If you're looking for Omnitrans news, transportation news, photos, or quick facts about Omnitrans, the Omnitrans Newsroom is always open.

For members of the media looking for comment regarding Omnitrans, please use the following contact information (in the following order):

Wendy Williams
Wendy.williams@omnitrans.org
(909) 379-7151

Nicole Ramos
Nicole.ramos@omnitrans.org
(909) 379-7155

Janice Kuhn
Janice.Kuhn@omnitrans.org
(909) 379-7168

Local Fixed Route Ridership*	15,810,000
Demand Response Ridership*	502,000
Local & Express Bus Mileage*	8,575,000
Demand Response Mileage*	3,117,000
Service Area	456 sq. miles
Service Area Population	2,015,355
Operating Budget (net of depreciation)	$69,272,707
Local & Express Bus Routes	28
Local & Express Peak Hour Buses	136
Local & Express Bus Fleet	161
Demand Response/Shuttle Fleet	106
Alternatively Fueled Bus Fleet	161
Community Shuttle Routes	4
JPA Membership	16
Board Members	20
Employees*	650

* projected

Through the years, the Omnitrans fleet has undergone dramatic changes. From the early days when the red car trolley serviced the San Bernardino area, to the age of diesel buses, to the new age of hybrid fuel and electric vehicles, Omnitrans has evolved and grown.

Omnitrans currently operates a fleet of 161 transit coaches and 106 OmniGo/Omnilink/Access vehicles. In addition, Omnitrans also has a vintage 1958 GMC TDH 4801 transit coach nicknamed Old Blue, which was restored in 2001 and is used for community events and parades. Here is a summary of the current Omnitrans Fleet:

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
152	New Flyer	CNG
9	Thomas Bus	CNG

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
35	Ford Aerotech	Gasoline
61	Ford Starcraft	Gasoline
10	Chevrolet Uplander	Gasoline

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
1	1958 GMC	Diesel

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
154	New Flyer	CNG
24	Orion	CNG
12	Thomas Bus	CNG
3	Trolley	CNG
3	New Flyer/ISE	Electric/Gasoline Hybrid

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
101	Ford Goshen	Gasoline

Quantity	Manufacturer	Fuel
1	1958 GMC	Diesel

Net ridership is a standard measure to determine how the service is performing on the street. It is also an indicator of how the economy is doing. Ridership changes are measured based on the increase/decrease over the same month in the previous year. An increase of 2% each year is desirable.

Fiscal Year	Ridership	% Change
2012	16,152,101	7.4
2011	15,038,406	1.94%
2010	14,751,260	-4.54%
2009	15,452,794	4.20%
2008	14,826,501	-4.40%
2007	15,480,043	-0.10%
2006	15,497,166	0.50%
2005	15,420,783	-3.00%
2004	15,902,857	-4.60%
2003	16,671,990	-1.50%
2002	16,925,613	1.00%
2001	16,754,115	9.20%
2000	15,118,778	2.50%

As public transit provider to one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, our success depends upon our ability to plan for the future. Here are a few of the new programs and future directions for Omnitrans.

Omnitrans is introducing 20 new buses into its fleet in beginning in summer 2012. The New Flyer Xcelsior buses, powered by environmentally-friendly, low-emission compressed natural gas, have a streamlined styling and greater fuel efficiency, with a host of features to create an enhanced passenger experience including expanded 3-position bike racks, heat guard glass, improved climate control and reduced interior noise.

The Omnitrans sbX E-Street Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project is the first-of-its-kind express service to be constructed in the Inland Empire. The sbX service, using state-of-the-art 60-foot buses powered by compressed natural gas, will travel a 15.7-mile corridor between northern San Bernardino and Loma Linda. sbX will include 16 art-inspired passenger stations at key university, government, business, entertainment and medical centers, as well as four park-and-ride facilities. The sbX service is one component of a larger, intermodal public transit system that will serve the San Bernardino Valley, reducing vehicle congestion while providing an environmentally friendly transportation alternative that is sophisticated, convenient, cost effective, and time efficient.

The sbX project is fully funded. Of the total, 96% comes from federal, state and county funds that can only be used on designated transit projects. The cities of San Bernardino and Loma Linda are contributing a combined 4% through in-kind contributions such as permit fee waivers, use of facilities owned by the cities, and spaces for the Civic Center park-and-ride. The sbX BRT line is expected to start operation in early 2014. For more information, visit the sbX website.

Omnitrans will be constructing a new transit center in San Bernardino. The San Bernardino Transit Center will be comprised of 22 bus bays with shelters and real-time bus arrival information for passengers. The facility will also include a transit station building with public restrooms and meeting rooms, a bike station with secure bike parking and short-term rental services, food vending, bike and pedestrian paths, public art, and street improvements.

Being in Southern California, the entertainment production capital of the world, Omnitrans occassionally receives requests for film production on Omnitrans buses and at our facilities. For more information, contact:

Director of Marketing
Wendy Williams
Wendy.williams@omnitrans.org
(909) 379-7151

In 1998, Omnitrans began the search for an antique bus to be used for special events. The goal was to purchase and restore the vehicle in time for the agency's 25th Anniversary in 2001. Omnitrans found Old Blue, a 1958 vintage GMC transit coach, in the care of a bus collector in New Jersey in 1999, and purchased it for $2,500. The agency has since learned that the bus began its life in service for the Los Angeles Regional Transit District, so it was actually brought "back home" to Southern California - via flatbed truck, since Old Blue wasn't in very good shape when Omnitrans acquired it.

Work on the bus began in 1999, with major restoration efforts really getting underway in 2000. Old Blue needed a lot of TLC, and Omnitrans employees worked both on and off the clock to make necessary mechanical repairs. Once that was complete, the Maintenance Department asked some special vendors to help give the bus a much-needed facelift. McCray's provided a new paint job, Complete Coach Works renovated Old Blue's seats, Transit Care provided new window glass, and Firestone donated new tires.

Finally, Omnitrans selected a special coach number for the bus: 5876. The first two numbers represent Old Blue's model year, and the final two represent the year Omnitrans was born, 1976.

At last, in February 2001, Old Blue debuted as the Omnitrans 25th Anniversary mascot. Old Blue has been the hit of community events both large and small, from local holiday parades to San Bernardino's Route 66 Rendezvous, an event that draws nearly half a million auto enthusiasts each year.

Omnitrans produces a variety of publications to inform our customers, community partners, and stakeholders, including our primary printed reference source for riders, the Bus Book (published three times a year), our monthly Interchange newsletter, our Connections newsletter (published three times a year), and the Omnitrans annual report.