Changes in store for Omnitrans

An Omnitrans bus heading to Chino Hills.Omnitrans General Manager Milo Victoria unexpectedly announced his resignation on June 5. The CEO submitted his resignation without reason to the Omnitrans Board of Directors. He had been with the transit agency for 3 1/2 years.

Some have already claimed that his resignation was related to faults in the sbX bus rapid transit project. At this point, these claims are mere speculation. What we do know is that Victoria's resignation followed a closed session Board meeting which included a performance review of the CEO. Board discussions on employee matters are almost always done in closed session due to confidentiality issues. Omnitrans Director of Operations, Scott Graham, will assume Victoria's duties as an interim.

With a change in leadership, The Transit Coalition will keep a watch on the progress of Omnitrans' sbX BRT line and the transit agency's long term plans to expand the sbX network across Omnitrans' service area. We predict the starter line will mimic LA's Metro Orange Line through Downtown San Bernardino and emulate LA Metro Rapid in other areas. Both of these rapid transit forms provide LA bus riders a quick and speedy alternative to slow local bus rides for longer distance trips.

Based on information from the sbX website, here are some highlights of the corridor and bus fleet:
  • Each of the 16 stations is art inspired and reflects the culture & heritage of the community it serves. Shelters provide protection from sun, wind, and rain.
  • The line will have stations either in the median of the road are along the sides.
  • There will be four Park & Ride lots--Palm Avenue, Marshall Boulevard, Rialto Avenue, and Anderson Street.
  • The interval between buses is 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes at other times.
  • Interior bike racks

Photo © George Lumbreras CC-BY-SA

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