Foothill Transit

Foothill Transit

Founded	1988
Locale	San Gabriel Valley
Service type	bus service
Daily ridership	41,096
Operator	Veolia Transportation MV Transportation First Transit
Website	foothilltransit.org

Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.

Overview

The impetus for the formation of the transit agency was Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum. Schabarum, annoyed at the cutbacks of bus service by the SCRTD, wanted to secede from the larger agency and form his own transit agency. Schabarum, who hated the influence of trade unions, chose to use contractors to operate the service, and Foothill executives made the service essentially strike-proof by insisting that two different companies operate the two bus yards, even if it would cost more in the short term. However, due to bus industry consolidation, First Transit had operated both yards from 2001 to mid-2007. Currently, both Foothill Transit yards are represented by unions (Arcadia by the Amalgamated Transit Union and Pomona by the Teamsters Union), but past strikes at the agency have been less than successful due to the ability of one yard to operate the other yards' service. In addition, wages are less at Foothill than at other transit operators in the region.

Foothill Transit's board of directors are the only staff employed directly by the agency. All other staff are employed by contractors, and all operations are contracted out. Due to this, Foothill management have to recuse themselves from recommending changes to be made to their contracts, instead deferring to the legal counsel hired by the board. Bus service is operated by First Transit at Pomona and MV Transportation at Arcadia/Irwindale. Management is handled by Veolia. Since August 2007, MV Transportation has operated the Arcadia/Irwindale yard's service.

In 2002, Foothill Transit began purchasing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses. By 2013, Foothill Transit will have a 100 percent CNG fleet.

Foothill Transit provides shuttle service to most events at the Rose Bowl from the Parsons Corporation parking lot, located on Walnut St. and Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena.

Foothill Transit also provides park and ride buses to the Hollywood Bowl from El Monte, Pasadena, and Arcadia.

Routes

All service operated as of July 18, 2010 with notes on upcoming service changes where indicated.

Express Routes

Express services operate weekdays only in the peak direction.

Route	Terminals		via	Notes
Silver Streak	Downtown LA Grand Avenue/Olive Street and Olympic Boulevard	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway	"Silver 2 Silver" program only applies on Silver Streak and Metro Silver Line between El Monte Station and Downtown Los Angeles . 24-hour service.
481	Koreatown Wilshire/Western Purple Line Station	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	Wilshire Boulevard, El Monte Busway	Reduced service between December 24th and December 31st
493	Downtown LA Hope Street and 9th Street	Diamond Bar Diamond Bar Park & Ride	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway, 605 Freeway, 60 Freeway, Colima Road, Golden Springs Drive	Service may operate on Valley Boulevard to/from Puente Hills Mall if the 60 Freeway is congested. Reduced service December 24th and December 31st. May operate to Phillips Ranch if needed. Usually runs on Orion V F1200's rarely on NABI 42 BRT and Orion V F1300's and NABI 40 LFW F1400-F1447
497	Downtown LA Figueroa Street and 9th Street	Chino Hills Chino Park & Ride	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway, 605 Freeway, 60 Freeway, 71 Expressway	Service may operate on Valley Boulevard to/from Grand Avenue if the 60 Freeway is congested. Reduced service between December 24th and December 31st
498	Downtown LA Figueroa Street and 9th Street	Glendora/Azusa Citrus College	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway, Grand Avenue	Reduced service between December 24th and December 31st
499	Downtown LA Figueroa Street and 9th Street	San Dimas San Dimas Park and Ride	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway, San Dimas Avenue	Reduced service between December 24th and December 31st
690	Pasadena Lake Gold Line Station	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	210 Freeway, Foothill Boulevard
699	Downtown LA Figueroa Street and 9th Street	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	El Monte Busway, 10 Freeway	Reduced service between December 24th and December 31st

Local Routes

Route	Terminals		via	Notes
178	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Los Angeles Street, Pacific Avenue, Valinda Avenue, Nogales Street, Colima Road	Selected trips serve the Baldwin Park Metrolink Station.
185	Azusa Azusa Avenue and Foothill Boulevard	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Irwindale Avenue, Glendora Avenue, Hacienda Boulevard, Colima Road
187	Pasadena Raymond Avenue and Walnut Street	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	Colorado Boulevard, Huntington Drive, Foothill Boulevard, Route 66
195	Pomona Valley Boulevard and Humane Way	Pomona Pomona Transcenter	Temple Avenue, Rio Rancho Road, Reservoir Street	Service operates Weekday and Weekend peak hours only.
197	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	Pomona Pomona Transcenter	Arrow Highway, White Avenue, Fairplex Drive, Orange Grove Avenue
269	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	Montebello Montebello Town Center	Santa Anita Avenue, Durfee Avenue
272	Duarte City of Hope	West Covina Westfield West Covina	Buena Vista Street, Baldwin Park Boulevard, Merced Avenue	Selected trips serve the Baldwin Park Metrolink Station.
274	Whittier Beverly Boulevard and Norwalk Boulevard	Baldwin Park Baldwin Park Metrolink Station	Workman Mill Road, Puente Avenue
280	Azusa Azusa Avenue and Foothill Boulevard	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Azusa Avenue
281	Azusa Citrus College	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Citrus Avenue, Cameron Avenue, Sunset Avenue, Gale Avenue
282	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	10/605 Freeways, Valley Boulevard, Gale Avenue, Colima Road
284	Glendora Route 66 and Grand Avenue	West Covina Westfield Eastland	Foothill Boulevard, Lone Hill Avenue	Service operates Weekday and Weekend peak hours only
285	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	La Habra Beach Boulevard and La Habra Boulevard	Hacienda Boulevard, Colima Road, Whitter Boulevard	Service operates Weekday and Weekend peak hours only.
286	Pomona Pomona Transcenter	Brea Brea Mall	Mission Boulevard, Diamond Bar Boulevard, 57 Freeway
289	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Pomona Cal Poly Pomona	Colima Road, La Puente Road	Service operates Weekday peak hours only.
291	La Verne Foothill Boulevard and White Avenue	Pomona Pomona Market Place	Garey Avenue
292	Pomona Pomona Transcenter	Claremont Claremont Transcenter	Towne Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, Baseline Road	Service operates during Weekday peak hours only.
480	West Covina Westfield West Covina	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	10 Freeway, Mission Boulevard, Indian Hill Boulevard
482	City of Industry Puente Hills Mall	Pomona Holt Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard Pomona Transcenter	Colima Road, Mission Boulevard, Golden Springs Drive, Diamond Bar Boulevard,	Operates to El Monte Station on 2012 NABI 42-BRT only. Stops at Diamond Bar park and ride Selected trips serve the Lanterman Developmental Center. Selected weekday trips serve Gateway Circle.
486	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	Pomona Cal Poly Pomona	Amar Road
488	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	Glendora/Azusa Citrus College	Ramona Boulevard, Francisquito Avenue, Grand Avenue
492	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	Montclair Montclair Transcenter	Santa Anita Avenue, Arrow Highway, Bonita Avenue
494	El Monte El Monte Bus Station	San Dimas San Dimas Park and Ride	Peck Road, Myrtle Avenue, Huntington Drive, Foothill Boulevard	Service operates weekdays only in the peak direction.

School Supplementary Routes

Services operate weekdays only. Schedules subject to change June 1st - September 1st & December 22nd - January 3rd for Lines 853, 854, and 855.

Route	Terminals		via	Notes
851	West Covina Westfield Eastland	Glendora Foothill Boulevard and Valley Center Avenue	Glendora Avenue
853	Diamond Bar Golden Springs Drive and Copley Drive	Diamond Bar Diamond Ranch High School	Golden Springs Drive
854	Diamond Bar Golden Springs Drive and Copley Drive	Diamond Bar Diamond Ranch High School	Diamond Bar Boulevard
855	Pomona Pomona Transcenter	Claremont Mountain Avenue and Harrison Avenue	Indian Hill Boulevard

Wireless Internet Access

On June 26, 2006, Foothill Transit installed wireless Internet hubs on six 1200-series Orion V buses (F1208, F1236, F1237, F1258, F1260, and F1262) that were exclusively assigned to Line 699. Downstream bandwidth of 300 kbit/s was available on each bus. The test program was discontinued and wi-fi service was installed on the Silver Streak until it was discontinued there in Late March 2009.

Fares

Fares as of July 1, 2010

Cash / TAP Card Fares

Fare Type	Regular	Senior / Disabled / Medicare
Base Local Fare:	$1.25	$0.50
1Silver Streak (Peak) / Line 481 / Line 690:	$2.45 (Silver Streak only) $2.75
Silver Streak (Off-Peak):	$2.45	$1.35
2Commuter Express:	$4.90
3Transfers:	$0.50	$0.25

Passes

Pass Type6	431-Day Pass	EZ Transit Pass
Adult Local:	$70	$84
Student Local:	$33	$84
Senior / Disabled / Medicare Local:	$22	$35
Silver Streak / Line 481 / Line 690:	$105	$150 (P3)
5Discount Silver Streak:	$52	$63.50 (P3)
Commuter Express:	$170	$194 (P5) $82.50 (P5 S/D/M)

1. Peak fares apply on non-holiday weekdays from 4-10am and from 2-8pm.
2. Commuter Express fares apply to Lines 493, 497, 498, 499, and 699. Metrolink Tickets are not accepted; only the full fare of $4.90, the 31-Day Commuter Express pass, or the P5 EZ Transit Pass. Transfers are worth $1.25 toward the full fare.
3. Transfers can be purchased for $0.50 using cash or a TAP card with a cash purse loaded (a TAP card is required either way for Foothill-to-Foothill connections). The transfer is then loaded onto the TAP card and is good for up to two hours. The transfer on the TAP card can also be counted as base fare for any TAP enabled transit agency as well. Paper transfers may be requested for connections to agencies that do not use TAP. They can be counted as base fare for any transit agency to which Foothill Transit connects.
4. A 31-Day Pass' lifespan starts when the pass is first used, not necessarily at the beginning of the month, unless the pass was first used at the beginning of the month. For example, if the pass is bought on March 6, but first used on March 12, the expiration date of the pass is April 12 at midnight, 31 days after it was first used.
5. Discount Silver Streak passes can be purchased by students, seniors, the disabled, and Medicare card holders. If the pass is used during peak hours on the Silver Streak, Line 481, or Line 690, the difference must be paid in cash.
6. All Foothill Transit passes are now sold on TAP cards only.

Bus Fleet

Active

Year	Model	Length	Width	Numbers	Fleet	Picture	Fuel Type	Notes
2000	Gillig Advantage	40'	102"	F1100-F1176	77		Diesel	Run from the Irwindale Yard. Majority Retired as the result of the 2009-2012 orders of NABI 42-BRT's. Used the most on Line 178 Only 32 remaining F1106 F1128 and F1149 have a new foothill transit print F1149 lights in the front are higher and some of the words cant be seen F1106 has the number cut off F1176 has no phone number F1131 has the number cut off as well
2002	Orion V	40'	102"	F1200-F1265	66	130px	CNG	Suburban seating. Used almost exclusively on Lines 493, 497, 498, 499, 699, 853, 854, and 855 during the weekday peak hours. Run from the Pomona Yard. Also used on 665 and 666 when they are not needed on express services as well as Rose Bowl & Hollywood Bowl services. 1 has been destroyed. used on express routes and rarely local routes
2003	Orion V	40'	102"	F1300-F1350	51		CNG	Run from the Pomona Yard. Used mostly on lines 482, 289, 486, 492, 292, 195, 197, 282, 285, and 286 and other local routes
2004/2005	NABI 40-LFW	40'	102"	F1400-F1474	75		CNG	F1400-F1450 run from the Pomona Yard. F1451-F1474 run from the Irwindale Yard. Used mostly on lines 178, 482, 486, 492 F1451 now has an F1500 back foothill transit sign but still has a phone number and F1474 has a John Deere engine while the rest of he buses have Cummins or Diesel. F1470 on the back has no F only says 1470
2005/2006	NABI 40-LFW	40'	102"	F1500-F1509	10	130px	CNG	Run from the Irwindale Yard. Used always on line 178, 185, 287, 280, 281, 272, 480, 481, and 690 F1504 and F1507 both have a F1400 back foothill transit sign but still no phone number
2007	NABI 60-BRT	60'	102"	F1600-F1629	30		CNG	These buses are used exclusively on the Silver Streak, except on weekends. Run from the Irwindale Yard.
2009	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1700-F1729	30	130px	CNG	Suburban seating. Used on the Silver Streak on weekends. F1700-F1724 Irwindale F1725-F1729 Pomona
2010	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1800-F1811	12		CNG	Suburban seating. Some used on the Silver Streak on weekends. Run from the Irwindale Yard
2010/2012	Proterra BE35	35'	102"	F2001-F2012	12		Electric	Branded as "Ecoliners" by Foothill Transit. F2004-F2012 entering soon. It is the world’s first heavy duty, fast charging electric bus. Run from Pomona yard
2012	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1900-F1913	14		CNG	Suburban seating. Run from the Pomona Yard. Used on lines 482, 493, 486, 699, and rare occasions orion bus routes (example 289)

Because Foothill Transit retires most of their buses at the 12-year FTA minimum standard, many of their buses are sold off or leased to other authorities and operate for years afterwards. Notable lessees include Valley Metro (Phoenix), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Arizona State University, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Gold Coast Transit, Glendale Beeline, Santa Cruz Metro, Benicia Breeze, and Amtrak California (operated by SFO Airporter).

External links

• Official website
• May 2006 Footnotes detailing Silver Streak service