REDDING, Calif. — A new bus service connecting Redding and Sacramento was officially celebrated Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Downtown Redding Transit Center.
The Gold Runner began operating a few weeks ago as part of a soft launch. The service now provides two daily trips south along Interstate 5, with stops in Red Bluff, Orland, Williams, Sacramento International Airport and downtown Sacramento.
Public transportation advocate Jill Hauser helped cut the ribbon Monday and said the service will make it easier for her to reach family in the Bay Area. She said previous trips by public transportation could take about eight hours and require three connections.
“I’ve lived in Redding for over 40 years,” Hauser said. “My kids all went to school in the bay, and so it has always been a challenge. How do we get to the bay using public transit?”
Hauser said the Gold Runner offers a faster option by traveling directly along I-5 to Sacramento.
“This is going to make it much quicker,” Hauser said.
Redding Mayor Mike Littau called the new service “a long time coming” and said it gives residents a more affordable way to reach Sacramento and connect with other destinations across Northern and Central California.
“This definitely helps for affordability for the residents to have a connecting point to be able to get to Sacramento,” Littau said, adding that the route also provides connections toward the San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area.
For passenger Brad Bingham, the service could provide significant savings. Bingham said he has been driving to Sacramento several times a week for the past three weeks to visit his baby in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“I really appreciate it because I’ve been driving down to Sacramento for the last three weeks, several times a week, spending about $500 in gas to see my baby in the NICU,” Bingham said.
He said using the Gold Runner will allow his family to leave a vehicle in Sacramento and reduce the amount they are spending on gas.
The Gold Runner leaves Redding twice daily at 9 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. Return buses arrive in Redding at 4:40 p.m. and 11:40 p.m.
Tickets cost $23 each way.
—