Yolo County Transportation District officials presented West Sacramento City Council members with proposed route changes the district hopes will delay funding deficits for at least until fiscal year 2028-2029, changes that will consolidate with West Sac routes into one. Photo courtesy of Yolo County Transportation District

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Facing a looming financial cliff, officials with Yolo County Transportation District (YTD) gave the City Council a presentation at council’s Oct. 7 meeting on options the district hopes will stave off financial catastrophe in a couple years — options that could result in major cuts to service if additional revenues are not found.

The district is proposing route changes in West Sacramento as part of updates to its 2025-31 Short-Range Transit Plan that features route consolidation along with reductions in service frequency. Yolo is presenting proposed changes to all cities in its service area, followed by recommendations to its Board of Directors in December for adoption.

Like many mass transit agencies across the United States, YTD has been experiencing a large drop in ridership — a decline that began before the Covid pandemic and has continued to decline. According to YTD’s presentation, total ridership on West Sacramento routes in 2020 was 162,138, a figure that dropped to 74,413 in 2024 and has continued downward.

YTD Executive Director Autumn Bernstein said there are a number of factors contributing to the decline, factors shared by other agencies. Rising expenses led by higher labor contract costs and increasing fuel prices have combined with remote work that has changed travel patterns and emergence of other transit methods like ridesharing services such as West Sacramento’s Via along with e-bikes and e-scooters have given commuters more travel options.

The result for YTD is a drastic decline in revenues projected over the next five years. Without service cuts, the agency is looking at a deficit of almost $1.59 million in fiscal year 2027-28, a deficit growing annually to almost $9.14 million in 2031-32 — making for a five-year total deficit of $27.6 million.

“If we are not able to find additional revenue, we are looking at pretty catastrophic cuts to Yolo bus service in Yolo County,” Bernstein said.

Some of that can be held off with service reductions beginning in 2027. Officials are proposing a 20% service reduction to overall miles and operating hours that if implemented would lead to the agency operating in the black by $1.22 million in FY 2027-28.

Deficits would begin the following year, starting with $473,000 in 2028-29 and accelerating annually to $5.84 million in 2030-31 — cutting the current projected five-year total by over half to $12.4 million.

The reductions in service in West Sacramento feature combining existing routes 40, 41 and 240 into a new Route 36. The consolidation provides a new north-south route that runs from River City High School through the Bridge District, Sutter Health Park, Broderick-Bryte neighborhood to the Walmart/Ikea shopping center.

City staff and Yolo officials feel this “will be more efficient and effective in serving school trips than Via, freeing up that service for seniors, disabled passengers and others who need the corner-to-corner service Via provides.” It also increases coverage in Broderick-Bryte.

“It’s going to be very helpful,” said Councilwoman Norma Alcala, whose district includes that area.

The fourth route, Route 37, remains essentially unchanged in West Sacramento. Reconfiguration occurs in downtown Sacramento to “avoid frequent Golden One Center road closures/detours and to extend to the new California state office buildings on Richards Boulevard.” This route will continue to serve downtown Sacramento during morning and evening peak hours but remain in West Sacramento the rest of the time.

Both routes 36 and 37 would be timed to allow travelers to transfer to the east/west inter-city route 42A/B that travels through West Sacramento on West Capitol Avenue and Cabaldon Parkway.

There are also proposed changes in bus frequency. Route 42 changes to 30-minute service 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 60-minute service from 7 p.m. to midnight and on weekends while routes 36 and 37DT offer 30-minute weekday service 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., with 37 running 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in West Sacramento on weekdays.

Under the proposed 20% reduction route 42A/B remains the same while routes 36, 37 and 37DT change. Route 37DT would offer hourly service on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. while 37 would offer 60-minute service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

Route 36 would offer hourly weekday service similar to route 37, except ending at 4 p.m., but would provide half-hour weekday service from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. and 60-minute service from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Council members seemed receptive to the proposed YTD changes but expressed concerns about the long-term viability of mass transit in the Sacramento area without addition funding sources. Both YTD and Via receive additional funding besides rider fares, with West Sacramento subsidizing Via and contributing $3 million in Transportation Development Act funds to support YTD.

YTD has also received federal and state funds to help fill revenue gaps, but federal sources have ended and state funding is soon to follow. Councilwoman Danté Early, who is not seeking reelection this fall, said agencies in other cities and states have looked to increasing public funding to support mass transit.

“I don’t see a way out of this without having to pass a county-wide tax measure,” she said.

Mayor Martha Guerrero agreed but noted there was not currently any “political will” to increase taxes of any sort.

“I do think we have to be more creative than just cutting down routes,” she said.

City and YTD officials are hoping more solutions to the mass transit issue will come from the West Sac Forward Transit Priority Plan, a project getting underway in coordination with Sacramento Regional Transit District, Nomad Transit, operators of Via, and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to create a long-term plan for public transportation.

The plan will analyze existing services, needs and opportunities with the goal to “include recommended service and corridor priorities, potential operating and governance approaches, and a funding and implementation strategy.”

If approved by the YTD board, the proposed route consolidations and changes in service frequency would begin in late-summer 2027.