Rapid

Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Founded	2002 (start of BRT planning by SANDAG)
Commenced operation	June 8, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-06-08)
Locale	San Diego County, California
Service type	Bus rapid transit
Routes	10
Hubs	UTC Transit Center City College station Santa Fe Depot Otay Mesa Transit Center Iris Avenue Transit Center
Stations	39
Fleet	77New Flyer XN60 12New Flyer XE60 24MCI D4500
Daily ridership	21,290 (FY 2024)[1]
Fuel type	Biogas,electric
Operator	MTS (201, 202, 204, 215, 235, 237) Transdev (225, 227, 280, 290)
Website	SDMTS Rapid website
System map

Rapid is abus rapid transit system servingSan Diego County, California. It is part of theSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The system mainly operates on theHOV lanes ofInterstate 15 and805. 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 theSan Diego Association of Governments (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.

In the 1990s, an extension of theSan Diego Trolley 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, theSan Diego Association of Governments (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.^[2]

To test the technology to be used on the system, in 2007, SANDAG selected a series of streets in University City to be fitted withtransit signal priority, in addition to building stations withreal-time arrival displays. These services, dubbed asSuperLoop, began by mid-2009.^[3]

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. TheRapid 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.

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 theSanta Ana winds at the time.^[4] 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.^[5] Rapid Express service began the following day. It inherited the 26 already existingmotorcoach buses.

On March 11, 2018, MTS placed the I-15 CenterLine median stations into commission. These were the first stations on theI-15 Rapid (Route 235) to feature light-rail style station platforms, shelters, and NextBus information displays, and the first to be implemented since theMid-City Rapid guideway in 2014.^[6]

By 2019, the full network was implemented and in operation.

The routes have been described as a "diet trolleys",^[7] but critics claim that the limited amount of spending on BRT compared to highway spending showsSANDAG's emphasis on highway and automobile-based transportation.^[8]

In March 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic 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.^[9] MTS subsequently announced reductions to all Rapid services in April. There will be only 3 runs of route 280, 2 runs of route 290,^[10] 30 minute headways for routes 204,^[11] 225, 235 and 237, and 15 minute headways for the remainder.^[12] These schedules will remain in effect indefinitely.

On January 28, 2021, it was announced that MTS, in cooperation with theNorth County Transit District, would begin offering free rides for passengers en route to receive aCOVID-19 vaccine, by carrying a confirmation paper for their appointment.^[13]

On March 1, 2021, MTS placed 24 new Rapid Express motorcoaches into service.^[14] 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.

Currently there are ten routes, three of which run on the I-15 corridor. Route 235 operates all day serving all stations along the corridor from Escondido toSan Diego and then to downtown San Diego, ending at theSanta Fe Depot. Service operates every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes at all other times. TheRapid Express service operates from selected bus stations to downtown San Diego, bypassing City Heights andKearny Mesa. Route 280 serves the two northernmost stations (Escondido and Del Lago) while Route 290 serves theRancho Bernardo andSabre Springs/Peñasquitos stations. Route 237 serves theMiramar College Transit Station and then proceeds toUC San Diego via Mira Mesa Boulevard and the UTC Transit Center. Route 215 is the mid-city line providing service to downtown throughSDSU. In the South Bay, Route 225 connects downtown toOtay Mesa through easternChula Vista, and Route 227 operates along the border from Otay Mesa toImperial Beach via the SR-905 and the Iris Avenue Transit Center. Additionally, Routes 201, 202 and 204 provideSuperLoop service between UC San Diego and theWestfield UTC mall.

Route 201/202/204 (SuperLoop Rapid)
Routes 201 and 202
Gilman Dr & Eucalyptus Grove Ln Gilman Dr & Mandeville Ln Gilman Dr & Evening Way Villa La Jolla Dr & Gilman Dr VA Hospital La Jolla Village Square Nobel Dr & Lebon Dr La Jolla Village Dr & Lebon Dr Arriba St & Regents Rd Nobel Dr & Regents Rd La Jolla Village Dr & Regents Rd UTC
Route 204
UTC Genesee Av & La Jolla Village Dr Nobel Dr & Towne Centre Dr Executive Dr & Executive Wy Judicial Dr & Executive Dr Judicial Dr & Golden Haven Dr Nobel Dr & Shoreline Dr Judicial Dr & Research Pl
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes
This diagram: view talk edit

On September 6, 2015, the MTSSuperLoop (Routes 201, 202 and 204) were incorporated into the network. MTS markets the routes as a sub-brand calledSuperLoop Rapid.Routes 201 (counter-clockwise) and 202 (clockwise) connectUC San Diego andWestfield UTC on a loop that passes throughLa Jolla Village, northUniversity City, and theJacobs Medical Center complex, while Route 204 serves the office parks and apartment complexes due east of UTC in a clockwise loop. In addition, it inherited the 12Gas-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)
SDSU College Ave 54th St Winona Ave 43rd St Boulevard Transit Plaza SR 15 35th St I-805 30th St Texas St Howard Ave University Ave San Diego Zoo/Balboa Park Naval Medical Center City College Horton Plaza Courthouses Santa Fe Depot
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes
This diagram: view talk edit

Mid-City Rapid (Route 215) operates betweenSan Diego State University (SDSU), City Heights,Normal Heights,North Park,Balboa Park, and Downtown San Diego. The 10-mile (16 km) route followsEl Cajon and Park boulevards. Service began on October 12, 2014, following about a year of construction that included new shelters, street modifications, and improvements along the corridor. The route connects with other Rapid services, including routes 235 and 237, at the Boulevard Transit Plaza, and terminates at the SDSU Transit Center. While it was intended to reduce travel times on a heavily used transit corridor, the service has been limited by traffic congestion, particularly during peak periods, and by the absence of continuous dedicated bus lanes.^[15]

Rapid 215 operates with a mix of side-running stations along El Cajon, center-running stations on the north end of Park (Howard and University), and uses existing bus stops on the south end of Park (San Diego Zoo and Naval Medical Center). In Downtown San Diego, it reuses Rapid stations already in place. The line was originally proposed to have a dedicated bus lane from end-to-end, but becamebusiness access and transit lanes along El Cajon and were eliminated in some places due to opposition from community groups, mostly representing business owners.^[16]

Route 225 (South Bay Rapid)
Santa Fe Depot Courthouses Horton Plaza City College SR 94 Station (future) 47th Street (future) E Plaza Blvd (future) H Street (future) East Palomar Heritage Lomas Verdes Santa Venetia SR 125 Otay Ranch Millenia Otay Mesa Transit Center
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes Parking is available
This diagram: view talk edit

TheSouth Bay Rapid (Route 225) began limited peak-hour service on September 4, 2018, between the East Palomar Park and Ride inChula Vista and downtown San Diego.^[17] 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 theOtay Mesa Port of Entry and downtown San Diego.^[18][19] 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 byHOAs due to its bisection of the Otay Ranch and Eastlake communities and its proximity to nearby homes.^[20] 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
Imperial Beach Pier Dahlia Av 3rd St Palm / 9th St Ebony Av Imperial Beach Library 13th St Saturn Bl Hollister St Iris Avenue Transit Center Caliente Av Otay Mesa Transit Center
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes Parking is available
This diagram: view talk edit

TheIris Rapid (Route 227) runs from Otay Mesa toImperial Beach with some busses short turning at theIris Avenue Transit Center along the way. The route is the first fully-electric route on the Rapid network. Planning began on September 13, 2019, though the MTS received grants to buy electric busses for a new South Bay route as early as late 2018.^[21] MTS aimed to have the route operational by January 2023 at the earliest,^[22] with service on Rapid Route 227 eventually starting on October 15, 2023 and minor route changes later taking effect in June 2024 following pushback from Imperial Beach residents.^[23][24]

Route 235 (I-15 Rapid)
Escondido Transit Center Del Lago Transit Station Rancho Bernardo Transit Station Sabre Springs/Peñasquitos Transit Station Miramar College Transit Station Kearny Mesa Transit Center Overland Ave Ruffin Rd Boulevard Transit Plaza City Heights Transit Plaza City College Horton Plaza Courthouses Santa Fe Depot
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes Connection toSprinter Parking is available
This diagram: view talk edit

TheI-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 andBreeze Rapid to central Escondido.^[25]

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.^[26]

Route 237 (Mira Mesa Blvd. Rapid)
Gilman & Myers (UCSD) Gilman Dr & Eucalyptus Grove Ln La Jolla Village Dr & Regents Rd La Jolla Village Dr & Gennessee Ave Scranton Road Lusk Blvd/Oberlin Dr Pacific Heights Blvd Genetic Center Dr/Steadman St Schilling Av/Caminito Alvared Caminito Ruiz Black Mtn Rd. Miramar College
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes Connection toSprinter Parking is available
This diagram: view talk edit

Route 237 operates betweenUCSD and theMiramar College Transit Station with stops along Mira Mesa Boulevard. The line initially operated past Miramar College to Rancho Bernardo via the I-15 HOT lanes. However the line was cut back due to low ridership along the I-15 section. This change was incorporated into the Transit Optimization Plan (TOP) in 2017.^[27]

Route 280/290 (I-15 Rapid Express)
Escondido Transit Center (280 only) Del Lago Transit Station (280 only) Rancho Bernardo Transit Station (290 only) Sabre Springs/Peñasquitos Transit Station (290 only) City College Horton Plaza Courthouses Pacific Highway County Admin. Center
Legend interchange station stop Connection toSan Diego Trolley Connection to other Rapid routes Connection toSprinter Parking is available
This diagram: view talk edit

Rapid Express service replaced the Premium Express service which formerly operated along the corridor, The new routes now only stop at Transit Stations. Until March 2021,Biodiesel powered intercity coaches operate this service, when they were replaced withBiogas 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.

Early concept maps of theSouth 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.

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 theKaiser Permanente San Diego Hospital. The remaining shelters are still in the final design stages.^[28][29]

On November 30, 2017, MTS announced its procurement of all-electric buses.^[30] This makes MTS the fourth agency to place electric buses of any propulsion method into revenue service, only behindMuni,Antelope Valley Transit Authority, andAnaheim Resort Transit. Electrification is set for Summer 2019, when theXcelsior CHARGE pilot units arrive. This Demonstrates MTS committed to be in compliance with Initiative Clean Transit, a proposedCalifornia law that could result in full electrification by 2040.^[31] 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.

On June 22, 2018SANDAG 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.^[32]

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.^[33]

Operation of Rapid is split, withTransdev operating 4 routes under contract to MTS (225, 227, 280 and 290), and directly by MTS for the remainder.^[34] 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.

Make/Model	Image	Propulsion	Model Year	Year Retired	Fleet numbers (Quantity)	Notes
New Flyer GE35LFR		Gasoline-Electric Hybrid	2009	2018	501–512 (12 buses)	The model had mechanical problems and maintenance difficulties due to the manufacturer of the hybrid drive system going out of business in 2010. All buses were retired from service and auctioned off in early 2018.
Blue Bird Express 4500		Biodiesel	2007	2021	8501–8526 (26 buses)	These were the last Biodiesel-powered vehicles in the MTS fleet. These were also the only buses that were not updated with passenger information displays.
New Flyer Low Floor (C40LF)		CNG	2008	2023	339-350 (12 buses)	These buses were originally mainline buses that were wrapped in the MTS Rapid livery. These buses replaced the 12gasoline-electric hybrid buses in 2018. They were in the process of being retired from service and auctioned off beginning in late 2022, with the final 3 buses being retired in early 2023.
New Flyer Xcelsior (XN60)			2013	2025	1101-1129 (29 buses)	These were the first buses to feature passenger information displays. These were the first buses constructed specifically for MTS Rapid. These were MTS's first ever Xcelsior buses. 10 buses were sold toSanta Cruz METRO from late 2023 to late 2024. They were in the process of being retired from service and auctioned off beginning in late 2023, with the final 3 buses being retired in early 2025. These buses were replaced by the 1900-series New Flyer XN60 buses.

• Bus transportation in California
• Bus rapid transit in California
• Public transportation in San Diego County, California
• Transdev
• Transportation in San Diego

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