Foothill Transit to Adjust Numerous Bus Routes this Month

On October 29th Foothill Transit will alter service on a dozen bus routes.

Some, like the stalwart east-west Lines 190 and 194 (El Monte to Pomona), won’t be changing paths at all; they’ll be ensuring that all stops are served by all bus runs, by eliminating short line trips. Others, like 195 (Pomona-Cal Poly) and 274 (Bassett-Avocado Heights), will be lopping off small sections of their routes that are served by adjacent lines. A few stops - Corporate Center Drive in Pomona and the Industry City Hall Park and Ride - will not be served anymore.

Foothill Transit Spokesperson Felicia Friesema tells SBLA, “None of these service adjustments were simple.  They were all the result of the data we received from our year long Foothill Transit Forward analysis.” 

Foothill Transit Forward is an ongoing initiative to revamp service based on expert analysis and passenger observations. “FTF took a deep dive into traffic patterns, demographic shifts, ridership patterns, and work centers. All of that data formed the basis of the initial proposals we presented to the public.” says Friesema.

In explaining why some stops were cut, Friesema says, “Ridership has fundamentally shifted since the pandemic and the service profile we were providing pre-pandemic no longer fit what we were seeing.  The data bore this out, so we adjusted service to better allocate limited resources to where they were needed most. Some lines, like the Silver Streak, are getting additional trips as a result.”

Other improvements also include the Mt. SAC Transit Center and in the future, extended service to the Montclair Transit Center.

Click to see the complete list of route changes. Below are some of the line changes that most caught Streetsblog's attention.

Line 195 will no longer service Corporate Center in northwest Pomona, nor will it go up Campus Drive anymore to Cal Poly Pomona. Campus will still be served by the 482 though, and the Silver Streak has been serving the center of the college since the beginning of the year. 195 will also divert from Philadelphia Street in South Pomona down to County Road.

Sticking with the Pomona area, Line 482 will no longer be serving Corporate Center either, nor will it stop at Brea Canyon Road either a bit west of there. 

“As for Corporate Center (195, 482) and Brea Canyon Road (482),” says Friesema, “those adjustments were due to low ridership and to streamline service along the rest of the route.”

However, Line 486 from El Monte to Mt San Antonio College and Cal Poly Pomona (by way of Amar Road through West Covina and La Puente) will extend service to Holt Avenue and Garey Avenue near Downtown Pomona and its train station. This is a smart addition.  

Back on the West Covina/Baldwin Park border, Line 274 (north-south from Unincorporated Whittier) will no longer connect to the Baldwin Park Metrolink Station. Instead it will end at Plaza West Covina, across the street from Foothill Transit’s West Covina offices. To reach the Metrolink Station from West Covina, take the 178.

Line 498 to Downtown Los Angeles will no longer be connected to the Industry City Hall Park and Ride (right next to Old Town La Puente). Instead, it will end at West Covina City Hall. La Puente area riders will still be able to reach that point via the 185.

Finally, the Duarte area's Line 860 is being eliminated, with its coverage being taken up three other lines. The formerly overlapping Line 861 (map above) will continue to travel along Royal Oaks Drive. Huntington Drive will continue to be served by Line 187. The 272 will serve some former 860 stops on Buena Vista Street.

Find the full list of service changes at the Foothill Transit Forward! webpage.

Streetsblog’s San Gabriel Valley coverage is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays!