Yolo County proposes fewer, more frequent West Sacramento bus routes; board to weigh funding scenarios in December

Yolo County Transportation District officials on Nov. 5 presented draft recommendations for a short-range transit plan (SRTP) that would reconfigure West Sacramento's local fixed-route network to prioritize frequency over geographic coverage and rely more on microtransit for low-ridership areas.

The draft plan, covering 2024 through 2031, would consolidate Routes 40, 41 and 240 into a single Route 38 running roughly every 30 minutes, leave Route 37 largely intact but limit its trips into downtown Sacramento to peak periods, and use microtransit to preserve coverage where fixed routes would be removed. "It is a detailed roadmap, pun intended, for YoloTD's operations, investments, and service improvements within about a 5 to 7 year time frame," said Lola Torni, senior transportation planner with YoloTD during the presentation.

Why it matters: planners said higher-frequency service can shorten total travel time by reducing waits and transfers. "We know that higher frequency leads to higher ridership," Torni said. YoloTD staff described the change as a move away from an hourly "coverage" model toward fewer corridors with more frequent service designed to produce more one-seat rides across the city.

What staff presented: the draft recommendations are a "base case" intended to be revenue-neutral in miles and hours compared with current service levels (the metric used to bill the operator). Staff said the proposal resulted from two rounds of public outreach (roughly 240 online responses, about 63 responses tied to West Sacramento) and on-vehicle surveying of Routes 40, 41 and 240. The presentation showed that ridership productivity in northern neighborhoods described in the presentation declined substantially between 2020 and 2024 (presenters cited a drop between 37 percent and 57 percent).

Public reaction and queries: several council members pressed staff on the role of Via, the city-sponsored microtransit provider, and whether Via's growth had caused the decline in fixed-route ridership. "That is our best, to our best understanding, yes," Torni said when asked whether Via usage was part of the drop. Council member Dante Early, who sits on the YoloTD board, noted funding uncertainty and urged staff and the board to analyze what service reductions would look like if projected costs rise. "We're almost positive it's gonna be more expensive, significantly more," Early said regarding future contracts and operator costs.

Funding and timeline: YoloTD staff said the board will consider several funding scenarios — from aspirational to constrained — at its December meeting; the district expects to decide funding direction before issuing a new operator contract in the spring and beginning implementation planning. Staff discussed a potential system launch approach that could be phased city-by-city or delivered as a one-date overhaul (they cited Jan. 5, 2027 as an example implementation target). Identified revenue sources included Transportation Development Act (TDA) allocations shared with member jurisdictions, potential toll-revenue contributions from the Yolo 80 managed-lane project, federal grants and a possible local transportation sales tax measure.

Coverage and equity: presenters said the plan relies on microtransit (Via and similar services) to maintain access in areas where fixed routes would be reduced. Staff said survey respondents generally preferred frequent fixed routes even if that required a longer walk to a stop; planners said this pattern mirrors experience elsewhere. Council members expressed concern about equity and access for Broderick-area riders who currently rely on closer stops and on cheaper fares offered through microtransit incentives in the past.

Next steps: no final action was taken at the West Sacramento meeting. YoloTD staff will revise the draft based on input and present funding scenarios to the YoloTD board in December; the board will select a funding scenario and then the district will move toward contracting and implementation planning.

Context: the SRTP is required by the Federal Transit Administration and is intended to guide operations, capital and service investments over a 5'7 year horizon. The city and district noted ongoing local studies (including a city-led multimodal transit-priority study funded by a Caltrans grant) intended to coordinate bus routes, microtransit, and planned light-rail service across West Sacramento.