# SunLine Transit Agency

SunLine Transit Agency is a transit operator in Riverside County, California, United States, providing bus service to more than 3.5 million passengers per year in the Palm Springs Area. Service extends into San Bernardino Transit Center during peak hours. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,718,100, or about 8,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

## History and description

SunLine Transit Agency (STA) was established under a Joint Powers Agreement, initially between Riverside County and Coachella Valley cities (Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs) on July 1, 1977. Cathedral City, Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage were added later. Each of the nine member cities selects one member of the SunLine Board of Directors, with the tenth provided by Riverside County.$^{:1}$
The service area covers 1,120 sq mi (2,900 km$^2$), bounded approximately by the San Gorgonio Pass on the west and the Salton Sea on the southeast.$^{:13}$ In addition to its transit operations, SunLine regulates local taxi services (as the SunLine Regulatory Administration, a division of the SunLine Services Group)$^{:25}$ and sells CNG and hydrogen to the public from dispensers at its Thousand Palms and Indio operations facilities, under the brand SunFuels.$^{:3}$

## Routes
### Local routes

| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Via | Notes |
| 1EV | Coachella 5th Street, Vine Avenue | Palm Desert Town Center Way, Hahn Road | SR 111 | |
| 1WV | Palm Springs Palm Canyon Drive, Stevens Road | Palm Desert Town Center Way, Hahn Road | SR 111 | |
| 2 | Cathedral City B Street, Buddy Rogers Avenue | Desert Hot Springs West Drive, Pierson Boulevard | Ramon Road, Gene Autry Trail | Serves Palm Springs International Airport |
| 3 | Desert Hot Springs West Drive, Pierson Boulevard | Desert Edge Dillon Road, Corkill Road | Hacienda Avenue | |
| 4 | Palm Springs El Cielo Road and Kirk Douglas Way | Palm Desert Town Center Way, Hahn Road | Vista Chino, Bob Hope Drive | |
| 5 | Palm Desert Town Center Way, Hahn Road | Desert Hot Springs West Drive, Pierson Boulevard | I-10 | |
| 6 | Palm Desert Town Center Way, Hahn Road | Coachella 5th Street, Vine Avenue | Fred Waring Drive | |
| 7 | La Quinta Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo | Palm Desert Harris Lane, Washington Street | Washington Street | |
| 8 | Mecca 66th Avenue, Date Palm Street | Indio Showcase Parkway, Monroe Street | SR 86, Jackson Street | |
| 9 | Mecca 66th Avenue, Date Palm Street | North Shore Club View Drive, Windlass Drive | 70th Street | |
| 10 Commuter Link | Indio Highway 111, Golf Center Parkway | San Bernardino San Bernardino Transit Center | I-10, SR 210 | Serves Cal State San Bernardino |

### School Tripper routes

Services operate weekdays only.
| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Via | Notes |
| 200 | Desert Hot Springs West Drive, Pierson Boulevard | Desert Hot Springs West Drive, Pierson Boulevard | Gene Autry Trail | To Palm Springs High School |
| 500 | Palm Desert Cook Street, University Park Drive | Palm Desert Cook Street, University Park Drive | Cook Street | To The Shops At Palm Desert |
| 700 | La Quinta Calle Madrid & Avenida Vallejo | Palm Desert Harris Lane, Washington Street | Washington Street | |
| 701 | La Quinta Calle Madrid, Avenida Vallejo | La Quinta Calle Madrid, Avenida Vallejo | Washington Street | To Harris Lane and Washington Street |
| 800 | Indio Highway 111, Golf Center Parkway | Indio Highway 111, Golf Center Parkway | Jackson Street | To Shadow Hills High School |
| 801 | Indio Shadow Hills High School | Indio Shadow Hills High School | Madison Street | To Jackson Street and Avenue 44 |
| 802 | Indio Shadow Hills High School | Indio Shadow Hills High School | Jackson Street | To Highway 111 and Golf Center Parkway |
| 803 | Indio Avenue 44, Jefferson Street | Indio Avenue 44, Jefferson Street | Madison Street | To Shadow Hills High School |

### Destinations

Destinations served include:
* Agua Caliente Casino
* Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
* National Date Festival Fairgrounds
* Indian Wells Tennis Garden
* Palm Springs Air Museum
* Indio High School
* La Quinta High School
* Palm Desert High School
* Palm Springs High School
* Cathedral City High School
* Rancho Mirage High School
* Desert Memorial Park
* Eisenhower Medical Center
* Westfield Palm Desert
* McCallum Theater
* College of the Desert
* Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
* California State University, San Bernardino
* San Bernardino Transit Center

## Governance

SunLine is governed by a board of directors with 10 members
* 1 City Council member From Palm Springs
* 1 City Council member from the 9 cities in the Palm Springs Area that are not Palm Springs City.
* 1 from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, that represents the Palm Springs Area (District 4)
Chair
Nancy Ross
Vice Chair
Lynn Mallotto
Chief Executive Officer
Mona Babauta

## Facilities and bus fleet

The initial fleet included 22 buses in 1977. SunDial paratransit operations started in 1991.$^{:11}$ The SunLine Board of Directors adopted a resolution in 1992 to convert their fleet to alternative fuel, and became the first transit agency in the United States to do so in 1994, using compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.$^{:11}$
Starting in 2000, SunLine began limited operations with hydrogen fuel cell buses, installing a hydrogen fuel station using a Stuart Energy electrolyzer to supply the XCELLSiS ZEbus for a 13-month trial. The first revenue operations were conducted with the Thor/ISE ThunderPower fuel cell bus, using an ElDorado National EZ-Rider II chassis, between November 2002 to February 2003. By that time, SunLine also had installed a HyRadix methane reformer to generate hydrogen.$^{:6}$ SunLine tested a hydrogen hybrid internal combustion engine (HHICE) bus in early 2005; the bus was subsequently sent to Winnipeg Transit for cold weather testing.
STA plans to convert their fleet to zero-emission buses (ZEB) by 2035, with only ZEBs purchased starting in 2021.$^{:1,3}$ Due to the relatively long fixed routes, the final mix of ZEBs is expected to be mostly hydrogen fuel-cell buses.$^{:9}$

### Active fleet

| Make/Model | Fleet Numbers | Year | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
| New Flyer XN40 | 622-627 | 2016 | Cummins Westport ISL G | ZF 6AP1400B | |
| New Flyer XN40 | 628-637 | 2020 | Cummins Westport L9N | ZF 6AP1400B | |
| ENC E-Z Rider II BRT CNG 32' | 710-719 | 2009 | Cummins Westport ISL G | ZF 6HP594C | |
| BYD K9M | 811-814 | 2019 | 2 x TYC-150A 150 kw (max) permanent magnet motor | 600 Ah Lithium iron phosphate batteries | |
| MCI D4500CT CNG | 2007-2008 | 2020 | Cummins Westport ISX12N | Allison B500R | Used only on Route 10 Commuter Link |
| MCI D4505 | 2009 | 2017 | Cummins ISX12 | Allison B500R | Used only on Route 10 Commuter Link |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC3 | 2010 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC4 | 2014 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC5 | 2014 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC6 | 2015 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC7 | 2017 | US Hybrid FCe80 | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC8-FC12 | 2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC14-FC18 | 2018 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens | |
| ENC Axess BRT FC 40' | FC19 | 2015 | Ballard FCvelocity HD6 150 kW | BAE Systems Hybridrive | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC20-FC24 | 2021 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens | |
| New Flyer XHE40 | FC25-FC29 | 2021 | Ballard FCvelocity HD85 | Siemens | |
SunLine has two operations and maintenance facilities: one (including the administrative offices) in Thousand Palms, and another in Indio. As of 2021, on-site refueling and charging capabilities include an electrolyzer that can produce 900 kg/d (2,000 lb/d) of hydrogen at Thousand Palms, which came online in 2019, and six 80 kW AC/DC battery-electric bus chargers, three each at both Thousand Palms and Indio.$^{:1,3,17}$ Hydrogen dispensers (using delivered liquid H $_2$) and additional chargers are planned for both facilities.$^{:7–8}$
Hydrogen production started in November 2000. Two electrolyzers and a natural gas reformer were part of the initial installation. One electrolyzer, supplied by Teledyne Brown, generated 40 cu ft (1.1 m$^3$) per hour using 7.5 kW of electricity, supplied by solar panels; the other electrolyzer, supplied by Stuart Energy, produced 1,400 cu ft (40 m$^3$) per hour. The reformer produced 4,200 cu ft (120 m$^3$) per hour. The HyRadix Adéo reformer was installed at the end of 2003.