On January 27, MTS began serving passengers at the new Otay Mesa Transit Center, located within walking distance from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The modern transit center offers connections to local routes and the new South Bay Rapid.
The $9 million dollar transit center’s design reflects two main priorities for MTS—improving the customer experience and supporting efficient bus operations. Boarding platforms for routes 905, 909 and 950 Express are arranged on the west side of the transit center, while Rapid platforms sit on the east, helping customers find the correct bus in less time. Additionally, riders now have access to pedestrian walkways and sheltered benches, and two* on-site ticket vending machines let customers buy and load passes to their Compass Cards with ease.
The new transit center will also help with the on-time performance and reliability of bus service. Bus-only entrance and exit lanes for Rapid buses can speed up the arrival and departures of trips. Rapid platforms also have level boarding (similar to Trolley platforms), which may speed up boarding by shedding the time it takes to kneel a bus.
The Otay Mesa Transit Center currently serves more to 4,000 daily weekday riders, but that number is expected grow. MTS is excited to operate this new facility, which will play an important role in making it easier for more people to choose transit in the future.
