Sentinel staff report– The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) this Friday will implement a “no mask, no ride, no exceptions” requirement for transit riders.
SacRT said in a Dec. 10 news release that transit riders previously were required to wear masks or face coverings, but that exceptions were allowed. The only persons exempt from the new requirement will be those under the age of two.
The transit district said its new policy is being implemented in response to rising cases of COVID-19 and will be in place through “at least” Dec. 31, after which the policy will be assessed on a weekly basis.
The district said its new policy follows the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidance on “direct threat” criteria regarding ADA accommodations during a pandemic. The commission specifies: “if an individual with a disability poses a direct threat despite reasonable accommodation, he or she is not protected by the nondiscrimination provisions of the ADA.”
SacRT said its new requirement affects riders as well as “anyone waiting at a station or transit center.” Those required to wear masks or coverings include riders of light rail, bus, SmaRT Ride and other transit services offered by the district.
Acceptable face coverings include disposable or cloth masks, neck gaiters, scarves, bandannas and religious face coverings, as long as the mouth and nose are covered completely.
SacRT serves the Sacramento region, including Citrus Heights, with public transit services. // Image courtesy, SacRT
By Thomas J. Sullivan– Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) will roll out a new bus service schedule on Sept. 8, featuring major service changes to almost every bus route. Some early morning services are be dropped due to low ridership, and new evening services are being added.
Mary Poole, operations manager for the City of Citrus Heights General Services Department, presented an overview of the new SacRT transit schedule at the city’s Planning Commission meeting on June 12. She said the new schedule includes better frequency, longer service hours on some routes, and more weekend service throughout the system, as some duplicative routes are being discontinued.
Route 24 SacRT Route 24 will be discontinued due to low ridership and will be covered by SmartRT Ride microtransit. The existing route included stops at Main Avenue and Hazel Avenue, Greenback Lane and Hazel Avenue, with a connection to the Folsom Stage Line Transit Center, Poole said.
Riders affected by the service change have an option to use Sacramento Rapid Transit’s SmaRT Ride program which is similar to other ride-share services where customers can use a smartphone app or call to request a bus to pick them up and drop them off wherever they wish to travel within the SacRT’s service boundaries, Poole said. Trip requests must be made on the same day, and wait times for service are subject to vehicle availability and demand.
Route 1 SacRT Route 1, providing round-trip service from Sunrise Mall to Watt/I-80, is one of the its top performers, Poole said.
Early morning departures at 5:14 and 5:44 a.m. will be dropped. New trips from Sunrise Mall at 6:29, 6:59, and 7:29 p.m. and from Watt/I-80 at 7:04, 7:34, 8:04 and 8:34 p.m. will be added.
Weekend trips on SacRT Route 1 from Watt/I-80 to Sunrise Mall at 5:06, 5:36 and 6:06 a.m. will also be dropped. A Sunday trip leaving Sunrise Mall at 9:11 p.m. to Watt/I-80 will be added. Sunday and holiday trips leaving Watt/I-80 for Sunrise Mall will shift from 8:36 p.m. to 9:06 p.m.
Route 25 A new Route 25-Marconi replaces Route 24. Round trip service on Madison Avenue to Sunrise Mall will be discontinued on Sept. 8. The new SacRT Route 25-Marconi will go from Mercy San Jan Hospital on Coyle Avenue, north on Dewey Drive, continuing onto Van Maren Lane, north on Auburn Blvd. to Louis/Orlando transit center. Weekend service will run every 30 minutes from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and hourly service from approximately 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The new schedule increases Saturday frequency to 45 minutes until 8 p.m. and adds night service at 60-minute frequency until approximately 10 p.m. Sunday and Holiday service on the new route will run every hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Route 21 SacRT Route 21 will drop weekday early morning service at 4:41 a.m., 5:11 a.m. and 5:41 a.m. leaving from Sunrise Mall. Buses will operate every 45 minutes on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and every hour until 10 p.m. An early morning Saturday/Sunday trip beginning from Sunrise Mall at 6:12 a.m. will also be dropped.
Routes 95/93 Due to low ridership, former SacRT Route 95 will be combined with Route 93. The new Route 93-Hillsdale bus route will reroute from Elkhorn Blvd., Greenback Lane, and Auburn Blvd. to Louis/Orlando via Andrea Blvd., Tupelo Blvd., Antelope Road, and Auburn Blvd., effective Sept. 8. Saturday bus service frequency will be increased to every 45 minutes. Four Saturday/Sunday trips on the new SacRT Route 95 line will begin at SacRT’s Louis/Orlando transit center, beginning at 7:35 a.m. and 7:35 p.m., and beginning at Watt/I-80 around 7:14 p.m. and 8:14 p.m.
Route 193 SacRT Route 193, a popular commuter route providing early morning service from the Louis/Orlando Transit Center to Watt Avenue and I-80 Light Rail, with connections to Roseville and Placer County Transit, will be re-designated Route 103. There will be no change in service frequency.
Riders are urged to visit sacrt.com/sacrtforward to view the new bus routes. The web site also includes maps and descriptions of the new bus routes. Updated schedules will be printed and available online this summer.
