Mark Olson 11:43 AM (4 hours ago) 

tome 

Hi Lauren,

A few reasons here first from a branding awareness standpoint the stations, branding, and buses have made Rapid 215 much more visible, have increased its recognition and community ownership in a way a regular

urban bus routes can?t do.

From an operations standpoint,

. Rapid 215 runs a bit higher frequency than Rt. 15 did, especially in the peak commute times, nights, and on weekends. Rt. 15 had some capacity challenges that we didn?t have the resources to address. Rapid
215 brought larger buses (60-foot articulated buses vs. 40-foot standard buses) and more frequency, funded by TransNet.

. There are some differences in routing. Rapid 215 uses Park Blvd. (versus SR-163 for Rt. 15) which adds stops along Park Blvd., including in Balboa Park and at University Avenue. Rapid 215 also goes all the
way to Santa Fe Depot, whereas Rt. 15 turned around at the courthouses, short of the depot. Santa Fe Depot is a core transit location in downtown with COASTER, Trolley, Amtrak and Rapid connections.