JANUARY 2019

Looking for someone who knows how to get around on the bus? Just ask Riverside Transit Agency Chairman Randon Lane. After all, he’s ridden on every bus route. All 48 of them. Both ways. Lane’s public transportation odyssey — which has stretched from his home city of Murrieta to San Bernardino, from Corona to Escondido, Riverside to Disneyland, and everything in between — came to an end this week when his Route 10 bus stopped at RTA headquarters in Riverside. That final trip made Lane the first person to have ridden every bus route from end to end, east-west and north-south. That’s 2,000 miles, and no small accomplishment considering that’s almost as many miles as it takes to go from the Inland Empire to Chattanooga, Tennessee. For Lane, who owns his own car, this epic bus journey is all about experiencing firsthand the routes and customers that he — and his fellow Board members — are making decisions about. When his journey ended, Lane had spent 113 hours and parts of 35 days inside dozens of buses. Much of that time was spent meeting drivers, mingling with students, commuters and other regulars while getting work done on his laptop.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRandon Lane | Chair | City of Murrieta

Bridgette Moore | First Vice Chair | City of Wildomar

Berwin Hanna | Second Vice Chair | City of Norco

Kevin Jeffries | County of Riverside District 1

Karen Spiegel | County of Riverside District 2

Chuck Washington | County of Riverside District 3

Jeff Hewitt | County of Riverside District 5

Art Welch | City of Banning

Nancy Carroll | City of Beaumont

Linda Molina | City of Calimesa

Jeremy Smith | City of Canyon Lake

Jim Steiner | City of Corona

Brandon Plott | City of Eastvale

Linda Krupa | City of Hemet

Anthony Kelly, Jr. | City of Jurupa Valley

Steve Manos | City of Lake Elsinore

Greg August | City of Menifee

David Marquez | City of Moreno Valley

Malcolm Corona | City of Perris

Andy Melendrez | City of Riverside

Alonso Ledezma | City of San Jacinto

Zak Schwank | City of Temecula

1825 Third St.Riverside CA 92507Phone: 951.565.5000RiversideTransit.com

RTA READER

BOARD MEMBER ENDS EPIC JOURNEY

A newsletter of developments, events and announcements from the Riverside Transit Agency.

RTA READER - A newsletter of developments, events and announcements from the Riverside Transit Agency.

WHAT’S happeningTemecula Mobility Hub OpensBus riders in Temecula have a new reason to smile thanks to the opening of a new transit hub at the Promenade Temecula. After seven months of construction, crews put the final touches on the facility for its opening on January 13 on Ring Road. The new hub comes with five shelters, nine benches, improved lighting, sidewalk upgrades and expanded room for buses and customers. That’s good news for people who ride routes 55, 79, 202, 205, 206, 208 and 217. In related news, crews have also completed construction of six new shelters at the La Sierra Metrolink Station (photo, bottom right), which will go a long way in enhancing our customers’ travel experience there.

Congratulations to RTA’s 2018 Employees of the YearTen coach operators, seven maintenance employees and one administrative employee took home top honors during the 2018 Employees of the Year Awards. Coach Operators of the Year reached elite status for having perfect attendance, a clean driving record and stellar customer service. Maintenance Employees of the Year demonstrated superior skills in the shop and field, a model work ethic and maintained a perfect safety record. Administrative Employee of the Year Jeff Noll, facilities supervisor, twice earned Employee of the Month honors during 2018. With his can-do attitude and willingness to stay until the job is done, Jeff exemplifies the Agency’s core values of safety, image and efficiency.

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Pictured left to right: Dan Cooke, Walter Aguirre, Paul Aliado, Phillip Marquez, Gloria Morales, Hyles Owens, David Andalon, Alexander Moreno, Alan Van Petten, Jeff Noll, Alaric Hayes, Miriana Ponoran, David Marrs, Yolanda Romo Gomez, Glenn David, Shaun McCracken, Jesus Cruz and Jean Arroyo (not pictured).

RTA READER - A newsletter of developments, events and announcements from the Riverside Transit Agency.

Veterans Ride Free January 26On January 26, the Pass Area Veterans Expo will be held at Beaumont Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To help our veterans and service members attend the event, RTA will offer free rides that day on all fixed-route bus routes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. To ride free to attend the event, all veterans and active-duty service members will be required to provide valid identification.

4Holiday ScheduleRTA will provide normal bus service on Presidents Day, Monday, February 18. Administrative offices will be closed and the Customer Information Center will be open 6 a.m. till 10 p.m.

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Driver Reunites Lost Child with MotherAn RTA Coach Operator is being hailed as a hero after she helped reunite a missing nine-year-old girl with her mother. During one recent afternoon, while Felita Moore was driving Route 11 in Moreno Valley, she welcomed aboard a young girl who was crying and said she had been waiting for her mother at the bus stop for more than an hour. Without hesitation, Felita gave the girl a seat at the front of the bus and asked for her mother’s name and phone number. When the girl began to calm down, Felita called RTA dispatch and asked them to contact police and try to find the mother. Thanks to Felita’s quick thinking, the girl remained safe on the bus until police arrived and were able to reunite the girl with her worried mother. Knowing safety is RTA’s number one core value, Felita showed incredible customer service skills and extraordinary attention to detail that resulted in a very positive outcome.

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Looking for a Job? RTA offers a variety of jobs that present exciting challenges and growth opportunities in a positive work environment. We offer competitive salaries and attractive benefits. RTA is currently seeking applicants for various positions, including customer information clerk, mechanic and coach operator. View and apply for jobs at RiversideTransit.com.6

RTA READER - A newsletter of developments, events and announcements from the Riverside Transit Agency.

On Thursday, February 28, RTA’s Board of Directors will hold its monthly meeting at 2 p.m. at the County Administrative Building, 4080 Lemon St., First Floor in Riverside.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

Destinations

TOP GUN HOUSE. Remember the little yellow beach house in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun? The one Maverick visits after a volleyball game with the guys? Here it is, right in Oceanside. The 500-square-foot Victorian home, built in 1887, sits just south of the Oceanside Pier. In real life, the house was built in 1887 by Dr. Henry Graves, a retired physician from Riverside. The cottage is still there today at 102 Pacific Street, just a short walk from the Oceanside Transit Center. SERVED BY ROUTE 202.

BOWLERO RIVERSIDE BOWLING LANES. It’s a bowling-dining-nightlife experience that’s packed with amusing throwbacks ready to amaze. Bowlero, located off Indiana Avenue in Riverside, is a blacklight bowling, retro-inspired hangout powered by interactive arcade games, an outrageous menu and plenty of nostalgia. Forget everything you thought bowling could be—and experience the kind of epic fun that only happens when you go Bowlero. Check out their website at bowlero.com. SERVED BY ROUTE 15.

HONDA CENTER. In addition to being home of the Anaheim Ducks, the Honda Center annually hosts top-name concerts, exciting sporting events and family favorites such as the Harlem Globetrotters and Stars on Ice. In the past few years, capacity crowds filled Honda Center for world class acts such as The Rolling Stones, Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake and more. Since opening in the early 1990s, the arena has hosted more than 4,000 events and more than 39 million guests have walked through its doors. Learn more at hondacenter.com. SERVED BY ROUTE 200.

BIG LEAGUE DREAMS. If you’ve ever dreamed of playing in a big-league ballpark, this place is for you. Their playing fields are built as scaled-down replicas of famous ballparks such as Boston’s Fenway Park, New York’s Yankee Stadium and Chicago’s Wrigley Field. All are designed to accommodate youth baseball, youth fast pitch softball, and adult slow pitch softball. Catch the bus to Big League Dreams’ Perris location off Trumble Road. See more at bigleaguedreams.com. SERVED BY ROUTES 19 AND 28.