Improve bus service and maximize transit resources
● In July, the Board approved more than $1.2 million for city-initiated transit stop improvements and $370,000 for OCTA-initiated transit stop improvements. Fifty-one projects in Anaheim, Brea, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, and Westminster will be funded per this approval.
● In December, Routes 50, 53, 143 and 430 were realigned to connect with the newly opened Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC). Fixed-route contracting on track
● In an effort to ensure fiscal sustainability, OCTA successfully transitioned 5.5 percent of its fixed-route bus service to an outside contractor bringing the total amount of contracted service to 27.7 percent.
Implement Intelligent Transit Management System
OCTA installed an Intelligent Transit Management System on 536 fixed-route buses. This project upgrades the voice and data radio system on all OCTA vehicles.
Transit service snapshot
● OCTA continues to be one of the top transit providers in the region with 48.9 million fixed-route passenger boardings and 1.3 million ACCESS boardings.
● In October, the Board approved the purchase of 212 compressed natural gas-powered buses. These buses increase the number of modern, clean-fuel vehicles in OCTA’s fleet which helps to reduce emissions.
● Twenty new articulated compressed natural gas vehicles were deployed.
● In March, the Board approved the purchase of 99 replacement ACCESS buses to ensure service reliability.
OC Fair Express sets another ridership record
● The OC Fair Express set a record in 2014 with nearly 77,000 trips to and from the Orange County Fair, a 31 percent increase compared to 2013.
● The OC Fair Express Mobile Ticketing App provided riders with a convenient way to purchase tickets and download bus passes directly to a smartphone.
Creative technology helps riders use bus services
● In July, the Board authorized $370,000 to enhance the Text4Next system that allows customers to receive bus arrival times via text message.
● The OCTA Adventure Series, a series of short online videos, took viewers aboard vanpool, carpool, train, bus, and bike journeys to broaden awareness of public transportation options in Orange County.
Special programs target individual groups
● A number of incentives helped increase sales of the Summer Youth Pass by 13 percent, with 64 percent of sales transactions taking place at retail outlets.
Human trafficking awareness campaign
● In August, OCTA launched a “Be The One” campaign to alert bus riders about human trafficking and to give riders and potential victims a phone number to call for help. A 40‑foot bus was wrapped in a full “Be The One” campaign advertisement and buses throughout the county displayed interior cards with the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Service animal training
● This popular, free event offered trainers of service animals an opportunity to practice boarding and alighting a public transit bus.