A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system called The West Valley Connector (WVC) project is coming to San Bernardino in 2024. The federal, state, and city governments have collectively earmarked $266 Million for the project. Biggest portion of this amount, $115 Million, comes from the federal government. Part of the funding will be used to buy 18 electric buses that will ply on the route.

This was announced by the San Bernardino County Transport Authority. The Phase I of the project is a 19 miles long BRT corridor that traverses the cities of Pomona, Montclair, Ontario, and Rancho Cucamonga with 21 stations altogether between these cities.

Precisely, the project will have:

15.5 miles of curb lane

3.5 miles of center-running, dedicated BRT lanes through central Ontario

Transit signal priority and queue jump lanes

Aim of the Project and Completion Deadlines

The aim is to provide a transit service in the most heavily traveled bus corridor in the area,

The project will provide connection to Ontario International Airport (ONT), probably the most important facility for the region’s economic activity. The project will also provide easy reach to destinations like Ontario Convention Center, Ontario Mills shopping, and Victoria Gardens. Currently the project is in ‘Environment’ phase, following which there will be design, construction, and project completion phases.

The service will provide 3,900 Daily Linked Trips and 984,800 Annual Linked Trips, according to an estimate by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA).

Providing Connectivity to Ontario International Airport

The Ontario International Airport is the fastest growing major commercial airport in the U.S. It is a logistics gateway as well serving the Inland Empire region, from San Bernardino County to LA County and the Orange County. Furthermore, UPS Airlines uses it as a hub and the airport is situated in Amazon Air’s focus city.

SBCTA: A Catalyst for Inland Empire’s Urban Development

The San Bernardino County Transport Authority is a catalyst for urban development in the Inland Empire region. It’s focus on increasing mobility and connectivity to and from the San Bernardino county will bring more economic opportunities to the region.

The authority has other projects as well under planning phase. These include:

• The Zero-Emission Multiple Unit (ZEMU) between San Bernardino and Redlands
• The Redlands Passenger Rail Project
• The Lilac to Rancho Double Track project, or Metrolink San Bernardino Line Double Track Project

The The Redlands Passenger Rail Project will start operations in 2022. A major theme in future projects by SBCTA is zero-emission rail and bus technologies to achieve a a greener passenger future.

Author: Sharjeel

Sharjeel joined Startempire Wire as emerging technologies editor. Earlier, he worked at Silicon Canals, a leading English language technology media source for the Benelux and wider Europe. He covered the European technology and startup ecosystem digging into latest funding rounds of startups.