Redding (CA) Area Bus Authority, In Partnership With Amtrak San Joaquins, Is Headed To Chico, CA

The Redding (CA) Area Bus Authority (RABA) is headed to Chico, CA, starting on August 22, 2024.

RABA and the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) have formed a partnership. As a result, riders in the California cities of Redding, Red Bluff, and Chico will now ride a blue RABA motorcoach between Redding, Red Bluff, and Chico to connect to another Amtrak Thruway motorcoach for service to Sacramento, CA, and Stockton, CA.

This new partnership allows for bus-only tickets for all city pairs along the route for those boarding in Redding and Red Bluff. This recent service expansion significantly broadens the scope and connectivity of the bus stop pairs previously available on Route 3.

This expansion along Route 3, which was approved by the SJJPA Board of Directors at the November 2023 meeting and the RABA Board of Directors at the May 2024 meeting, represents the latest step in Amtrak San Joaquins’ efforts to provide a comprehensive transportation alternative to travelers in communities throughout the state, beyond where the train can service.

Historically, travelers on all Thruway Bus routes were required to have a segment of train travel as part of their overall trip to travel on the Thruway Bus. However, state legislation, SB 742, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was passed in 2019 to remove the requirement for intercity passenger rail/thruway bus services to sell companion rail tickets as a condition of the sale. As such, following extensive planning coordination, in 2021, after the impacts of the pandemic had eased, SJJPA opened parts of the Amtrak San Joaquins Route 7 and Routes 1c, 10, 18, and 19 for bus-only sales.

Making Amtrak’s Thruway bus routes available to non-rail riders brings several benefits, including:

• Improved access to transit for priority and underserved populations;
• Reduction in greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions by diverting trips that would have previously been taken by an automobile;
• Reduced car trips on some of the state’s most congested corridors;
• Better utilization of current transit services; and,
• Increased revenues for the state at virtually no additional cost.

“We are so pleased to have this partnership with Amtrak and SJJPA,” John Andoh, Transit Manager for the Redding Area Bus Authority, said. “We are trying to be creative and think outside the box by making public transportation clean, accessible, reliable, efficient and safe. Also, by adding new routes and technology, this can help RABA increase its passenger trips as well as mobility.”

Riders wanting to ride the new service to or from Chico or other destinations on the Amtrak network can book their reservation at www.amtrak.com.  On the Amtrak website, passengers can also see the route schedule. Riders would use station codes RDR for Redding, RBF for Red Bluff, and CIC for Chico. Discounts are available for students, veterans, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Those who want to pay with cash would pay on the bus or via the Token Transit app. The fares between the three city pairs range from $5 to $15, and no discounts are provided for cash-paying or Token Transit app users.