The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, known as MTS, is introducing seven days per week bus service on Poway and Pomerado roads for the first time in two decades, according to MTS officials.
The change was made in June when MTS added Sunday service on Route 945, which is a local bus route connecting Rancho Bernardo and Poway.
But in creating the additional bus service, Route 944’s Saturday service was discontinued, said MTS Marketing and Communications Director Mark Olson.
“A large part of that route is covered by the 945,” Olson said. “Poway now has service seven days per week. The trade-off was removing service between Pomerado Road and Sabre Springs Transit Station on Saturday, which was lightly used.”
Olson said the main reason for a bus passenger to travel to the Sabre Springs Transit Center at 13538 Sabre Springs Parkway on Saturdays is to transfer to the Rapid 235 bus route and access the broader MTS system. That can still be done in Rancho Bernardo via Route 945, he said. The Rancho Bernardo Transit Station is at 16785 W. Bernardo Drive.
Other bus routes still available in Rancho Bernardo are the Rapid Express 280, which travels to and from downtown San Diego; the Rapid 235 that travels between Escondido and downtown San Diego; and Route 20, which connects Rancho Bernardo to downtown San Diego.
Locally, a new Rapid 277 line has been proposed to connect Poway with Ramona. However, the bus service initiated by the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, currently does not have funding for the final design nor designated operating funds, Olson said.
“The route is currently evaluating options, but its goal is to connect Ramona with Poway and the MTS system,” he said.
MTS Express buses have very few stops, faster service from one end of the route to the other, a higher level of amenities such as padded high-back seats and large windows, and travel longer distances than typical routes.
Due to budget shortages, the SANDAG Transportation Committee voted to approve fare changes at its July 17 meeting. Systemwide MTS Express bus fares that are anticipated to be increased starting Oct. 1 are adult one-way, $6 (now $5); senior/disabled one-way, $3 (now $2.50); adult day pass, $14 (now $12); senior/disabled day pass, $7 (now $6); adult monthly, $125 (now $100); and senior/disabled monthly, $42 (now $32).
Other fare increases would apply for standard bus and trolley service, he said. For details, visit sdmts.com/fares/fare-chart.
These prices include unlimited rides on standard routes, not just Express, Olson said. In addition to the fares, the routes are also supported by local, state and federal funds, he said.