Placer County Board approves short-range transit plan, service plan implementation

The Placer County, Calif., Board of Supervisors approved Placer County Transit’s 2025 short-range transit plan and proposed service plan implementation. 

The approval includes efforts to begin electrifying the Placer County Transit fleet over the next five years, beginning with the purchase of four electric buses and two charging station installations by 2028. The county notes the fleet additions, charging station infrastructure improvements, as well as bus stop modifications, are anticipated to cost $28.4 million through 2030. 

“Placer County is undergoing an exciting transition with our fleet and this vote helps us move closer to our goals,” said Placer County Transit Manager Jaime Wright. “A lot of effort went into this short-term transit plan, from planning to surveying to analysis, and we’re proud of the collaborative efforts made by our partners throughout this process.” 

According to the county, the short-term transit plan builds upon a pair of operational studies from the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) and Roseville Transit. Beginning in July 2023, PCTPA coordinated an extensive operational study with assistance from WSP USA Inc. and LSC Transportation Consultants Inc.  

PCTPA led the effort for Auburn Transit and Placer County Transit and worked in coordination with the city of Roseville, Calif., to align their efforts with Roseville Transit’s service planning. Those efforts resulted in a comprehensive operational analysis, with recommended service changes and improvements in the cities of Auburn, Loomis, Rocklin, Roseville and Lincoln. 

“Our goals are to increase transit usage, provide an efficient, effective and equitable network of services and deliver reliable and integrated transportation options for our residents,” Wright said. 

The county notes a technical advisory committee was created to advise on the planning process. PCTPA also engaged with a transit operators working group that met regularly to review recommendations from the studies. There were also ongoing conversations with staff from Auburn Transit, Placer County Transit and Roseville Transit throughout the planning process. 

The short-term transit plan will be implemented in three phases: 

• Near-term: All transit operators plan to gather updated service performance data, and PCTPA will assist with the development of a regional ADA paratransit service certification platform for the GO South Placer transit cell phone app. All transit operators plan to implement their near-term operational and capital changes identified in the plan. The county will consider modifications to the structure of the agreement with the Western Consolidated Transportation Services Agency joint powers authority to implement coordination recommendations. 
• Mid-term: Placer County Transit will implement specific mid-term capital and operational changes outlined in the plan as it moves towards a fully electric fleet 
• Long-term: Placer County Transit and Roseville Transit plan to roll out their long-term capital and operational changes proposed in the plan but will need to acquire additional funding.  

The full short-term transit plan and comprehensive operational analysis can be found on Placer County’s website.