Omnitrans ConnecTransit Plan
Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP)
Planning and Capacity Building Grant
Omnitrans | Omnitrans ConnecTransit Plan
June 2021 – November 2023
Final ConnecTransit Plan
Adopted by the Omnitrans Board of Directors in May 2023
Project Details
In May 2023, the Omnitrans Board of Directors adopted the final ConnecTransit Plan, a community-driven sustainable transportation equity plan that defines community-identified transit-related needs in the San Bernardino Valley region, with a focus on Disadvantaged and Low-Income Communities. The ConnecTransit Plan prioritizes projects for implementation, for which Omnitrans will seek future grant funds, which will improve transit equity, increase access to key destinations, and reduce GHG emissions. The ConnecTransit Plan was developed in partnership with consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard, community-based organizations El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center and Arrowhead United Way, CARB, and technical assistance provider Othering & Belonging Institute.
Project Highlights
- The community-driven recommendations outlined in the final ConnecTransit Plan, which was adopted by the Omnitrans Board of Directors in May 2023, are in line with Omnitrans’ agency goals, vision, and values outlined in Omnitrans’ other agency plans. Omnitrans is already working with its partners to implement many of the recommendations in order to improve the public transit experience for the community.
- Having outreach workers from the community-based organizations engage with transit users at transit centers and onboard buses helped Omnitrans to reach far more members of the public than Omnitrans’ typical community engagement efforts. (The community surveys had more than 1,800 total participants). Omnitrans and CBOs El Sol and Arrowhead United Way are exploring future partnerships to implement recommendations in ConnecTransit Plan, such as a Transit Ambassador program.
- The community responded with enthusiasm to the pop-up event project in which artists were hired to paint unique art designs on bus benches. Omnitrans is pursuing more future projects for painting artwork on more benches.
Lessons Learned
- Sub-applicant community-based organization staff learned more about public transportation through their partnership with Omnitrans and are now better able to share information about transit with community members they serve. More upfront hours were needed than anticipated for team members to learn about Omnitrans, and for the team to plan the community engagement activities and develop engagement materials.
- The second survey had a lot less participation than the first, possibly due to survey fatigue. Surveys were too long. It was also difficult to find out from survey respondents which communities they live in and where they want to travel on transit; community or location information was left blank on most survey responses.
Funding Details
Grant Amount: $230,500
Resource Contributions: $31,447
Total Project: $261,947
By the Numbers
Community Engagement Activities
- Four focus groups (2 English, 2 Spanish): 25 total attendees
- Quarterly Community Advisory Council (CAC) Meetings: 6 meetings, 5 CAC members
- Two community surveys (in English and Spanish): 1,830 total participants
- Pop-up demonstration event: 100 attendees, 10 artists hired to paint bus benches
Estimated Quantifiable Benefits
- Direct Jobs: 1
- Indirect Jobs: 1
- Induced Jobs: 1
Community Details
The Omnitrans service area, an area of 480 square miles in the mostly densely populated southwest corner of San Bernardino County, includes a total population of 1.41 million people. Over half of the census tracts in the project area community are SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities and/or AB 1550 Low-income Communities. Omnitrans riders are more likely to identify as Hispanic/Latino (46%) than African American (25%) or White (17%), and the majority of riders reported an annual income of less than $35,000 (80%). Omnitrans riders are primarily male (53%) and between the ages of 19 and 39 (48%). Poverty levels vary widely among the various communities in Omnitrans’ service area. Omnitrans’ large service area covers 15 cities and several unincorporated portions of San Bernardino County. Part of the service area is within the Los Angeles Urbanized Area and part is within the Riverside-San Bernardino Urbanized Area. Residents of the diverse communities within Omnitrans’ service area face varying transportation challenges including long commute times. Most residents speak English as their primary language, followed by Spanish (34%), and Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Arabic and Cambodian (each 1% or less of the population).
Demographics of Community Served by Project
53% White, 23% Hispanic/Latino, 15% Asian, 5% Black/African American, and 4% Other
Median Household Income: $66,266
Community Benefits
The ConnecTransit Plan outlines community-driven recommendations for projects and partnerships that will improve transit equity, increase access to key destinations, and reduce GHG emissions. Omnitrans is starting to work with its partners to implement the recommended projects. Key recommendations in the Plan include:
- Transit Ambassador program.
- More after-hours community engagement and more youth engagement.
- More electronic customer information screens and further integration of real-time customer information with trip planning apps.
- Improving bus stop amenities and onboard amenities.
- Advancing zero-emission technologies.
- Improving multimodal transit services to connect to more destinations and expand hours, frequencies, and weekend service.
- Reduced-fare programs for low-income households.
Outreach & Engagement Strategies
- Surveys and interviews
- Focus groups
- Pop-up demonstration
- Community Advisory Committee meetings
- Project Webpage
Target Populations
- Low-income
- Residents with limited access to technology
- Residents with limited English proficiency
- Unhoused residents
Partnership Structure
Grantee
Omnitrans is the public transit agency serving the San Bernardino Valley, an area that includes 15 cities and several unincorporated areas in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County. Omnitrans was the lead in developing the Omnitrans ConnecTransit Plan and facilitated coordination with CARB and the two sub-grantee community-based organizations.
Subgrantees
Contact
Anna Jaiswal | (909) 379-7256 | Omnitrans