Transportation commission recommends Roseville short-range transit plan to City Council

The Roseville Transportation Commission on Aug. 19 voted to accept the city’s Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) and recommend that the City Council approve the document as the five‑year implementation roadmap for Roseville Transit and regional coordination.

The SRTP, presented by Mike Costa of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency and Roseville staff members Ed Schofield and Rich Frost, lays out near‑term service and capital actions, funding strategies, and performance measures intended to implement recommendations from each agency’s prior comprehensive operational analysis. "The funds to pay for Roseville's capital plan have already been secured," Ed Schofield said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The SRTP is a joint planning effort among Roseville Transit, Placer County Transit and Auburn Transit intended to coordinate fares, schedules and marketing as a single regional customer experience. Near‑term items in Roseville’s section include service changes already adopted from the COA, bus shelter replacements, electric‑bus charging infrastructure, the planned RapidLink regional route between Lincoln, Roseville and the Watt/I‑80 light rail station, and a prioritized fleet replacement program.

Key details

- Presenters and staff: Mike Costa, representative, Placer County Transportation Planning Agency; Ed Schofield, Roseville transit staff; Rich Frost, transit operations supervisor, Roseville Transit. Costa described the SRTP as the implementation phase of earlier service recommendations produced by the COAs for the three agencies.

- Public outreach: The SRTP team reported a survey conducted Feb.–Mar. that drew about 280 responses and targeted outreach through local jurisdictions and community partners such as the Latino Leadership Council.

- Capital and operations: Roseville’s near‑term priorities include implementing recently approved commuter and local route changes, replacing aging bus shelters (prioritizing stops that will remain in use after route restructures), installing electric charging infrastructure at the Galleria and the Courtyard transit facility, launching RapidLink regional service, and a bus replacement program. Schofield said Roseville has secured funding for its near‑term capital plan.

- Charging and electric fleet: Rich Frost said recently installed chargers at the Galleria are "set at pushing out over 400 kilowatts," adding that current charging schedules add roughly "3 miles onto the battery life" for every minute of charging. He said Roseville’s electric commuter buses have an approximate range of 210 miles on a full charge. The commission was told Roseville has five electric commuter buses (three in service, two undergoing pre‑delivery inspection) and that RapidLink vehicle deliveries have been delayed by vendor issues; staff expect the RapidLink buses to be complete by the end of the year with testing and service beginning early next year.

- Fleet replacement: The SRTP lists a fleet replacement cost for Roseville at about $18.7 million. Staff said that estimate represents the replacement of multiple vehicle types, including commuter buses, fixed‑route buses and the planned RapidLink vehicles.

- Fare and schedule integration: The SRTP recommends advancing regional conversations on fare parity, integrated fares or fare capping, and contactless payment options. Costa and staff said operators currently use different fare systems (examples mentioned included Genfare and a regional contactless project), but back‑office interoperability is being developed so contactless payments and fare capping could operate across agencies. The plan also calls for coordination of schedules and transfer points to improve connections at major hubs such as the Galleria and the Lincoln park‑and‑ride.

- Implementation timeline and metrics: Roseville’s SRTP items are categorized as near‑term, mid‑term and long‑term. Most of Roseville’s recommendations are near‑term and expected within three years; long‑term items (for example, increased frequency on some routes and expanded fixed‑route service to West Park) were noted as contingent on future funding. The SRTP proposes revised performance metrics and annual reporting standards.

Commission discussion and questions

Commissioners asked about proportional ridership analysis, shelter replacement scope, charger performance, electric bus range, RapidLink vehicle delays, and coordination for service outside city limits. Staff said ongoing ridership data collection and new onboard/AVL technology will improve proportional share analysis. For shelters, staff said the program will prioritize stops that remain after route restructuring and will use more resilient shelter designs (fewer glass panels) to reduce maintenance costs. On governance for cross‑jurisdiction service, staff said expanded service outside Roseville would require agreements and cost‑reimbursement arrangements with Placer County Transit.

Vote and next steps

Commissioner Roberts moved to accept the SRTP and recommend City Council approval; Commissioner Probst seconded. The commission voted in favor and the motion passed. Staff said the SRTP implementation will return to the commission as individual projects and procurements proceed and as funding and schedules are refined.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the May 20, 2025 meeting minutes: Motion made by Commissioner Grama; second by Commissioner McGeorge; outcome: approved (commissioners answered "Aye"; individual roll‑call not read into the record).

- Motion to accept the Short Range Transit Plan and recommend City Council approval: Motion made by Commissioner Roberts; seconded by Commissioner Probst; outcome: approved (commissioners answered "Aye").

Ending

Staff will carry SRTP implementation items forward to the City Council and return to the Transportation Commission with project‑level updates, design work and procurement details as individual capital and service items move into design and construction phases.