SolTrans advisory committee backs revised route plan, urges more paratransit outreach and higher peak frequency on Yellow line

VALLEJO, Calif. — The SolTrans Public Advisory Committee on Monday reviewed revised route concepts from a systemwide Comprehensive Operational Analysis and voted to send two priorities to the agency board: increase peak‑hour frequency on the Yellow line where budget allows, and expand outreach to paratransit users before the plan goes to the board.

The committee received the revised concepts from SolTrans planner Mandy Renshaw, who described the COA as an effort “to redesign our local and Solano Express network to better balance efficiency, equity, and coverage with a cost neutral budget.” Renshaw said staff conducted outreach to roughly 1,000 people, collected just under 500 survey responses, completed 36 onboard bus conversations and compiled about 765 total comments used to revise route concepts.

Why it matters: The COA would redraw local routes in Vallejo and adjust Solano Express regional lines serving Vacaville, Fairfield, Benicia, Concord and points beyond. The committee’s requests aim to protect access for riders who rely on paratransit and to signal to the board a local priority for more frequent Yellow‑line service during commute peaks.

Most important changes presented

- Local routes: Staff proposed several local adjustments in Vallejo, including combining Route 1 and Route 2 into a bidirectional loop, changing Route 3 from a single‑direction short loop to a bidirectional service with daily (7‑day) operation, keeping Route 4 in the network but shortening and rerouting it to retain service to the hospital and courthouse while adding a Daniels loop, restoring connections for areas that drew strong negative feedback, and streamlining 7A/7B to improve frequency into a coordinated pattern that provides a shorter wait for Gateway Plaza. Renshaw told the committee that the revised local proposals were explicitly shaped by public comments about coverage and walk distances to health and social services.

- Solano Express (regional) changes: For the express network, staff proposed moving the Blue‑line terminus from Walnut Creek to North Concord/Concord BART and reallocating the segment to Davis because midday ridership between Vacaville and Fairfield showed higher demand. Staff said running hourly, full‑day Blue service to Davis would be a higher‑cost option the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) would need to fund; early estimates provided to the committee put that additional service at roughly an 8–9% increase in the Solano Express budget if provided all day. Renshaw also proposed merging most Green‑line resources into the Red line while retaining a small number of peak express Green trips, and discontinuing the Route 82 pilot so those resources could boost El Cerrito Del Norte BART service on core lines.

Paratransit and equity concerns

Committee members raised multiple concerns about paratransit coverage tied to the local changes. Renshaw said paratransit service is designed to be complementary to the fixed route network and “we serve within the hours and the coverage of whatever’s operational on that day.” She acknowledged the outreach did not target paratransit users individually and said staff would add paratransit riders to the next outreach phase and adjust paratransit service to match any approved schedule changes.

Solano Community College, Benicia and other nodes

Staff also said they had begun discussions with Solano Community College about adding a Vallejo campus stop on the revised Route 6; the college must still approve a turnaround and safety plan. Committee members asked that staff continue to pursue the college stop if possible. Members also pressed whether industrial and employment centers in Benicia would be served; staff said low ridership and roadway geometry limited options but indicated they would continue exploring connections.

Budget and timing

Renshaw stressed the COA assumes a cost‑neutral baseline with no new recurring funding. She said the analysis keeps service within current vehicle and operator resources and that any expanded all‑day service (for example, restoring full Blue‑to‑Davis hourly service) would require additional funding commitments from STA partners. If the board approves the revised plan and the subsequent public outreach, staff said service‑change planning would begin immediately; changes would not be expected to take effect until August 2026 to allow stop relocation, schedule building and rider notification.

Committee action

PAC member Adjoa McDonald moved that the committee request the board pursue increased Yellow‑line frequency during peak hours; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The committee later approved a motion to receive the draft COA final report and forward feedback that emphasizes (1) expanded targeted outreach to paratransit users and (2) Yellow‑line peak frequency increases, with the packet to accompany the September board submittal. The clerk recorded the vote as unanimous.

What’s next

Staff will present the COA and the committee’s feedback to the SolTrans board in September; Renshaw said staff will also provide a public packet showing the comments received and explaining how the final concepts respond to the outreach. Any changes that require partner funding—such as all‑day hourly Blue service to Davis—would be subject to decisions by funding partners including STA.

A short list of data and claims in this report

- Outreach: ~1,000 contacts, just under 500 surveys, 36 onboard bus conversations, ~765 comments (as reported by staff). - Public comment themes: concentrated negative feedback on proposed eliminations or reroutes of Routes 4, 5 and 8 and on removing a Davis segment of the Blue line; positive comment clusters for increased midday service between Vacaville and Fairfield and for more frequent Red‑line midday service. - Implementation: staff said changes would be cost neutral to the current budget baseline and not scheduled to take effect until August 2026 if adopted by the board.

Committee members and staff quoted in this article are limited to those named during the meeting and identified below.