Make the 215 Faster!

Make the 215 Truly Rapid

The 215 is San Diego’s busiest bus line and the backbone of transit for Mid-City, SDSU, and Downtown, but today it’s slower and less reliable than it should be. What was once envisioned as a ~30-minute end-to-end rapid route now routinely takes closer to 50 minutes, costing riders time, dignity, and opportunity.

BikeSD, RideSD, and SD350 have come together to change that.

With low car ownership in Mid-City and among SDSU students, major plan updates in the Mid-City and College areas, and new first mile/last mile solutions like SANDAG’s Flexible Fleets Program, the timing is right to finally deliver on the promise of the 215. That means faster travel times (e.g. level boarding, off-board fare payments, and all-door boarding), more frequent service, continuous bus-only lanes, and real transit priority. On top of this, it will give San Diegans a real alternative to driving to some of the city’s top destinations, including SDSU, Downtown, and Balboa Park.

The 215 can be a truly rapid option, and there’s nothing new about this, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has clear guidelines on what constitutes bus rapid transit:

• Physically separated bus lanes allow buses to avoid congestion;

• Stations and bus lanes aligned to the center of the street to avoid being delayed by turning vehicles and vehicles dropping off passengers or goods;

• Fares collected off the bus, to avoid delays caused by passengers paying on board;

• Boarding from a platform level with the bus floor to make boarding faster, and so that people in wheelchairs or with strollers can roll directly onto the vehicle;

• Turn restrictions and bus priority at intersections to reduce delay at intersections from red signals.

This campaign calls on the City, MTS, and SANDAG to stop backsliding on transit priority and instead build on proven successes, like the Safer Park Boulevard bus lanes, to make the 215 a true rapid transit option. Faster buses mean more riders, fewer car trips, and real progress on San Diego’s climate, equity, and vision zero goals.

The 215 doesn’t need to be reinvented. It needs to be completed.

Take Action

Click below to email the city and MTS/SANDAG leadership, demanding that they make the 215 a truly rapid transit option!

Complete Streets Concept, Transit Network, and Transit Priorities in the College Area Plan Update