North State Express

Introducing,

A Plan to Provide Faster, Better Transit Services to the Bay Area & Sacramento.

BACKGROUND

The North State Express (NSE) is a proposed express bus service connecting the four corners of the US101, I-5, SR299, and SR20 corridors with each other and with Sacramento and the Bay Area. NSE will operate under a unified, customer-facing brand and will be fully coordinated with local public transit agencies.

HOURS OF SERVICE

The planned hours of service equal 137 revenue hours daily. Service is planned for seven days a week.

Expanded Regional Access

NSE will fill service gaps in over 50 communities across the NSSR, improving access to medical, employment, education, and social opportunities, while connecting to major intercity services such as Amtrak, Gold Runner, Capitol Corridor, airports, Greyhound, FlixBus, and SMART.

Joint Management and Cost Sharing

Transit agencies within the North State Super Region (NSSR) will collaboratively oversee, operate, market, schedule, and plan NSE through an established cost-sharing agreement and joint oversight body.

NSE BENEFITS

Estimated annual ridership: 186,515
Estimated annual GHG emissions reduction: 2,603 Metric Tons
Access to medical facilities, including hospitals, urgent care, routine care providers, and doctor offices
Service to over 50 communities across the region
Advancement of state goals for GHG reduction and improved intercity connectivity in lieu of cost prohibitive rail service
Support for a modern, simplified fare system with debit and credit card payment at the farebox
Reduced traffic related injuries

As NSE becomes fully established, additional integration measures may be implemented, including unified branding across all vehicles regardless of the operating agency, a dedicated NSE logo, website, customer service center, and a standardized fare structure. These initiatives will be guided by the NSE oversight committee and subject to approval by the participating transit agencies.

Operators Involved In Full Coordination

The following local transit systems are jointly involved in delivering NSE: Humboldt Transit Authority, Mendocino Transit Authority, Redwood Coast Transit, Trinity Transit, Lake Transit, Glenn Ride, Redding Area Bus Authority, Nevada County Connects, and Siskiyou STAGE. These agencies are developing a cost sharing model and developing a joint oversight committee via policy board Resolutions.

Participating agencies

Humboldt Transit Authority, Mendocino Transit Authority, Redwood Coast Transit, Trinity Transit, Lake Transit, Glenn Ride, Redding Area Bus Authority, Nevada County Connects, and Siskiyou STAGE.

SERVICE COSTS

The operators will jointly share fleets to operate this service and through existing and planned procurements, capital costs are covered.

The estimated annual cost to operate the service is $8,081,847 million and $37 million over five years with inflation. NSE operators have identified $1.36 million in funding available.

Total five year operating need: $37.1 million
Total year one operating need = $6.7 million.

SERVICES

NSE will connect Crescent City to Santa Rosa. From Santa Rosa, connections to Amtrak, the Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART), Gold Runner thruway bus connections, and Golden Gate Transit will extend journey possibilities into the core of the Bay Area. In Arcata, transfers to service over SR299 provide access to Redding. In Ukiah, transfers to service over SR20 to Lakeport, then Marysville and finally Grass Valley are planned.

NSE will directly connect the Siskiyou Transit Center to the Downtown Redding Passenger Terminal, Sacramento International Airport, and Sacramento Valley Station via services in the I5, SR299, and SR20 corridors. This will facilitate seamless transfers for passengers between vehicles for end-to-end travel.

Support For State Goals

NSE advances California’s transit and environmental objectives, with plans for an all Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) fleet and alignment with key state and regional plans, including the California Intercity Bus Study Update, State Rail Plan, and various Regional Transportation Plans.