North County Transit District

The BREEZE Bus Service serves as the main form of public road transportation for residents of North San Diego County. BREEZE service began in 1976 when NCTD acquired the municipal bus systems serving Escondido and Oceanside.

The annual ridership of BREEZE buses is 7.9 million people, with an average weekday ridership of 25,800 people. More than 2,600 bus stops and 9 transit centers service the BREEZE buses. As of October 2021, the fleet comprises 161 vehicles, including 143 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.

The California Energy Commission awarded NCTD $4 million to build a hydrogen fueling station at BREEZE's main facility in Oceanside on May 19, 2021. Construction of the fueling station is expected to be completed in mid-2022. NCTD is also expected to order eight hydrogen-fueled electric buses and six battery-powered electric buses in the next 2 years.[6] As of January 2023, the six battery-powered electric buses have been delivered to NCTD.

In November 2009, NCTD approved outsourcing all bus and rail operations effective July 1, 2010, to First Transit.[7] The agency anticipated saving $70 million over seven years with the move.[7] Fleet and facility operators remained NCTD employees until their contracts expired June 30, 2011.

As of January 2013, NCTD offers 30 BREEZE bus routes plus 4 FLEX zones.[8]

A Sprinter DMU at the Vista Transit Center

The SPRINTER is a 22-mile (35 km) hybrid rail line that runs east and west between Escondido and Oceanside.[4] A total of 455 trains run every week.[4]

The SPRINTER's first day of service was March 9, 2008.[4] The annual ridership was 2.5 million people in 2015,[4] with an average weekday ridership of 8,300 people.[4] Fifteen stations are served by the Sprinter route.[4] SPRINTER equipment includes 12 Siemens Desiro diesel multiple unit passenger trains.[4] NCTD also owns a maintenance facility and rail yard for their Sprinter service in Escondido, between Escondido Transit Center and Nordahl Road station.

The COASTER is a 41-mile (66 km) commuter rail service that runs north and south between Oceanside and Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego.[9] A total of 126 trains run every week,[9] with expanded service offered in the spring and summer and additional trains scheduled for special events as needed.

The COASTER's first day of service was February 27, 1995.[9] The annual ridership is 1.7 million people, with an average weekday ridership of 5,700 people in 2015.[9] The COASTER route serves 8 stations on its route, including the termini at Oceanside and Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego.[9] Currently, COASTER equipment consists of 7 locomotives and 28 bi-level coaches.[9]

The North County Transit District owns and maintains two rail yards for their COASTER commuter rail service. The first yard is the main maintenance and servicing facility located north of Oceanside at Stuart Mesa on Camp Pendleton, and it is shared with Metrolink and the Pacific Sun Railroad. The second yard is shared with the San Diego Trolley at 12th & Imperial in Centre City San Diego; this rail yard stores trainsets during mid-days until they're ready to be used again for northbound services.

• 
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  Left: An NCTD Coaster Bombardier BiLevel cab car at San Diego's Santa Fe Depot. Right: Coaster Siemens SC-44 Charger diesel-electric locomotive in Oceanside Transit Center.

LIFT vehicles provide origin-to-destination service for people with disabilities who are unable to use BREEZE buses due to their disability and have been certified for eligibility, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Service is available for trips within ¾ mile of fixed bus routes.

The LIFT's first day of service was January 1, 1993. The American Logistics Company operates the LIFT.[10]

FLEX is an on-demand service in parts of southwest Carlsbad and Ramona, where BREEZE service is not available. FLEX vehicles take passengers anywhere within the FLEX zone or to the nearest transfer point on the BREEZE, COASTER, or SPRINTER. The American Logistics Company operates the FLEX service.[8]

NCTD has implemented cutting-edge green initiatives and sustainability programs that minimize the environmental impact of public transit. NCTD recently installed solar panels, saving the agency $1 million in energy costs over five years. NCTD has increased recycling and improved lighting and is using biodegradable cleaning supplies. In addition, NCTD has received grant funding to install electric smart car chargers in transit center parking lots.[5]

All NCTD and related San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) services utilize the new Pronto contactless fare system introduced in September 2021 by INIT Systems and SANDAG; the Pronto system succeeded the first-generation Compass Card system."[12] As a replacement for the original "Compass Card," the Pronto fare system allows for a tap-on, tap-off approach through the use of station validators in order to deduct the correct fare; additional measures may need to be taken depending on the service.[13][14] General Pronto cards can be physically purchased at Pronto ticket vending machines within NCTD facilities, or in NCTD customer service centers; electronic versions can be purchased through the website or through the mobile applications.[15]

Both NCTD and MTS services previously utilized the aforementioned contactless "Compass Card", made possible by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. The "Compass Card" allowed passengers from MTS and NCTD to store regional transit passes and cash value on a rewritable RFID card. Customers would have purchased passes and added cash value on the Internet or at any ticket vending machine. Prior to using a provided service, customers tapped their Compass Cards on the ticket validator located at the transit center or station. The LED display on the validator would then light up with lights resembling that of a stoplight, and the LCD display showed text regarding the passenger's fare account.[16] The new Pronto system now used expanded upon many of the design concepts previously employed with the Compass Card system.[17]