Service Alerts
Bus Service Adjusted in Response to Coronavirus
March 19, 2020
UPDATE
5/11/20 – The County of San Bernardino no longer mandates face coverings when leaving your house, therefore our operators will no longer enforce face coverings for customers to board, or while riding, Omnitrans buses. Face coverings are strongly encouraged during the pandemic.
UPDATE
04/28/20 – Fare suspension has been extended through May 31, 2020.
UPDATE
04/06/20 – Additional system-wide service changes have been announced, going into effect Monday, April 13, 2020. Details here.
Effective today, April 6, 2020, no more than 20 customers can be onboard large buses at one time in order to allow sufficient social distancing. All customers must EXIT the bus when the route has made one complete loop to prevent non-essential travel without a destination. Rear boarding and exiting only (except for those with mobility devices) and fare suspension on all Omnitrans services is extended through Thursday, April 30, 2020.
UPDATE
03/25/20 – Although overall ridership is down during the stay-at-home order, we are hearing that buses at certain times of day can fill to a capacity that does not allow for sufficient social distancing. We are adjusting to deploy extra buses during instances like these.
In order to support public health efforts and continue to provide vital services, Omnitrans has decided to make temporary adjustments to our bus boarding procedures and implement reduced service as follows.
EFFECTIVE SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020 – SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
- Customers must board and exit the bus using the REAR DOOR.
- Customers with mobility devices will continue to board and exit through the front door.
- NO FARES will be collected on Omnitrans buses.
Additionally, beginning on Monday, March 23, Omnitrans will implement reduced service as follows, seven days a week:
EFFECTIVE MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020 – SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
- Routes operating every 15 minutes will operate every 30 minutes.
- Routes operating every 30 minutes will operate every 60 minutes.
- Routes operating every 60 minutes will continue to operate every 60 minutes.
As always, we advise you to do your part to protect yourself and those around you and follow recommended preventative actions, listed here. We will continue our precautionary, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of buses and facilities.
We thank you for riding Omnitrans and understand your need for essential transportation during this time. For the latest information, please text OMNI19 to 333-777, follow us on social media @Omnitrans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call us at 1-800-966-6428 during regular office hours.
We appreciate your understanding during this unprecedented time and apologize for any inconvenience.
- August Service Changes
What’s New For Summer – Fall 2024 We’re happy to - Meet the Planner!
Meet the Planner! Omnitrans is committed to providing safe, reliable, - January Service Changes
Below is a list of what’s new in 2024 January
This makes absolutely no sense. (1) Boarding and exiting through the back door: People are still going to sit in the front of the bus even if they enter through the back correct? Are bus drivers going to tell passengers to sit only in the back of the bus? Is the front section of the bus going to be sealed off? This means people are going to be sitting closer together. (2) Free rides: Before the corona virus outbreak people were able to ride for free because the bus drivers allowed them to. Now that the rides are free, everyone is going to be jumping onto the bus. I can guarantee you that some people are going to be riding the same bus all day (or jumping from bus to bus) because now they know the bus is a free for all. How is that going to be handled?
If the idea that has been listed above is meant to assist with slowing down the spread of the virus, it is not. It is going to create more problems. I think more effective solutions would be to (1) Just have people quickly show their pass vs swiping it when they get onto the bus (2) Have a rule that the drivers not verbally engage with riders at the moment (3) Reduce the fair to 50c instead of offering free rides, which will reduce the time people spend getting onto the bus, plus that will encourage people to still contribute their share
(4) All of the solutions I mentioned can be stated on the buses’ loud speaker
You make no sense. Let Omnitrans do what they want.
Like many of our transit partners, Omnitrans is implementing a temporary rear boarding policy to help minimize contact as customers board, pay their fare, and walk through the bus to find a seat. Seating will not be restricted; however, decreased ridership resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic allows customers to practice social distancing whenever possible. As you know, customers boarding the bus from rear doors are unable to use the farebox (with the exception of sbX). For that reason, and to provide some financial respite for customers during this tough time, fares are being temporarily suspended. Thank you for sharing your concerns and for riding. We’ll get through this together.
Your comments are extremely classist and dehumanizing. As a PhD student who rode the bus during his time as an undergraduate, I can tell you that it was not a burden to have homeless folks ride or sleep on the bus. Especially during extreme conditions such as this corona virus situation. How about we empathize with each other during this difficult time.
I applaud omnitrans for this decision! Bravo! Gracias por apoyar a nuestra comunidad!
How many family members do you have that are bus operators? If none then you sound silly! Why allow people and drivers to be unnecessarily exposed? You say that you have a PhD in what? Stupidity!!
Seriously let the rides be free, who cares. You shouldn’t be concerned about bus fare at a time likethis. Chill out.
Wow, I’m not understanding why Omnitrans personel couldnt have as much common sense as you do, whomever you are. I agree one hundred% with your views/ opinions and ideas. Bravo
It makes sense to keep people more than 6 feet away from drivers and the only way to do that is have them enter in the rear door and not scan their fare. I don’t think any seats besides the disabled spot is within 6 feet of the driver. Everything about this new policy is logical.
In answer to the screed of dear Chasi:
The idea is to keep people more than 6 feet from the driver. The only way to do that is by keeping people from swiping passes or putting coins or bills in and have them enter in the back door. The handicap spot is within 6 feet but on the other side of a divider. All the other seats are more than 6 feet away. I hope this addresses your concerns.
so youre complaining about free bus rides. your crazy
Governor Newsom: LOCKDOWN! Entire state of California now under “shelter in place”
Omnitrans needs to respect it operators and their families they go home to. They may have elderly parents living with them. We are in lockdown!
I work for Public Health and ride to work everyday with many people who work in the healthcare field. People still need to go to the store to buy food. Please think of every situation. They are reducing the hours of the buses so that those with elderly parents can stay home.
Many essential jobs are performed by people who make low wages and don’t own vehicles. Many low income people rely on buses to go shopping for food. Your comment, indicating you do not believe transportation for low income individuals, might be perceived by some as naive and myopic.
Thank you for continuing this transport service as some of us depend on it to get to and from our place of employment.
Thank you OmniTrans for continuing to serve the public while many continue to work.
thank you for being there for us. your drivers are the best…
I just want to say thank you to Omnitrans for their continued service. Taking the bus is the only way for me to get to work so I really appreciate that they’re still running.
I am so impressed with your helping the community during this time of covid. Large companies stop providing service to try and save profits, omnitrans continue to provide service at no cost to riders. Thank you so very much in this time of need.
Dear OmniTrans,
I want to let you know that all you guys do does not go unrecognized. You guys have done so much in this time to not only be considerate of the passengers but also the drivers. You guys are absolutely amazing and I hope all of you at OmniTrans, and your families, stays healthy. Peace be with you.
Sincerely, Lucky Rider
What about the riders that have bought a full fare pass will omnitrans offer a partial refund for those of us with unexpired passes?
There is no immediate change to our bus pass refund policy, but please send your contact information to us at contact@omnitrans.org, or call us at 1-800-966-6428. After temporary COVID-19 actions are rescinded, we will be sure to follow up with you personally. Thank you for understanding.
As I am happy that the busses are still running at this time, I did encounter a few issues yesterday. An elderly lady in a walker was forced to get on through the rear door where there is no ramp. She ended up dropping her groceries everywhere while trying to board. Also, a gentleman got on with a cart full of groceries and since you can only sit in the back his cart was in the way of several people entering and exiting.
I used to ride the 14 all the time but with everything going on I haven’t rode the bus in weeks. The 14 gets packed especially now that the fares are free. They should have raised the fares. I don’t feel safe to ride the bus. I can’t wait till this is all over and I can get the bus again and feel safe getting where I need to go. I miss my favorite bus driver’s. Keep safe guys 🙏🏼
There are fewer people riding the bus now so your comment about raising fares is ridiculous… besides that, the mention of packed buses… where are people going? Everything is closed
FYI not everything is closed. People still go to work, grocery store, doctor appt, bank, stores. People still ride the bus. My comment iwas my opinion that’s all!!
FYI not everything is closed. People still go to work, grocery store, doctor appt, bank, stores. People still ride the bus. My comment was my opinion that’s all!!
I know that people are still riding to work, grocery stores, etc… but other than that, where else are they going? Malls are closed, hospitals/doctor’s offices don’t want you coming unless it’s a emergency, banks can be done remotely either online or by phone. I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be riding unless it’s absolutely necessary.
I bought a disability 31 day pass on my smart phone it’s a stored pass it will stay there until I use it in 2 or 3 weeks I’ll ride for free until then
Did you activate your pass? If not, please do not activate, and it will remain useful in the future.
By cutting in half the number of buses per route, you’ve doubled the number of riders in each bus. This puts people in closer proximity than is safe. Sorry, you’ve made things worse. The more responsible path would have been to double the buses per route, therefore halving riders per bus. Expensive, but much safer.
Thanks for the comment, Michael. Although overall ridership is down system-wide, we are hearing from customers and coach operators that buses at certain times of day are filled to a capacity that does not allow for sufficient social distancing. Coach operators will now be working directly with dispatchers to deploy extra buses during instances like these. Like you said, this is much safer.
City of Carson has suspended their Buses and are encouraging MTA and others to do the same.
I encourage you to stop encouraging that.
The stay at home order still stands. People like me need the bus to get to jobs which are considered essential. Maybe your town is less essential in supply chains or has higher average income and shutting down the busses causes fewer negative ripple effects — I don’t know. I’m not from there so I don’t unessesarily weigh in on how they manage their affairs.
City of Carson operates 8 neighborhood shuttle routes along mostly residential streets in the city. Most of their riders could walk to their destinations after getting off a MAJOR line from Metro or Torrance Transit. Also, Carson’s buses only have 1 door to enter and exit from. You guess it… the front!!!
ATTENTION ALL OMNITRANS DRIVERS:
Thank you for all that you do and the fact that you help hundreds of people a day regardless of this situation should grant a medal of sorts. In regards to any negative comments or assessment know that you are very appreciated and again from the bottom of my heart thank you for not only myself but for anyone who has taken public transportation. Bless you all!
First off i want to thank all the bus drivers for this dangerous job they are doing risking there selfs and there familys lives. The less buses the bigger the risk on drivers omnitrans is beig cheap. Why not just cut off the buses or raise the fair so all those cheap people who are riding free stay home. Yes i do ride a d it is necessary for dome but realy i so few people with shopping bags. Its a shame people who are taking. We do not want matial law to come into effect. Things would be so much wores. May god bless us all.advatage of free rides. People we are supposed to be on lock down for a reason
Thank you for continuing bus service. I ride frequently to and from work. One question I have is the initial run of the day for route 61 at the same time.
I also would like an updated schedule. The new times is valuable information as I am no longer sure if Google maps is accurate.
Updated schedules are posted on our website: https://omnitrans.org/getting-around/maps-schedules/. Google Maps should be feeding off of the latest scheduling information.
Thankyou for staying open!! If I miss 1 class or probation check in I’m screwed and I’ll get locked up.. Keep it 100…
Exactly. Some of these people commenting have no sense of perspective. Transportation is an essential service.
So glad the buses are still running, but I am concerned about OMNI’s financial future. I thought that supporting funds were based on how much you brought in on your own, through fares, etc. Does no fares mean no matching funds? Will we al”pay” for this in the near future, instead of now, to make up those lost revenues?
A lot is still uncertain in this unchartered territory and we are working to determine how this affects our farebox recovery and financial future. The CARES Act, passed last week, provides $25 billion in funding for transit agencies nationwide, for “operating costs to maintain service and lost revenue due to the coronavirus public health emergency, including the purchase of personal protective equipment, and paying the administrative leave of operations personnel due to reductions in service.” Of that total, $3.75 billion is expected to be available to California transit agencies.
Thank you Omnitrans for doing what you can to look out for the safety of drivers and passengers while providing this essential service.
So I want to know if your driver been tested in your other yards and if so are u going to have everyone tested I really feel like you should just close the whole bus route. It will help peoples stay home.
Thank you for contacting Omnitrans. No Omnitrans operators have tested positive for COVID-19. What you may be referring to is the fact that an MV Transportation employee who drives for OmniAccess paratransit service tested positive for the virus after being exposed outside of work. All customers and employees who may have been exposed have been notified. We will continue to closely monitor this health emergency and support public health efforts while providing essential service.
I am disabled and can’t drive. I use buses to get to my drs appointments some of which are out of town specialists. Uber and lift can’t handle a power wheelchair and I am not functionally limited enough for Access. So Kristan are you volunteering to drive me to Amtrak so I can get to the train that will take me to see my neurologist in LA in May?
Also what about essential workers who use public transportation? Would you be willing to deal with a power outage because some of the workers can’t get to work?
Thanks Omnitrans for the service a lot of people don’t think about the necessities of the others, the markets, pharmacies and restaurants with take out food need workers and a lot of them don’t have any transportation, if you are wearing the mask in the bus there’s no problem. Be empathetic.