Press Release: Redding Area Bus Authority in Partnership with Amtrak San Joaquins is Headed to Chico

The Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) is headed to Chico starting on Thursday, August 22, 2024, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, August 19, 2024, at Redding City Hall Council Chambers at 5:15 p.m., located at 777 Cypress Avenue in Redding.

RABA and the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) have formed a partnership. As a result, riders in Redding, Red Bluff, and Chico will now ride a blue RABA motorcoach between Redding, Red Bluff, and Chico to connect to another Amtrak Thruway motorcoach for service to Sacramento and Stockton.

This new partnership allows for bus-only tickets for all city pairs along the route for those boarding in Redding and Red Bluff. This recent service expansion significantly broadens the scope and connectivity of the bus top pairs previously available on Route 3.

This expansion along Route 3, which was approved by the SJJPA Board of Directors at the November 2023 meeting and the RABA Board of Directors meeting at the May 2024 meeting, represents the latest step in Amtrak San Joaquins’ efforts to provide a comprehensive transportation alternative to travelers in communities throughout the state, beyond where the train can service.

Historically, travelers on all Thruway Bus routes were required to have a segment of train travel as part of their overall trip to travel on the Thruway Bus. However, state legislation, SB 742, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was passed in 2019 to remove the requirement for intercity passenger rail/thruway bus services to sell companion rail tickets as a condition of the sale. As such, following extensive planning coordination, in 2021, after the impacts of the pandemic had eased, SJJPA opened parts of the Amtrak San  Joaquins Route 7 and Routes 1c, 10, 18, and 19 for bus-only sales.

“We are pleased to now be at the point where we can expand connectivity along Route 3 to its fullest extent,” said Patrick Hume, Chair for the SJJPA. “Opening Route 3 is a result of extensive collaboration with local stakeholders and regional transit providers and is a part of our ongoing effort to make Amtrak San Joaquins a comprehensive transportation solution for communities statewide.”

Making Amtrak’s Thruway bus routes available to non-rail riders brings several benefits, including:

• • Improved access to transit for priority and underserved populations.
  • Reduction in greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions by diverting trips that would have previously been taken by an automobile.
  • Reduced car trips on some of the state’s most congested corridors.
  • Better utilization of current transit services.
  • Increased revenues for the state at virtually no additional cost.

The bus-only ticketing options and fares are now available in the following locations:

• • Route 3: Redding-Red Bluff-Chico-Sacramento-Stockton
  • Route 7: Martinez - Napa - Santa Rosa – Humboldt State University - Arcata
  • Route 1C: Bakersfield - Van Nuys - West Los Angeles/UCLA - Santa Monica
  • Route 10: Santa Barbara - Bakersfield - Barstow - Las Vegas
  • Route 15: Merced – Yosemite & Fresno – Yosemite (seasonal)
  • Route 18: Hanford - Lemoore - San Luis Obispo - Santa Maria
  • Route 19: Bakersfield - Pasadena - Riverside - San Bernardino

“We are so pleased to have this partnership with Amtrak and SJJPA,” stated John Andoh, Transit Manager for the Redding Area Bus Authority. “We are trying to be creative and think outside the box by making public transportation clean, accessible, reliable, efficient and safe, and by adding new routes and technology can help RABA increase its passenger trips as well as mobility”.

“This intercity connection is important to Shasta County residents and visitors,” stated Justin Jones, chairman of theRABA Board of Directors. “This opportunity connects our residents and visitors to statewide destinations for quality of life opportunities”.

Riders wanting to ride the new service to or from Chico or other destinations on the Amtrak network can book their reservation at www.amtrak.com. On the Amtrak website, passengers can also see the route schedule. Riders would use station codes RDR for Redding, RBF for Red Bluff, and CIC for Chico. Discounts are available for students, veterans, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Those who want to pay with cash would pay on the bus or via the Token Transit app. The fares between the three city pairs range from $5.00 to $15.00, and no discounts are provided for cash-paying or Token Transit app users.

For additional RABA information:

• Please call (530) 241-2877, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service
  Email: RABA@RABARide.com
  Visit www.RABARide.com
  Find RABA on Facebook, Instagram and X @RABARide.

About RABA:
RABA is a service of the Redding Area Bus Authority, which is a joint powers agency between the City of Redding, City of Shasta Lake, City of Anderson, and Shasta County and provides countywide public transit services on 15 fixed routes, operates a vanpool and bike-share subsidy program and complementary paratransit service. RABA transports approximately 406,000 passenger trips annually on a fleet of 38 buses and vans. Services are provided under contract with Transdev Services, Inc. (bus and demand response), Shasta Living Streets (bikeshare), and Enterprise Mobility (vanpool).

About the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA):
Since July 2015, SJJPA has been responsible for the management and administration of Amtrak San Joaquins. SJJPA is governed by Board Members representing each of the ten (10) Member Agencies along the 365-mile San Joaquins Corridor. For more information on SJJPA see www.sjjpa.com. Amtrak San Joaquins is Amtrak’s 6th busiest route, with about 1 million annual riders and 18 stations providing a safe, comfortable, and reliable way to travel throughout California. Before service modifications due to the COVID-19 crisis, Amtrak San Joaquins operated seven daily train round-trips, and its Thruway buses provided connecting service to over 100 destinations in California and Nevada, including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Reno. To book your next trip, visit www. AmtrakSanJoaquins.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

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