Santa Rosa CityBus increases route frequency as free rides for students ramp up

Changes include the full restoration of weekend service and increased weekday buses.|
ANDREW GRAHAM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
August 6, 2021

Santa Rosa CityBus service will reach 85% of pre-pandemic levels beginning Sunday, with increased offerings including the full restoration of weekend service and more weekday buses.

The changes coincide with students preparing to return to in-person learning.

Santa Rosa has been offering unlimited free rides to schoolchildren up to twelfth grade since July 1 through a new program funded by Bay Area Air Quality Management District grants.

In order to ride for free, students in grades 9-12 must show a student ID, while students in eighth grade and below do not need to show an ID. Homeless youth are also eligible, according to the city.

CityBus ridership reached 56% of pre-pandemic levels in June, Santa Rosa Transit Planner Matt Wilcox said. In June 2020, ridership was at around 36% of pre-pandemic levels. The lowest point came in May 2020 when ridership plunged to 17%, Wilcox said.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88

Andrew Graham

Business enterprise and investigations, The Press Democrat 

I dig into businesses, utility companies and nonprofits to learn how their actions, or inactions, impact the lives of North Bay residents. I’m looking to dive deep into public utilities, labor struggles and real estate deals. I try to approach my work with the journalism axioms of giving voice to the voiceless, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable in mind.

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