SunLine Transit Agency
SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San Bernardino Transit Center during peak hours. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 2,742,300, or about 8,700 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2025.
 | |
 SunLine New Flyer XHE40 hydrogen fuel cell bus | |
| Founded | July 1, 1977 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 32-505 Harry Oliver Trail Thousand Palms, California |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 10[1] |
| Fleet | 68 buses, 27 paratransit[2] |
| Daily ridership | 8,700 (weekdays, Q4 2025)[3] |
| Annual ridership | 2,742,300 (2025)[4] |
| Website | sunline.org |
SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San Bernardino Transit Center during peak hours.[1][5] In 2025, the system had a ridership of 2,742,300, or about 8,700 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2025.
History and description
[edit]SunLine Transit Agency (STA) was established under a Joint Powers Agreement, initially between Riverside County and Coachella Valley cities (Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs) on July 1, 1977. Cathedral City, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage were added later. Each of the nine member cities selects one member of the SunLine Board of Directors, with the tenth provided by Riverside County.[6]: 1
The service area covers 1,120 mi2 (2,900 km2), bounded approximately by the San Gorgonio Pass on the west and the Salton Sea on the southeast.[6]: 13 In addition to its transit operations, SunLine regulates local taxi services (as the SunLine Regulatory Administration, a division of the SunLine Services Group)[7]: 25 and sells CNG and hydrogen to the public from dispensers at its Thousand Palms and Indio operations facilities, under the brand SunFuels.[8][9]: 3
Routes
[edit]Local routes
[edit]| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1EV | Coachella
5th Street, Vine Avenue |
Palm Desert
Town Center Way, Hahn Road |
SR 111 | |
| 1WV | Palm Springs
Palm Canyon Drive, Stevens Road |
Palm Desert
Town Center Way, Hahn Road |
SR 111 | |
| 2 | Cathedral City
B Street, Buddy Rogers Avenue |
Desert Hot Springs
West Drive, Pierson Boulevard |
Ramon Road, Gene Autry Trail | |
| 3 | Desert Hot Springs
West Drive, Pierson Boulevard |
Desert Edge
Dillon Road, Corkill Road |
Hacienda Avenue | |
| 4 | Palm Springs
El Cielo Road and Kirk Douglas Way |
Palm Desert
Town Center Way, Hahn Road |
Vista Chino, Bob Hope Drive | |
| 5 | Palm Desert
Town Center Way, Hahn Road |
Desert Hot Springs
West Drive, Pierson Boulevard |
I-10 | |
| 6 | Palm Desert
Town Center Way, Hahn Road |
Coachella
5th Street, Vine Avenue |
Fred Waring Drive | |
| 7 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo |
Palm Desert
Harris Lane, Washington Street |
Washington Street | |
| 8 | Mecca
66th Avenue, Date Palm Street |
Indio
Showcase Parkway, Monroe Street |
SR 86, Jackson Street | |
| 9 | Mecca
66th Avenue, Date Palm Street |
North Shore
Club View Drive, Windlass Drive |
70th Street | |
| 10
Commuter Link |
Indio
Highway 111, Golf Center Parkway |
San Bernardino | I-10, SR 210 |
|
School Tripper routes
[edit]Services operate weekdays only.
| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | Desert Hot Springs
West Drive, Pierson Boulevard |
Gene Autry Trail | ||
| 500 | Palm Desert
Cook Street, University Park Drive |
Cook Street | ||
| 700 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo |
Palm Desert
Harris Lane, Washington Street |
Washington Street | |
| 701 | La Quinta
Calle Madrid, Avenida Vallejo |
Washington Street |
| |
| 800 | Indio
Highway 111, Golf Center Parkway |
Jackson Street | ||
| 801 | Indio
Shadow Hills High School |
Madison Street |
| |
| 802 | Indio
Shadow Hills High School |
Jackson Street |
| |
| 803 | Indio
Avenue 44, Jefferson Street |
Madison Street |
| |
Destinations
[edit]Destinations served include:[10]
- Agua Caliente Casino
- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
- National Date Festival Fairgrounds
- Indian Wells Tennis Garden
- Palm Springs Air Museum
- Indio High School
- La Quinta High School
- Palm Desert High School
- Palm Springs High School
- Cathedral City High School
- Rancho Mirage High School
- Desert Memorial Park
- Eisenhower Medical Center
- Westfield Palm Desert
- McCallum Theater
- College of the Desert
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
- California State University, San Bernardino
- San Bernardino Transit Center
Governance
[edit]SunLine is governed by a board of directors with 10 members[11]
- 1 City Council member From Palm Springs
- 1 City Council member from the 9 cities in the Palm Springs Area that are not Palm Springs City.
- 1 from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, that represents the Palm Springs Area (District 4)
Chair
Nancy Ross
Vice Chair
Lynn Mallotto
Chief Executive Officer
Mona Babauta
Facilities and bus fleet
[edit]
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The initial fleet included 22 buses in 1977. SunDial paratransit operations started in 1991.[12]: 11 The SunLine Board of Directors adopted a resolution in 1992 to convert their fleet to alternative fuel, and became the first transit agency in the United States to do so in 1994, using compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.[12]: 11
Starting in 2000, SunLine began limited operations with hydrogen fuel cell buses, installing a hydrogen fuel station using a Stuart Energy electrolyzer to supply the XCELLSiS ZEbus for a 13-month trial.[13] The first revenue operations were conducted with the Thor/ISE ThunderPower fuel cell bus, using an ElDorado National EZ-Rider II chassis, between November 2002 to February 2003.[14] By that time, SunLine also had installed a HyRadix methane reformer to generate hydrogen.[15]: 6 SunLine tested a hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine (HHICE) bus in early 2005; the bus was subsequently sent to Winnipeg Transit for cold weather testing.[16]
STA plans to convert their fleet to zero-emission buses (ZEB) by 2035, with only ZEBs purchased starting in 2021.[17]: 1, 3 Due to the relatively long fixed routes, the final mix of ZEBs is expected to be mostly hydrogen fuel-cell buses.[17]: 9
Active fleet
[edit]| Make/Model | Fleet numbers | Thumbnail | Year | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Flyer C40LF | 575-594 |  |
2007 | Cummins Westport ISL G EPA07 | ZF 5HP594C | |
| New Flyer C40LF | 601-621 | 2008 | Cummins Westport ISL G EPA07 | ZF 5HP594C | ||
| New Flyer XN40 | 622-627 |  |
2016 | Cummins Westport ISL G EPA13 | ZF 6AP1400B | |
| New Flyer XN40 | 628-637 |  |
2020 | Cummins Westport L9N EPA17 | ZF 6AP1420B | |
| Gillig BRT CNG 40' | 638-652 |  |
2013 | Cummins Westport ISL G EPA13 | Allison B400R | |
| BYD K9M | 811–814 |  |
2019 | 2 x TYC-150A 150 kW (max) permanent magnet motor | 600 Ah Lithium iron phosphate batteries | |
| MCI D4500CT CNG | 2007–2008 |  |
2020 | Cummins Westport ISX12N EPA17 | Allison B500R |
|
| MCI D4500CT CNG | 2010 |  |
2023 | Cummins Westport ISX12N EPA21 | Allison B500R |
|
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC8-FC12 |  |
2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC14-FC18 | |
2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens ELFA2 | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC19 | 2015 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | * Ex Orange County Transportation Authority 1101, Acquired in May 2022. | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC20-FC24 |  |
2021 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens ELFA2 | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC25-FC29 |  |
2022 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens ELFA2 | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC30-FC37 |  |
2024 | Ballard FCMove-HD+ | Siemens ELFA3 |
SunLine has two operations and maintenance facilities: one (including the administrative offices) in Thousand Palms, and another in Indio. As of 2021[update], on-site refueling and charging capabilities include an electrolyzer that can produce 900 kg/d (2,000 lb/d) of hydrogen at Thousand Palms, which came online in 2019, and six 80 kW AC/DC battery-electric bus chargers, three each at both Thousand Palms and Indio.[17]: 1, 3, 17 Hydrogen dispensers (using delivered liquid H
2) and additional chargers are planned for both facilities.[17]: 7–8
Hydrogen production started in November 2000. Two electrolyzers and a natural gas reformer were part of the initial installation. One electrolyzer, supplied by Teledyne Brown, generated 40 ft3 (1.1 m3) per hour using 7.5 kW of electricity, supplied by solar panels; the other electrolyzer, supplied by Stuart Energy, produced 1,400 ft3 (40 m3) per hour. The reformer produced 4,200 ft3 (120 m3) per hour.[18] The HyRadix Adéo reformer was installed at the end of 2003.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Routes and Schedules". SunLine Transit Agency.
- ^ fleet information
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Sunline.
- ^ a b SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2018/2019 | FY 2020/2021 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2016/17 – FY 2018/19 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "SunFuel Alternative Fuel Stations". SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Affordable, Sustainable Transportation in the Coachella Valley: Solutions for the Local Workforce (PDF) (Report). California State University San Bernardino. January 29, 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Destinations". SunLine Transit Agency.
- ^ "Boards and Committees | SunLine Transit Agency". www.sunline.org. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- ^ a b SunLine Transit Agency Short Term Transit Plan, FY 2017/18 – FY 2019/20 (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Cooperative Agreement Project Number CA-26-7022 (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. September 2, 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "SunLine Test Drives Hydrogen Bus" (PDF). United States Department of Energy. August 2003. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Chandler, Kevin; Eudy, Leslie (November 2003). ThunderPower Bus Evaluation at SunLine Transit Agency (PDF) (Report). U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "SunLine Tests HHICE Bus in Desert Climate" (PDF). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan (PDF) (Report). SunLine Transit Agency. June 24, 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Clapper Jr., William L. "SunLine Transit Agency: Hydrogen Commercialization for the 21st Century" (PDF). SunLine Transit Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Harness, John (2006). "Auto-Thermal Reforming Based Refueling Station at SunLine Services" (PDF). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
External links
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| Transportation |
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This list is incomplete. | |||||
