Welcome!
to the Virtual Open House for the B-Line Routing Study
We appreciate you taking time to learn about proposed changes to the B-Line service. The commenting period for the draft plan is closed. Scroll down to see the previous Virtual Open house.
Let's get started! Below is an overview of the stations included in the Virtual Open House.
Station 1: Study Overview and Purpose
As the owner and operator of Butte Regional Transit
(B-Line), the Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG) is preparing the B-Line Routing Study to update their service routes and schedules and provide recommendations to improve ridership, identify alternative routing options, and develop innovative transit solutions that utilize B-Line's existing resources.
B-Lines routes were last updated in 2010, and since then, there have been many changes that impact the need for transit services such as regional growth in the Butte area, recent wildfires, ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, overall reduced demand for transit, and changes in the transit service industry.
Over the last year, the B-Line Routing Study team has conducted on-board surveys, pop-up workshops, public meetings, reviewed the existing conditions, and analyzed current services and routes to determine potential improvements. Now, the team has developed a draft plan using the data collected and community feedback received and is presenting the plan for the public to review and comment on.
The purpose of the study is to determine how BCAG can best allocate their resources in an efficient way to meet the diverse needs of current and potential transit users in Butte County.
Station 2: Existing Conditions
In July 2022, BCAG and its consultant team prepared a memo describing the existing conditions of B-Line and the current transit needs of Butte County residents.
Some of the key findings from this report include:
-
Demographic studies imply a high need for public transit. Compared to national averages, Butte County has proportionally more residents with a mobility-related disability, residents who are low-income, and residents who are aged 65 and older. California State University, Chico and Butte College students are also likely in need of public transit services.
-
Butte County experienced an overall 61% decline in transit ridership from 2013 due to multiple factors including the Camp Fire in 2018 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
-
Lower demand for transit services is expected to remain for the foreseeable future, with many workers transitioning to hybrid or remote schedules and schools offering online classes. However, transit services are still needed by many area residents that cannot or prefer not to use private vehicles, and an
Current B-Line Transit Network
important part of solving issues related to traffic congestion, limited parking, and sustainability goals for the future.
-
Onboard rider surveys indicate that most people who ride B-Line are dependent on transit services to get around. Riders primarily take B-Line for shopping or personal errands, school, and work, and would like to see more weekend service, better shelters, and later, more frequent service.
Station 3: Previous Outreach
To ensure that BCAG's planning effort aligned with the values and needs of the community, a public outreach campaign was implemented during the B-Line Routing Study. This includes:
-
Onboard Rider Surveys (December 2021)
-
Three Virtual Community Workshops (July 14, 2022, October 25, 2022, and one final workshop planned for May 9, 2023)
-
Pop-up Workshops (planned for Spring 2023)
Here are the findings from the Onboard Surveys:
-
280 passengers participated in the survey. Almost 1/3 of respondents were students, most from Chico State, and another 1/3 were local employees.
-
Transfers are most common between Routes 3 and 4, and between Routes 14 and 15. 20% of all transfers were from passengers riding Route 14.
-
77% of respondents rated B-Line service as good or excellent.
-
The highest-ranked aspects of B-Line service were driver courtesy and affordability.
-
The lowest-ranked aspects of B-Line service were bus stops/shelters and information at the bus stops.
-
Participants most often requested improvement is for
more frequent weekend service and more shelters at bus stops.
Below are links to previous outreach summaries.
Station 4: Draft Routing Plan
The Draft Routing Plan outlines alternative for the B-Line fixed route system and a plan for potential replacement of the fixed route service with microtransit services (see video below). Each section that follows outlines the proposed redesign for Chico, Oroville, Paradise/Magalia, and Intercity service. No changes to existing Paratransit service are proposed as part of this plan.
Over the last several years, the concept of microtransit has seen increasingly widespread application across the nation. The goal of microtransit service is to provide coverage over an area not served efficiently by fixed-route service with a short response time, typically within 15 minutes of the request, through app-based technology. To learn more, watch the video on the right.
What Is Microtransit?
Chico Service Changes
The existing route network currently serves Chico well. The system provides connections in downtown Chico as well as secondary transfer points at the North Valley Plaza and Forest Avenue in the south. However, there are route segments throughout the system, especially in the lower density areas to the north and east, that have low ridership. There are other challenges with on-time performance of some routes at various times of the day.
Guiding principles for the Chico service redesign include:
-
Retain key services in downtown Chico
-
Reflect community unmet needs
-
Address on-time performance issues on existing Chico routes
-
Replace low-performing routes with micro-transit service
-
Add direct service in the southeast of the City and to new destinations
-
Emphasize North Valley Plaza as the secondary transit center
Chico Plan Benefits
-
Travel times are reduced on Routes 2 and 5, improving the on-time performance.
-
Lower performing routes have been replaced with microtransit to better align the service with the market it serves.
-
Transit coverage is extended with microtransit in the east and north areas, with continued connection points at Downtown Chico, North Valley Plaza and Forest Avenue.
-
Direct fixed route local service on Fair Street to the Jesus Center
-
Friday evening service and Saturday service is provided on Routes 8 and 9 when CSUC is in session.
Proposed Chico route map. Click the image to enlarge.
Chico service that has changed includes:
-
Route 2 Mangrove
-
Route 3 Nord/East
-
Route 5 East 8th Street
-
Route 7 Bruce/Manzanita
-
Route 8 Nord
-
Route 9 Orange/Warner/Cedar
-
Route 15 Esplande/Lassen
-
Route 16 Esplanade/Hwy 99
-
Route 17 Park/Fair/Forest
-
Route 52 Chico Airport Express
-
North Microtransit Zone
-
East Microtransit Zone
Oroville Service Changes
The existing service in Oroville operates four routes at 60-minute headways using two buses. This plan reallocates the service hours to improve on-time performance and coverage in the area. The service plan introduces three microtransit zones and three fixed routes to expand the service to more areas.
The key components of the services in Oroville include:
-
Retain high ridership routes
-
Replace low ridership routes with microtransit
-
Commingle paratransit and general public demand response to extend coverage
Oroville Plan Benefits
-
Improved on-time performance for fixed routes.
-
Lower performing routes have been replaced with microtransit to better align the service with the market it serves. This has the potential to expand ridership in the future.
-
Extended transit coverage with microtransit in the southeast and north areas.
-
No additional revenue hours.
Oroville service that has changed includes:
-
Route 25 Feather River Boulevard
-
Route 26 Orange Ave
-
Route 27 Oro Dam/Veatch
-
West Microtransit Zone
-
Southeast Microtransit Zone
-
North Microtransit Zone
Proposed Oroville route map. Click the image to enlarge.
Paradise/Magalia Service Changes
The existing Routes 40 and 41 will be replaced with a single streamlined Route 40, with all runs traveling to Magalia. Microtransit service is also planned to serve outlying areas, helping to support rebuilding in the two communities. As shown in the map below, the route operates along most of the segment of the existing Route 40 to Wagstaff Road / Clark Road and continues north on Clark Road to the Lakeridge loop in Magalia. The Paradise Transit Center will be served in both directions. Note that the existing Route 41 service along Fair Street in Chico will be eliminated (all service will be along the existing Route 40 in Chico), but the revisions to Route 17 will replace and expand service along Fair Street.
Reflecting current ridership levels, the number of runs on weekdays will be five in the westbound direction and four in the eastbound direction, with three runs in each direction on Saturdays. These runs are scheduled to allow commuting in both directions on weekdays, as well as mid-day services to allow a variety of trip lengths for other purposes. Note that if demand increases in the future, additional runs (particularly on weekdays) could be added.
Paradise/Magalia Microtransit
Outlying areas of Paradise and Magalia will be served by a microtransit zone. This will replace the various low-ridership loops operated currently by Route 41 and also substantially expand the transit service area to encompass new developments in Paradise that are part of rebuilding the community. To provide connections with the fixed route, service will operate from 6:30 AM – 6:00 PM on weekdays and 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM on Saturdays. This service should initially be operated using a single van. If ridership grows to the point where average wait times consistently exceed 30 minutes, a second van could be added during peak times. Fares will be consistent with the local fixed route fares.
Paradise/Magalia Plan Benefits
-
Improved on-time performance for fixed route
-
Lower performing route segments have been replaced with microtransit to better align the service with the market it serves.
-
Microtransit significantly expands the portions of the Ridge communities that have transit service. Importantly, this
Proposed Paradise/Magalia route map. Click the image to enlarge.
includes scattered multifamily residential developments that cannot be efficiently served by fixed routes. Overall, it provides service that better fits the development pattern as the area continues to recover from the Camp Fire. It also provides service for trips within the local area at the lower local fare rate rather than the current regional fare rate.
Intercity Route Service Changes
Beyond the Paradise/Magalia service, intercity service updates include:
-
Route 20 is currently providing critical connections between the most populous areas within Butte County – Chico and Oroville. In this plan, most of the routing of Route 20 will remain the same. The proposed new Route 20 will be bidirectional along SR 70, Garden Dr, Table Mountain Blvd, County Center Dr, Nelson Ave, and back to Table Mountain Blvd. This will reduce the running time by 1 to 2 minutes and improve on-time performance.
-
Route 30 is planned to remain unchanged, as current service needs are well served by the current service plan.
-
No changes are considered for Route 32. While ridership is low, it is an important lifeline service and serves disadvantaged communities.
-
Prior to the Camp Fire, Route 31 provided service between Paradise and Oroville. Even before the pandemic and fire, ridership on this route was very low. Given that the bulk of the need for a
Proposed Intercity route map. Click the image to enlarge.
transit connection to Paradise/Magalia is to/from Chico, available transit resources are better used in expanding that service (as discussed above) and reinstatement of Route 31 is not part of this plan.
Benefits to Intercity Services
-
Improved on-time performance for intercity routes
-
Maintain key service areas of the intercity routes
-
Improve regional service efficiency
Paratransit Services
Under this plan, fixed routes will be reduced. As the minimum paratransit service area required under the Americans with Disabilities Act is a 3/4 mile distance from a fixed route, this provides the potential to reduce paratransit service areas. However, no reductions in existing paratransit services are proposed.