1977. Cathedral City, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage were added later. Each of the nine member cities selects one member of the SunLine Board of Directors, with the tenth provided by Riverside County.[4]

The service area covers 1120mi2, bounded approximately by the San Gorgonio Pass on the west and the Salton Sea on the southeast. In addition to its transit operations, SunLine regulates local taxi services (as the SunLine Regulatory Administration, a division of the SunLine Services Group)[5] and sells CNG and hydrogen to the public from dispensers at its Thousand Palms and Indio operations facilities, under the brand SunFuels.[6] [7]

Routes

Local routes

RouteTerminalsViaNotes
1EVCoachella 5th St & Vine Av Palm Desert Town Center wy & Hahn RdSR 111
1WVPalm Springs Palm Canyon Dr & Stevens RdPalm Desert Town Center wy & Hahn RdSR 111
2Cathedral City B St & Buddy Rogers AvDesert Hot Springs West Dr & Pierson BlRamon Rd, Gene Autry Trail
3Desert Hot Springs West Dr & Pierson BlDesert Edge Dillon Rd & Corkill RdHacienda Av
4Palm Springs El Cielo Rd & Kirk Douglas wyPalm Desert Town Center wy & Hahn RdVista Chino, Bob Hope Dr
5Palm Desert Town Center wy & Hahn Rd Desert Hot Springs West Dr & Pierson BlI-10
6Palm Desert Town Center wy & Hahn RdCoachella 5th St & Vine AvFred Waring Dr
7La Quinta Calle Madrid & Avenida VallejoPalm Desert Harris Ln & Washington StWashington St
8Mecca 66th Av & Date Palm StIndio Showcase Pkwy & Monroe StSR 86, Jackson St
9Mecca 66th Av & Date Palm St North Shore Club View Dr & WIndlass Dr70th St
10 Commuter LinkIndio Highway 111 & Golf Center PkwySan Bernardino San Bernardino Transit CenterI-10, SR-210

School Tripper routes

Services operate weekdays only.

RouteTerminalsViaNotes
200Desert Hot Springs West Dr & Pierson BlGene Autry Trail
500Palm Desert Cook St & University Park DrCook St
700La QuintaCalle Madrid & Avenida VallejoPalm DesertHarris Ln & Washington StWashington St
701La QuintaCalle Madrid & Avenida VallejoWashington St
  • To Harris Ln & Washington St
800IndioHighway 111 & Golf Center PkwyJackson St
801Indio Shadow Hills High SchoolMadison St
  • To Jackson St & Avenue 44
802Indio Shadow Hills High SchoolJackson St
  • To Highway 111 & Golf Center Pkwy
803Indio Avenue 44 & Jefferson StMadison St
  • To Shadow Hills High School

Destinations

Destinations served include:[8]

Governance

SunLine is governed by a board of directors with 10 members[9]

Chair

Lisa Middleton

Vice Chair

Denise Delgado

Chief Executive Officer

Mona Babauta

Facilities and bus fleet

The initial fleet included 22 buses in 1977. SunDial paratransit operations started in 1991.[10] The SunLine Board of Directors adopted a resolution in 1992 to convert their fleet to alternative fuel, and became the first transit agency in the United States to do so in 1994, using compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

Starting in 2000, SunLine began limited operations with hydrogen fuel cell buses, installing a hydrogen fuel station using a Stuart Energy electrolyzer to supply the XCELLSiS ZEbus for a 13-month trial.[11] The first revenue operations were conducted with the Thor/ISE ThunderPower fuel cell bus, using an ElDorado National EZ-Rider II chassis, between November 2002 to February 2003.[12] By that time, SunLine also had installed a HyRadix methane reformer to generate hydrogen.[13] SunLine tested a hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine (HHICE) bus in early 2005; the bus was subsequently sent to Winnipeg Transit for cold weather testing.[14]

STA plans to convert their fleet to zero-emission buses (ZEB) by 2035, with only ZEBs purchased starting in 2021.[15] Due to the relatively long fixed routes, the final mix of ZEBs is expected to be mostly hydrogen fuel-cell buses.

Active fleet

Make/Model Fleet NumbersThumbnailYear EngineTransmissionNotes
New Flyer XN40622-6272016Cummins Westport ISL GZF 6AP1400B
New Flyer XN40628-6372020Cummins Westport L9NZF 6AP1400B
ENC E-Z Rider II BRT CNG 32'710-7192009 Cummins Westport ISL GZF 6AP1400B
BYD K9M811-81420192 x TYC-150A 150 kw (max) permanent magnet motor600 Ah Lithium iron phosphate batteries
MCI D4500CT CNG 2007-20082020 Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R
  • Used only on Route 10 Commuter Link
MCI D4505 20092017 Cummins ISX12Allison B500R
  • Used only on Route 10 Commuter Link
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC32010 Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC42014Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC52014 Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC62015 Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC72017US Hybrid FCe80BAE Systems Hybridrive
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC8-FC122018 Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
New Flyer XHE40 FC14-FC182018 Ballard FCvelocity HD85Siemens
ENC Axess BRT FC 40'FC192015Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kWBAE Systems Hybridrive
New Flyer XHE40FC20-FC242021Ballard FCvelocity HD85Siemens
New Flyer XHE40FC25-FC292021Ballard FCvelocity HD85Siemens

SunLine has two operations and maintenance facilities: one (including the administrative offices) in Thousand Palms, and another in Indio., on-site refueling and charging capabilities include an electrolyzer that can produce of hydrogen at Thousand Palms, which came online in 2019, and six 80 kW AC/DC battery-electric bus chargers, three each at both Thousand Palms and Indio. Hydrogen dispensers (using delivered liquid) and additional chargers are planned for both facilities.

Hydrogen production started in November 2000. Two electrolyzers and a natural gas reformer were part of the initial installation. One electrolyzer, supplied by Teledyne Brown, generated per hour using 7.5 kW of electricity, supplied by solar panels; the other electrolyzer, supplied by Stuart Energy, produced per hour. The reformer produced per hour.[16] The HyRadix Adéo reformer was installed at the end of 2003.[17]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.sunline.org/home/index.asp?page=78 fleet information
  2. Web site: Routes and Schedules . SunLine Transit Agency.
  3. Web site: Annual Report 2007. Sunline.
  4. SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2018/2019 FY 2020/2021 . SunLine Transit Agency . 26 April 2021.
  5. SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2016/17 – FY 2018/19 . SunLine Transit Agency . 26 April 2021.
  6. Web site: SunFuel Alternative Fuel Stations . SunLine Transit Agency . 27 April 2021.
  7. Affordable, Sustainable Transportation in the Coachella Valley: Solutions for the Local Workforce . January 29, 2019 . California State University San Bernardino . 27 April 2021.
  8. Web site: Destinations . SunLine Transit Agency.
  9. Web site: Boards and Committees SunLine Transit Agency . 2022-06-03 . www.sunline.org.
  10. SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2017/18 – FY 2019/20 . SunLine Transit Agency . 26 April 2021.
  11. Cooperative Agreement Project Number CA-26-7022 . September 2, 2001 . Federal Transit Administration . 27 April 2021.
  12. Web site: SunLine Test Drives Hydrogen Bus . August 2003 . United States Department of Energy . 27 April 2021.
  13. ThunderPower Bus Evaluation at SunLine Transit Agency . Chandler, Kevin . Eudy, Leslie . November 2003 . U.S. Department of Energy . 27 April 2021.
  14. Web site: SunLine Tests HHICE Bus in Desert Climate . US Department of Energy . 27 April 2021.
  15. Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan . June 24, 2020 . SunLine Transit Agency . 27 April 2021.
  16. Web site: SunLine Transit Agency: Hydrogen Commercialization for the 21st Century . Clapper Jr., William L. . SunLine Transit Agency . 27 April 2021.
  17. Web site: Auto-Thermal Reforming Based Refueling Station at SunLine Services . Harness, John . 2006 . US Department of Energy . 27 April 2021.