All Aboard: Irvine CONNECT Plans for a Shuttle Bus Expansion

Tamara Bradley, Staff Writer

While developing the expansion of bus routes in Irvine, Irvine’s city council aims to reduce traffic of all kinds, especially traffic around schools. “I want to make sure these shuttles are accessible to students,” said Irvine city council member Kathleen Treseder. “One of the things we’ve prioritized as we’re designing our routes is to make sure that they go by as many high schools as possible, and also possible middle and elementary schools, because we want students to be able to take those to school. The traffic around schools is terrible. So, the more people we can get onto the shuttles, the better the drop off will be for everybody else.”

Irvine CONNECT plans to add an additional bus and five more bus stops located near UCI, Portola Parkway, Jamboree, West Barranca and Great Park that are expected to launch in July 2025.

On April 22, the Irvine City Council voted to expand the free CONNECT’s shuttle, where the council voted 4-2 in favor of the proposed additional routes. Treseder hopes to have a widely accessible free shuttle service that can provide rides for Irvine commuters in 20-minute intervals.

“We definitely need to increase public transit in the city if we’re going to be sustainable,” Treseder said. “Right now, we have a lot of cars on the road, and then traffic doubles during the work day as people come from all over Orange County. We need buses that can transport a lot of people at once. We’re going to have to do it because our population is going to keep expanding. Right now, our roads are already overtaxed.”

After the budget cuts to Orange County Transportation Authority after a decline of ridership in 2018, Irvine plans to renew funds for bus expansions using Prop 116, which enacted the Transportation and Clean Air Improvement Act that granted money toward projects that would improve passenger rail infrastructure and services, according to Voice of OC.

“I think public transportation is very helpful, especially for students,” sophomore Fatma Agueel said. “Some families don’t have enough cars or time to drop off all family members, especially with students’ extracurriculars.”

However, ridership has continued to increase in recent years, and with a yearly budget of $250 million, Irvine plans to continue expanding the busing network with around $4 million each year, depending on the route. However, Irvine’s city council members hold different concerns about where they place their budget, as some prefer to use it for other developments, such as new gondolas or bike lane protection.

“[Public transportation] is very important, especially at our school,” sophomore Sky Dadash Zadeh said. “There’s a lot of traffic in the mornings, and there’s a lot of people whose parents have odd schedules that can’t always drop them off at ideal times. So I think public transport and buses are a great way to remedy that.”

In the future, Irvine plans to continue expanding their bus routes and public city transportation to the more heavily used parts of the city. As the city grows, Irvine CONNECT is helping ensure that mobility keeps pace with community needs.

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About the Contributor

Tamara Bradley, Staff Writer

Tamara Bradley is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. In this new school year, she is eager to work together with her team members to produce electrifying stories that will compel readers. When she is not fretting over mounds of schoolwork, you can spot her blasting some of her favorite tunes, hanging out with her friends or catching up on the latest true crime podcasts.