Council hears draft short-range transit plan: recommends service increases, EV buses and microtransit pilot

SAN LUIS OBISPO — City transit staff presented an administrative draft of the short-range transit plan to the City Council on Feb. 25, outlining recommended service changes, capital needs and program updates to guide operations over the next five years.

Mobility Services Business Manager Alex Fuchs summarized the recommendations, which include restoring two “tripper” runs that existed before the pandemic, increasing frequency on some of the system’s busiest routes (notably Route 4A/4B), converting Routes 2A/2B from a 90‑minute cycle to a 45‑minute frequency (achieved by doubling the runs), operating the B routes on weekends, establishing a new Route 5 to serve Avila Ranch in a later year, and launching a two‑year microtransit pilot focused on late‑evening service (roughly 10 p.m.–midnight). Fuchs said the plan is intended as a five‑year business and operational strategy and that staff would return April 15 with a final plan for adoption.

Fuchs said the proposals do not include service along Phillips or Pepper streets — an earlier mapping error that staff corrected during the presentation. The plan estimates that fully implementing the recommendations could increase annual ridership by about 33 percent while increasing operating costs by roughly 31 percent compared with current service; staff cautioned the projections depend on future funding availability and grant awards.

Capital and operational details: The plan anticipates…