Regional Council & Policy Committee Members Tour Omnitrans and San Bernardino Transit Center

News
A group of people in yellow safety vests stand in front of an electric city bus.

On Monday, Sept. 27, President Lorimore visited Omnitrans San Bernardino facility and the San Bernardino Transit Center. His visit consisted of a briefing by the Omnitrans Executive Team at their headquarters, a tour of the Omnitrans West Valley Facility, a bus ride in a new Omnitrans electric bus, a tour of the San Bernardino Transit Center and a look at a segment of the sbX BRT line connecting Cal State San Bernardino and the Loma Linda Medical Center campus and Veterans Hospital. Erin Rogers, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, along with Jeremiah Bryant, Director of Strategic Development, provided an overview of Omnitrans strategic plan, vision, mission and values. Bryant noted that Omnitrans recently initiated service in the city of Eastvale providing a connection to Amazon facilities. President Lorimore asked how well the technology is working with the electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses. Rogers noted that electric buses provide half the range of current compressed natural gas (CNG) buses but have exceeded expectations and the hydrogen fuel cell buses will have a range closer to Omnitrans CNG buses. Bryant mentioned the SCAG active transportation planning grant-funded Bus Stop Safety Study that will be presented to the Omnitrans board of directors in December 2021.

Three people in yellow safety vests stand in front of three computer screens showing video feeds.

The tour of the San Bernardino Transit Center highlighted the service connections provided by six transit operators, Metrolink, sbX Bus Rapid Transit, a transit center with public services and the site for a potential transit-oriented development project in the future. The San Bernardino Transit Center is one city block from the closed San Bernardino Carousel Mall where planning is underway to transform over forty acres into a variety of residential, commercial, and retail uses, that may also include a broader redevelopment of the area to include the San Bernardino County Administrative center.

SCAG Regional Council and Policy Committee members in attendance included President Clint Lorimore; Jon Dutrey, Chair of Omnitrans; David Avila, Past Chair of Omnitrans; Larry McCallon; and John Valdivia and Chad Schnitger, representing Supervisor Hagman.

Omnitrans staff in attendance included Erin Rogers, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager; Araceli Barajas, Senior Executive Assistant and Clerk to the Board; Regina Verdugo, Marketing and Communications; Suzanne Pfeiffer, Human Resources Director; Connie Raya, Maintenance Director; Shawn Brophy, Operations Director; Jerome Rogers, Safety, Security and Regulatory Compliance’ Jeremiah Bryant, Strategic Development Director; and many other staff who provided briefings at each tour site.