OC Bus 360°, OCTA’s comprehensive effort aimed at reshaping transit service throughout the county, continues to show positive results.
As part of OC Bus 360°, OCTA launched Bravo! Route 529 limited-stop service along Beach Boulevard on Feb. 11. The weekday service, which makes stops at 13 key locations instead of the typical 34 stops, saves riders an average 10 minutes per trip. More than 23,000 people boarded the new service during its first month.
OCTA’s college pass program, which launched at Santa Ana College in September 2017, has also seen success. The three-year pilot program allows Santa Ana College students to ride OC Bus free using student ID cards. Ridership at the college grew 12.6 percent between the fall 2017 and 2018 semesters.
Last fall, the college pass program expanded to include Santiago Canyon College. More than 622,000 students from both colleges boarded the bus with their college pass during the fall semester. OCTA is working with other community colleges to potentially expand the program.
An updated OC Bus mobile ticketing app was released in March with the goal of boosting mobile ticketing use. Updates include a redesigned interface, the ability to purchase tickets using Google Pay or Apple Pay and the addition of Touch ID and Face ID security features.
