THRUWAY BUS SERVICE CHANGES BEGINNING AUGUST 1, 2020
ATTENTION RIDERS – AMTRAK SAN JOAQUINS THRUWAY BUS SERVICE CHANGES BEGINNING AUGUST 1, 2020
The coronavirus crisis and economic downturn has resulted in a significant decline in ridership and revenue for Amtrak San Joaquins. Many of the San Joaquins Thruway Bus routes, which were once cost-effective and servicing thousands of riders daily, have seen a sharp drop in ridership. The agency has responded by modifying a variety of bus routes throughout the state in order to continue providing service an essential level of service, while allocating limited resources as strategically as possible. Provided below are the specific routes and changes beginning August 1, 2020.
Amtrak San Joaquins’ top priority is the health and safety of our employees and passengers. View our health and safety measures here.
Service Changes
- Due to low ridership demand, this route has been suspended indefinitely.
- Tehachapi and Mojave stops will be served by Route 10 (Bakersfield – Las Vegas) with two daily trips.
Alternative Transportation Options
- Kern Transit Route 100 (Bakersfield-Lancaster) offers 5 daily trips with stops in Tehachapi, Mojave and Lancaster; 3 daily trips on Saturday and Sunday.
Service Changes
- Due to lack of ridership demand, Route 19 is being truncated at San Bernardino.
- Passengers will instead be able to utilize Pacific Surliner buses from San Bernardino to Cabazon, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Indio. For this connection, passengers can book tickets through the Amtrak San Joaquins ticket portal, Amtrak.com, and the Amtrak App.
Alternative Transportation Options
- Riverside Transit Agency provides transit connectivity with Route 19 from Riverside including service to Hemet, Menifee, and Perris
- Transit Route 220 serves Riverside to Palm Desert and Route 54 serves Palm Desert to Indio, each with 3 daily round trips.
THE FOLLOWING ROUTE 19 STOPS WILL BE ELIMINATED
Cabazon, Palm Springs (Airport), Palm Springs (Downtown), Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City/Menifee, Hemet, Hemet (Simpson Center).
Click here to view the updated timetable.
About Route 18B
Route 18B previously served the cities of Hanford, Goshen Jct. and Visalia. Route 18A, which serves Santa Maria, Grover Beach, San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Paso Robles, Kettleman City, Lemoore, and Hanford, will continue to operate.
Service Changes
- Due to lack of ridership demand, this route has been suspended indefinitely.
- Riders can still travel between Hanford and San Luis Obispo/Santa Maria.
THE FOLLOWING ROUTE 18B STOPS WILL BE ELIMINATED
Visalia and Goshen Jct.
Click here to view the schedule.
Service Changes
- Due to low ridership demand and an effort to save travel time, the Rio Dell-Scotia and McKinleyville stops will be eliminated.
- Humboldt Transit will honor Amtrak San Joaquins tickets for riders to utilize their transit system to/from McKinleyville (from Arcata) or Rio Dell-Scotia (from Fortuna).
- One additional round-trip is being added from the current reduced service levels to serve Martinez-Vallejo-Petaluma-Rohnert Park-Santa Rosa.
Click here to view the updated timetable.
