Pasadena City Council
July 20, 2026

Pasadena
Short Range
Transit Plan
CITY OF PASADENA • TRANSIT DIVISION 2026 2 Message from the Director of Transportation
The past seven years have been transformative for
Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride. Since
the last Short Range Transit Plan was finalized, a
global pandemic reshaped traditional travel patterns,
new state mandates have accelerated the transition
toward zero-emission fleets, we responded to the
devastating Eaton Fire by evacuating hundreds of
vulnerable individuals, and Metro’s NextGen Bus
Plan has been implemented—resulting in two routes being transferred to Pasadena to operate, the first new lines added to our system in more than 20 years.

I am pleased to present this updated Short Range Transit Plan, which provides a clear roadmap for the next five years. It offers a comprehensive look at where our services stand today and where we are headed. The plan reflects the realities of a changed world and outlines how Pasadena’s transit services can adapt and continue to play a central role in people’s daily lives—connecting them to essential services, schools, medical appointments, shopping, and recreation.

This plan also recognizes the need to modernize our bus stop amenities program, which is more than 20 years old. Since its inception, the landscape of bus stop design has significantly evolved: agencies now have access to a wider range of shelter and seating options, digital advertising and realtime information displays have become common, and the growing impacts of climate change require more creative, resilient designs that prioritize shade, heat mitigation, and passenger comfort. Like many aspects of transit service delivery, bus stop programs across the region are being reassessed, and this plan provides the groundwork for Pasadena to do the same.

It is a privilege to support Pasadena’s residents and visitors by providing safe, reliable transportation throughout the City. Our work is guided by the Department of Transportation’s commitment to the safe, efficient, and convenient movement of people and goods within Pasadena to maintain a livable community where cars are not necessary for everyday travel.

As we look ahead, we remain dedicated to advancing a more connected, accessible, and sustainable transit network for all.

Joaquin T. Siques
Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation City of Pasadena

3 Table of Contents
Message from the Director of Transportation ........................2 Table of Contents ..................................................................... 3 Table of Figures ........................................................................4 Executive Summary ..................................................................7 Market Assessment .................................................................11 Pasadena Transit Evaluation ..................................................29 Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Evaluation .......................................... 77 Service Recommendations .....................................................91 Eaton Fire Impacts .................................................................114 Bus Stop Amenities Evaluation and Recommendations ...... 117 Conclusions .......................................................................... 120 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN4
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Map of Street Intersection Density .................................................................................12 Figure 2: Map of Population Density ..............................................................................................13 Figure 3: Map of Job Density .......................................................................................................... 14 Figure 4: Density of Older Adults Residents ..................................................................................16 Figure 5: Density of Youth Residents ..............................................................................................17 Figure 6: Density of College-Age Residents ...................................................................................18 Figure 7: Density of Persons with Disabilities ................................................................................19 Figure 8: Density of Zero-Vehicle Households ..............................................................................20 Figure 9: Density of Low-Income Individuals .................................................................................21 Figure 10: Density of Minority Residents ...................................................................................... 22 Figure 11: Density of Weekday Trip Origins ................................................................................... 23 Figure 12: Change in Percent of All Weekday Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023) ........24 Figure 13: Change in Percent of All Weekend Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023) ........25 Figure 14: Transit Propensity Variables and Weighting ................................................................ 25 Figure 15: Transit Opportunity Scores ........................................................................................... 26 Figure 16: Regional Transit Services ............................................................................................... 30 Figure 17: Transit Coverage in Pasadena (All Agencies) .................................................................31 Figure 18: Top Stations and Stops with Highest Weekday Boardings – All Agencies .................. 32 Figure 19: Pasadena Transit Average Weekday Boardings .............................................................33 Figure 20: All Agency Weekday Boardings .................................................................................... 34 Figure 21: Average of Weekday Boardings by Route by Agency ....................................................35 Figure 22: Pasadena Transit Weekday Frequency and Span ......................................................... 37 Figure 23: Pasadena Transit Weekend Frequency and Span ......................................................... 37 Figure 24: Pasadena Transit Weekend Frequency and Span .........................................................38 Figure 25: Pasadena Transit Fares .................................................................................................. 38 Figure 26: Peer Evaluation Agencies ............................................................................................. 43 Figure 27: Peer Agency Change in Monthly Ridership ................................................................. 44 Figure 28: Peer Fixed-Route Buses, Hours, Cost per Hour, and Boardings per Revenue Hour ...45 Figure 29: Peer Fixed-Route Cost per Boarding and Farebox Recovery ...................................... 45 Figure 30: Pasadena Transit Boardings by Day Type and Hour .................................................... 47 Figure 31: Pasadena Transit Boardings by Day Type and Route ....................................................48 Figure 32: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Weekday Boarding Locations ...............................................49 Figure 33: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Saturday Boarding Locations ................................................50 5 Figure 34: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Sunday Boarding Locations ...................................................51 Figure 35: Pasadena Transit Boardings per Hour by Day Type ......................................................52 Figure 36: Pasadena Transit Cost per Boarding by Route and Day Type .......................................53 Figure 37: Weekday Peak Load by Trip ........................................................................................... 54 Figure 38: Weekday a.m. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment ....................................................59 Figure 39: Weekday P .M. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment ....................................................60 Figure 40: Pasadena Transit Weekday On-Time Performance by Route .......................................61 Figure 41: Pasadena Transit Saturday On-Time Performance by Route .......................................62 Figure 42: Pasadena Transit Sunday On-Time Performance by Route .........................................62 Figure 43: Pasadena Transit Operating Speed by Route and Day Type ........................................63 Figure 44: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Service Area Map ..................................................................... 78 Figure 45: Peer Dial-A-Ride Cost per Boarding and Farebox Recovery .......................................80 Figure 46: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Average Boardings by Day Type................................................81 Figure 47: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Boardings by Hour by Day Type ...............................................82 Figure 48: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Average Trip Lengths ............................................................... 82 Figure 49: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Pick-Up Locations .....................................................................83 Figure 50: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Boardings by Jurisdiction .........................................................84 Figure 51: Pasadena Transit Survey- Importance Satisfaction Gap ..............................................86 Figure 52: Pasadena Transit Trip Destination ................................................................................ 87 Figure 53: Pasadena Transit Rider Age ........................................................................................... 87 Figure 54: Pasadena Transit Rider Employment Status ................................................................88 Figure 55: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Survey- Importance Satisfaction Gap ...................................... 89 Figure 56: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Survey- Respondents Requesting Service to Other Areas ......89 Figure 57: SRTP Priority Workshop Locations and Attendance ...................................................90 Figure 58: Example Interactive Workshop Exercises .....................................................................90 Figure 59: Route Recommendation Summary ...............................................................................93 Figure 60: Existing and Proposed Weekday Frequency and Span ...............................................105 Figure 61: Existing and Proposed Saturday Frequency and Span ............................................... 106 Figure 62: Existing and Proposed Sunday Frequency and Span ..................................................107 Figure 63: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Proposed Service Areas .......................................................... 108 Figure 64: Screenshot of project StoryMap ..................................................................................111 Figure 65: SRTP Recommendations Public Meeting Locations and Attendance ......................... 111 Figure 66: Bus Stop Amenity Recommendation Matrix............................................................... 119 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN6
7 Executive Summary
Purpose of the SRTP
The purpose of the City of Pasadena’s Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) is to guide the development and improvement of its public transportation services—specifically Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride—over the next five years. The SRTP aims to enhance ridership, operational efficiency, and service effectiveness within existing financial constraints.

It provides a comprehensive analysis of current transit operations and recommends strategies to optimize service delivery, enhance customer satisfaction, and align with regional transportation goals. Ultimately, the SRTP serves as a strategic roadmap to ensure Pasadena’s transit system is equitable, sustainable, and responds to community needs.

Summary of Key Findings
To achieve the purposes of the SRTP , extensive analysis was conducted including a review of applicable planning studies and current and future transportation projects, a market assessment and a comprehensive analysis of all transit services in Pasadena. The following is a summary of key findings:
• Review of Applicable Studies and Data: A literature review of applicable planning studies and transportation projects was completed to identify current and planned transportation projects to ensure that the SRTP recommendations complement those projects. This literature review included the following documents:
• Pasadena Department of Transportation Mobility Element (August 2015) • City of Pasadena Land Use Element (August 2015)
• City of Pasadena Street Design Guide (March 2017)
• Pasadena Short Range Transit Plan (2019)
• City of Pasadena 710 N Stub: Transitional Project Development – Transit Expansion (September 2022) • North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor Project
• Pasadena Zero-Emission Bus Roll-Out Plan (January 2023) • LA Metro “Understanding How Women Travel” (August 2019) • SCAG Connect SoCal Transit Recommendations
• Metro NextGen Recommendations (October 2020)
Key findings include:
• The SRTP should integrate Pasadena Transit routes with upcoming projects such as the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor project and recent changes to the Metro Bus and Rail system. • Pasadena plans to transition to a zero-emission transit fleet to meet state requirements. • The SRTP should support the City’s Land Use Element and Mobility Element which encourages development in the Central District, near Metro A Line stations, and along the East Colorado Blvd., North Lake Ave., Fair Oaks Ave., Orange Grove Blvd., and Lincoln Ave. corridors. • Market Assessment: The Market Assessment analyzes the key characteristics of the physical environment and customer demand such as where people live, work, shop, and play, which all shape the mobility needs of the City.

Understanding these needs helped shape the recommendations of this study. The four key components of the Market Assessment are Design, Density, Diversity, and Demand. Key findings include:
• The street network influences transit accessibility, with Old Pasadena and areas around Pasadena City College and Caltech being the most walkable.
• The population density of Pasadena was 6,040 people per square mile according to the 2020 census, with the highest densities in Old Pasadena and neighborhoods along Fair Oaks Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
8 • The density of jobs is highest in downtown Pasadena south of the 210 Freeway. The three largest employers are the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Kaiser Permanente, and the Caltech campus. • High transit opportunity areas, primarily demonstrated by overall trip activity (all modes), job density and intersection density, include Old Pasadena, near Caltech and Pasadena City College, and neighborhoods along Lake Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave. north of the 210 Freeway.
• Pasadena Transit Evaluation: The study included a comprehensive review of all transit services in the City, with a focus on the Pasadena Transit routes. Key findings include:
• Metro Rail and Metro Bus service together account for two-thirds of the city-wide average weekday transit boardings (39.2% and 30.7% respectively). Pasadena Transit contributes a little over a quarter, making up 26.1% of total weekday ridership.
• Most areas of the City have access to bus or rail service. Coverage is more limited in lower density residential neighborhoods including the southwest, central and northeast portions of Pasadena. • The top six transit stops with the highest weekday ridership are the Metro A Line stations. Other stations and bus stops with higher than average boardings are mostly located in the central area of the City, specifically clustered around Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, and Huntington Hospital. • Pasadena Transit route span of service is shorter than LA Metro services and does not match the travel patterns identified in the Market Assessment. The need for increased service span is most pronounced on weekends. • Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Evaluation: The study also included an evaluation of the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service for older adults and persons with disabilities. Key findings include:
• Access Services in Los Angeles serves as the complementary ADA provider for its member agencies, which includes the City of Pasadena. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride plays a crucial role in managing demand by locally serving individuals and alleviating pressure on Access.
• As of 2023, 98% of pick-ups occur within Pasadena, while Altadena accounts for 8%, and other areas served in the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service area account for smaller percentages. • Peer Evaluation: To evaluate Pasadena Transit, a comparison has been made with a cohort group of the “local” Los Angeles County community transit agencies which are generally smaller in size and scope than the regional operators. Data points analyzed include ridership recovery post-Covid pandemic, cost per revenue hour, boardings per revenue hour, cost per passenger, subsidy per trip and farebox recovery ratio. • Pasadena Transit outperformed its peers on almost all measurements including ridership and post-Covid recovery, boardings per hour, cost per passenger and subsidy per trip. • Pasadena Dial-A-Ride had better than the average on almost all measurements including cost per passenger and subsidy per passenger.
• Public Outreach: Feedback from customers and the community at large was solicited several times during the development of the plan. Over 1,300 survey responses were collected from Pasadena Transit riders, and over 150 survey responses were collected from Dial-A-Ride users. Two rounds of community workshops were held to provide information about the existing services and to solicit feedback on what changes the community wanted to see, as well as to receive feedback on the draft recommendations. The workshops were attended by over 90 people. Key findings of the outreach were:
• The Pasadena Transit survey revealed high overall satisfaction with the Pasadena Transit service, with passengers particularly appreciating the affordability of fares, convenient payment options, and quality of customer service.

Respondents also identified important areas for improvement, including improved on-time performance, extended service hours, more frequent service, and perception of safety at bus stops. 9 • The Pasadena Dial-A-Ride survey found that riders particularly appreciated the affordability of rides, the ride time, and safety/comfort of the service. However, several service limitations were identified, including difficulty securing rides at preferred times, inconsistent on-time performance for pickups and drop-offs, and service area limits. When asked about barriers to using the service, respondents primarily cited three issues: destinations falling outside service area, inability to book due to fully scheduled trips, and the lack of same-day ride options. • During the six community workshops help in Spring 2024 attendees praised driver quality, cleanliness, and service reliability for all of the services, while also highlighting areas for improvement for Pasadena Transit, such as increased weekday frequency, extended service hours, and enhanced bus stop facilities. For Pasadena Dial-A-Ride, participants emphasized the need for later service hours and improved features including same-day reservations and expanded availability.
• Bus Stop Amenities Evaluation: A bus stop design framework was developed to ensure that infrastructure improvements such as bus stop furniture, passenger information, lighting and other enhancements are applied consistently across the network and tailored to the specific needs and context of each bus stop type defined as Enhanced, Standard, or Basic.

Summary of Recommendations
The SRTP culminates in a set of actionable recommendations that balance service quality with fiscal responsibility.

These recommendations address route-level performance, service frequency, span of service, and new or modified routes. The plan also includes infrastructure improvements, such as bus stop enhancements, and integration with regional transit services. The following is a summary of the recommendations:
• ROUTE 10: Old Pasadena - PCC - Allen Station (Alignment and Schedule Changes) • Proposed re-route connecting Old Pasadena and SMV Station via Colorado Blvd. and Del Mar Blvd., incorporating portions Route 60 (proposed to be discontinued). Every 40 minutes from 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on weekends
• Introducing new transit service along Colorado Blvd. east of San Gabriel Blvd. • Extended evening hours on all days and morning hours on weekends • ROUTE 20: Fair Oaks Ave. – Lake Ave. (Schedule Change) • Increase weekday frequency to every 15 minutes from 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., if funding becomes available • Extended evening hours on all days and morning hours on weekends • ROUTE 31/32: NW Pasadena - SMV Station (Alignment and Schedule Changes) • Eliminate Route 32 because of low ridership
• Weekday service every 40 minutes from 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Weekend service every 40 minutes from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Coordinated schedule with Route 33 (former Metro Line 256) to provide 20 minute frequency on Washington Blvd. • ROUTE 33: Highland Park - SMV Station (previously Metro 256) • Pasadena Transit assumed operation of Metro Line 256 in December 2024 • Route operations funded by Metro
• Increased to 40 minute frequency with same operating hours CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
10 • ROUTE 40: Old Pasadena - SMV Station (Alignment and Schedule Changes) • Move route alignment to Orange Grove Blvd. between Lake Ave. and Allen Ave. to improve coverage • Increase weekday frequency to 20 minutes between 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Extended evening hours on all days and morning hours on weekends • ROUTE 51/52: So. Raymond Ave. - Linda Vista Ave. - ArtCenter/JPL (Alignment and Schedule Changes) • Create one route alignment (Route 51) between JPL and Old Pasadena • Eliminate service to ArtCenter and south of Colorado Blvd. • Weekday service every 60 minutes from 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Weekend service every 60 minutes from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Continue additional service for special events
• ROUTE 53: JPL - Caltech (previously Metro 177)
• Pasadena Transit assumed operation of Metro Line 177 in December 2024 • Route operations funded by Metro
• Continue similar frequency and operating hours
• ROUTE 60: PCC - SMV Station – Michillinda Ave. (Route Elimination) • Discontinue route because of low ridership
• Alignment partially covered by new Route 10 alignment recommended in this SRTP • ROUTE 710: Fair Oaks Ave. – JPL (Future Route)
• New route from JPL to Huntington Hospital via Fair Oaks Ave., Lincoln Ave. & Woodbury Rd. • Transit connection parallel to former 710 extension alignment • Weekday service every 60 minutes between 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Weekend service every 60 minutes between 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. • Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Recommendations
• Pilot new same-day service program with alternative service providers (such as Uber, Lyft, UZURV), limited to four trips per month. Service to existing service area and expanded areas of South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Glendale
• Explore coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and expanded service areas with South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Glendale
• Increase Pasadena Dial-A-Ride fare from $0.75 to $1.00 and implement new $2.00 fare for pilot same-day service • Other Recommendations
• Conduct Pasadena Transit Fare Study
• Continue to study and pursue time travel reduction tools • Continue to pursue ongoing operations funding for the Mt. Wilson Express • Continue to pursue funding for The Huntington Library Shuttle 11 Market Assessment
The Market Assessment analyzes the key characteristics of the physical environment and customer demand. Attributes such as where people live, work, shop, and play shape the mobility needs of the City. Understanding these needs helped shape the recommendations of this study. There are four key components of the Market Assessment:

1. Design – The built environment, influenced by density, land use, and street design, directly affects transit’s ability to be useful and efficient.

2. Density – At its core, transit connects people to where they need to go, so it is important to understand where people live and work within the region.

3. Diversity – By understanding who rides transit, Pasadena Transit can better allocate transit service to where those populations live and/or travel.

4. Demand – Where and when people travel through Pasadena across all modes can give an indication of where there may be unmet need for more transit service.

The demographic numbers and maps in this section are based on Census ACS 2021 5-Year data unless otherwise noted.

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12 Design
When analyzing bus route efficiency, it is important to note how a city’s geography can affect transit use, including such factors as travel times and access to the transit network. The street network in Pasadena is laid out as a slightly irregular grid, with major streets about every half mile. The street patterns within these half mile squares can vary, some very straightforward grids, and some more roundabout and circuitous. These differing street patterns can make accessing the bus more difficult for some residents and easier for others. Understanding these differences will help Pasadena Transit become more accessible.

Figure 1: Map of Street Intersection Density shows the street intersection density by Census block group for the Pasadena Transit service area. The most walkable areas are Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, and around Pasadena City College and Caltech.

Figure 1: Map of Street Intersection Density

13 Density
Denser areas have more people concentrated together, and the more people there are, the larger the potential rider base. Denser areas are ideal for transit because many people are located within a small geography, so the bus does not have to travel as far to serve riders. The City of Pasadena had a population density of 6,040 people per square mile in 2020, which is a slightly higher density than the 5,970 people per square mile in 2010, and an estimated total population of 133,560 in 20231. From the most recent SCAG Connect SoCal report on Demographics and Growth Forecast in the region, Pasadena’s population is expected to grow to 155,500 by 2045, a 16% change over 22 years2. As shown in Figure 2:Map of Population Density, the highest population densities can be found in Old Pasadena, and in the neighborhoods along Fair Oaks Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd. in North Central Pasadena. The population density only slightly follows the density of jobs in the service area, with jobs more focused south of the 210 Freeway as shown in the following section.

Figure 2: Map of Population Density
1 https:/ /www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/pasadenacitycalifornia/POP010210 2 https:/ /scag.ca.gov/sites/default/files/old/file-attachments/0903fconnectsocal_demographics- and-growth-forecast.pdf

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
14 In 2023 there were a total of 94,744 people employed in the City of Pasadena. The largest industries in Pasadena are education, health care, and social assistance, followed by professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services3. Figure 3: Map of Job Density is a map of the job density in the service area. The density of jobs is clearly highest in downtown Pasadena south of the 210 Freeway. The three largest employers are the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Kaiser Permanente, and the Caltech campus.4 Huntington Hospital and the medical centers surrounding the hospitals are also dense employment areas, as well as the Central Business District including Old Pasadena. On the eastern side of the City, the Hastings Village Shopping Center, Hastings Ranch Plaza, and the Foothill Rosemead Marketplace also host a large number of jobs.

Figure 3: Map of Job Density
3 https:/ /data.census.gov/profile/Pasadena_city,_California?g=160XX00US0656000 4 https:/ /www.cityofpasadena.net/economicdevelopment/economic-snapshot/

15 Diversity
While the design and makeup of the service area can affect Pasadena Transit’s rider base, it is important to consider who is more likely to use transit and the demographic factors that are closely tied to transit demand. Based on past research and transit industry experience, certain demographic groups are seen as more likely to use transit based on age, economic status, private vehicle access, and other factors. Actual transit customer demographics and incomes vary between transit agencies and markets, but in more lower density areas where private automobile trips are the dominant travel mode, transit use generally increases among those without access to a car due to economic circumstances, or those who cannot drive due to age or disability. The following seven sections focus on demographic groups that may be more likely to use Pasadena Transit’s services:
• Older adults
• Youth
• Young adults and college students
• Persons with disabilities
• Zero-vehicle households
• Low-income households
• Minority households
• Limited English Proficiency households

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
16 Older Adults
Older adults are more likely to be transit dependent; they may no longer be able to drive, or they may choose not to, meaning they are more likely to take the bus or paratransit for their mobility needs. Of Pasadena residents, 16.8% are over the age of 65 and are concentrated in the neighborhoods east of the 210 freeway as well as along Colorado Blvd. near Old Pasadena as shown in Figure 4: Density of Older Adults Residents. Older adults are underrepresented in the Pasadena Transit survey responses, with only 10% identifying as 65 or older. Ignoring home as a destination, most respondents to the on-board survey who are over the age of 65 said that they were going to a shopping or medical destination (30%), contrasting with the majority of all respondents who said they were going to work or school (46%).

Figure 4: Density of Older Adults Residents

17 Youth
The under 18 population can also be more transit-reliant, as they may not have access to a car or are too young to drive, but still want to travel independently. Pasadena Unified School District does not operate their own school bus system, so for the youth who live in Zero-Vehicle Households (ZVH), or their parents do not drop them off at school, Pasadena Transit is an important service for them. Of Pasadena residents, 17.0% are under the age of 18, but only 9.4% of riders who responded to the on-board survey were under the age of 18. School and shopping are the two most popular trip purposes, and they used Route 20 and 40 the most to make these trips. There are higher concentrations of youth residents in the Northwest part of the City, primarily along Route 20 as shown in Figure 5: Density of Youth Residents.

Figure 5: Density of Youth Residents

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18 Young Adults and College Students
Young adults ages 18-24 comprise 7% of the population in the service area. This age demographic may be a good driver of transit demand. Pasadena Transit serves Caltech, the ArtCenter College of Design, and Pasadena City College, with undergraduate enrollments of 982, 2,310, and 27,250 respectively in the 2025-26 school year. Figure 6 shows that the college-age population in Pasadena is not necessarily centered around the college institutions, indicating that students are traveling from farther away and may rely on transit services to commute to school. This has changed the way that college students move throughout the service area, and it will be important to keep in mind when considering recommendations.

Figure 6: Density of College-Age Residents

19 Persons With Disabilities
Persons with disabilities are more likely to be reliant on transit, as they may not be able to or choose not to drive. While paratransit service provided by Pasadena Dial-A-Ride and Access Services is available, many people with disabilities routinely ride fixed-route services. In Pasadena, 5.4% of residents have a disability, however, onboard survey results indicated that 1.8% of riders are not able to work due to disability. Medical, shopping and recreational trips are the most popular trip purposes amongst Pasadena Dial-A-Ride users. Figure 7 indicates areas that have a higher population density of persons with disabilities include the neighborhoods just west of Lake Ave. and Villa St, and west of Lake Ave. between Colorado Blvd. and California Blvd., which house a greater proportion of senior living facilities.

Figure 7: Density of Persons with Disabilities

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20 Zero-Vehicle Households (ZVH)
There is a very low volume of ZVH in Pasadena, with only 3% of residents living in a ZVH. Figure 8: Density of Zero-Vehicle Households shows that there are only two block groups in the service area that have a density of greater than five people per land acre that live in a ZVH. Pasadena Transit Routes 10, 20 and 40 provide transit service to the areas that have a higher density of ZVHs. Based on the Pasadena Transit on-board survey conducted at the end of 2023, respondents who did not have access to a car primarily use Routes 10 and 20. A large majority of respondents to the on-board survey said they did not have access to a car to make their trip (84%).

Figure 8: Density of Zero-Vehicle Households

21 Low-Income Households
Low-income populations are a demographic that are more likely to take transit. Because car ownership is expensive, low-income households generally have fewer cars and therefore may rely on other modes to meet their mobility needs.

For this analysis, low-income is defined as a resident whose family income is at or below 150% of the poverty line, which is the Federal Transit Administration’s most restrictive level for use in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 19645 and environmental justice. In the Pasadena Transit service area, 13.4% of residents are low-income, generally centered around North Central Pasadena north of the 210 freeway between Lake Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave., and in Highland Park as shown in Figure 9: Density of Low-Income Individuals. These areas are well served by transit routes. Of those who responded to the on-board survey, 73% reported an annual household income below the threshold qualifying for the Metro low-income fare subsidy program. Generally, Metro’s LIFE program uses locally set income limits based on regional affordability needs, while FTA low-income thresholds rely on federal poverty guidelines or percentages of the poverty line. The majority of trips reported by low-income residents in the Pasadena Transit survey were oriented around work and school commutes.

Figure 9: Density of Low-Income Individuals
5 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Pasadena submits reporting to its grantee agency every three years to remain in compliance with Title VI. Environmental justice is the principle that all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, are entitled to fair treatment and meaningful involvement in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

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22 Minority Resident Households
While identifying as a minority household is not a direct indicator of higher transit use, it is important to pay close attention to the concentration and distribution of minority households in the service area to ensure that equitable transit service is provided and to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The majority of residents, 67.5%, in the Pasadena Transit service area identify as a minority individual, while only 11% of residents identify as white alone.

Concentrations of minority households are distributed across the service area, primarily around North Central Pasadena as shown in Figure 10: Density of Minority Residents. These areas are well served by public transit. Western Pasadena near the Rose Bowl, the hills near Eaton Canyon, and the eastern neighborhoods near Sierra Madre have lower concentrations of minority individuals. Most trips made by minority residents, according to the on-board survey, were to work or school.

Figure 10: Density of Minority Residents

23 Demand
Advancements in data collection and technology have made it possible to better understand and document travel behavior.

Replica, an online software program, utilizes location-based data from cell phones, credit card transaction data, US Census data, and other sources to provide comprehensive and representative databases of local travel patterns. As a part of the analysis, trips with distances less than 0.5 miles have been excluded from the analysis because they are unlikely to be taken on transit.

Trip Activity
Overall, 391,000 trips took place in the service area across all modes on an average weekday in Fall 2023. This number of trips is down compared to 2019, which saw 404,000 average weekday trips. Figure 11: Density of Weekday Trip Origins shows that many trips start in Old Pasadena. This makes sense as there is a higher density of people and jobs in this area compared to the rest of the service area. Additionally, there is a higher concentration of trips starting in the area just to the northeast of the Sierra Madre Villa Station, which has many shopping destinations.

Figure 11: Density of Weekday Trip Origins

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
24 The distribution of trips by hour of the day has also changed since 2019. In 2023, on weekdays, people take more trips in the afternoon and evening than in the morning, which is a change from the trip patterns in 2019 (Figure 12: Change in Percent of All Weekday Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023)). This could be due to more people working from home, a change since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that those who work from home are no longer making the traditional morning commute, but are instead leaving the house later in the afternoon and evening for recreation and errands.

Figure 12: Change in Percent of All Weekday Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023) On weekends, there has been a 7% increase in the total number of trips, from 356,000 trips in Fall 2019 to 381,000 trips in Fall 2023 (Figure 13: Change in Percent of All Weekend Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023)). It is important to note that the total volume of weekend trips is almost the same as the number of weekday trips which is especially notable given that service operates less frequently on the weekends. Similar to weekdays, there has been a shift in weekend trip start times, with more people making trips in the late afternoon and less in the morning. By providing more transit service on the weekends and later in the evenings, shifting away from a commuter-oriented span of service, Pasadena Transit can capture unmet travel demand in their community.

25 Figure 13: Change in Percent of All Weekend Trips Taken per Hour (Fall 2019 vs Fall 2023) Transit Opportunity
A “Transit Opportunity” score was developed for each census block group in the Pasadena Transit service area based on the key demographics shown in Figure 14: Transit Propensity Variables and Weighting. These demographics were weighted based on how closely the variable correlated to existing fixed-route boardings. Current Pasadena Transit ridership correlates strongly with overall trip activity, job density, and intersection density. The density of persons with disabilities, youth, and older adults had the lowest correlation.

Figure 14: Transit Propensity Variables and Weighting
Variable Weight Description (Source)
Weekly Trip Density 18% Density of All Trips (Replica Spring 2023) Jobs Density 17% All Jobs (Census 2020)
Street Intersection Density 17% Intersection per Acre (EPA) Low-Income Density 11% Less than 200% Poverty Level (Census 2020) College-Age Density 10% Ages 18-24 (Census 2020)
Population Density 7% Total Population (Census 2020)
Zero-Vehicle Density 7% Household with Zero Vehicles (Census 2020) Minority Density 6% Minority Residents (Census 2020)
Older Adults Density 3% Age 65+ (Census 2020)
Youth Density 2% Under Age 18 (Census 2020)
Disability Density 2% Persons with Disabilities (Census 2020)

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
26 Figure 15: Transit Opportunity Scores maps the Transit Opportunity scores for each census block group. Areas with higher transit opportunity include Old Pasadena, near Caltech and Pasadena City College, and neighborhoods along Lake Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave. north of 210 Freeway south of Mountain St.

Figure 15: Transit Opportunity Scores

27 Key Findings from Market Assessment
The following are the key findings from the Market Assessment which should be considered when developing service recommendations:
• Design: The street network influences transit accessibility, with Old Pasadena and areas around Pasadena City College and Caltech being most walkable.
• Density: The population density of Pasadena was 6,040 people per square mile in 2020, with the highest densities in Old Pasadena and neighborhoods along Fair Oaks Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd. The density of jobs is highest in downtown Pasadena south of the 210 Freeway. The three largest employers are Caltech, Kaiser and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Older Adult Residents: 16.8% of Pasadena residents are over 65, with higher concentrations east of the 210 freeway and along Colorado Blvd.
• Youth Residents: 17% of residents are under 18, with higher concentrations in the Northwest part of the City. • College-Age Residents: Young adults ages 18-24 make up 7% of the population, with key institutions being Caltech, ArtCenter College of Design, and Pasadena City College. • Persons With Disabilities: 5.4% of residents have disabilities, with higher densities west of Lake Ave. and Villa St. and west of Lake Ave. between Colorado Blvd. and California Blvd. • Zero-Vehicle Households: Only 3% of residents live in zero-vehicle households, mainly served by Routes 10, 20, and 40. • Low-Income Residents: 13.4% of residents are low-income, primarily located along Fair Oaks Ave. and in Highland Park. • Minority Residents: 65.7% of the Pasadena Transit service area is considered a minority population, with higher densities in North Central Pasadena.
• Travel Demand: There were 391,000 trips on an average weekday in Fall 2023 which is slight decline compared to 2019.

The trip activity has shifted towards afternoon and evening travel post-pandemic. Despite reduced trip frequency on the weekends, the total volume of weekend trips is almost the same as the volume of weekday trips (there has been a 7% increase in the total number of trips to 381,000 trips). Similar to weekdays, there has been a shift in weekend trip start times, with more people making trips in the late afternoon and less in the morning. • Transit Opportunity: High transit opportunity areas include Old Pasadena, near Caltech and Pasadena City College, and neighborhoods along Lake Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave. north of the 210 Freeway.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN28
29 Pasadena Transit Evaluation
System Summary
History
Pasadena Transit, originally known as Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System (ARTS), began in June 1994 with a single shuttle route connecting Old Pasadena, the Civic Center, the Playhouse Village, and the South Lake Business District.

In mid-1996, the Uptown Route was added to provide service to the northwest and eastern areas of Pasadena, enhancing connectivity to the Downtown Route in Old Pasadena. This expansion aimed to increase transit service for residents in Northwest Pasadena and provide coverage to high-density senior housing on Villa St. between Los Robles Ave. and Lake Ave.

In 2001, in anticipation of the Metro A Line opening in 2003, Pasadena ARTS underwent significant expansion and restructuring to ensure that each light rail station would be served by the City’s local transit system. This development led to the creation of routes that are largely reminiscent of today’s Route 10, Route 20, Route 31/32, and Route 40. In June 2003, further expansion included the addition of Route 51/52 and Route 60, providing connections to key locations such as the Rose Bowl, ArtCenter College of Design, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Despite facing challenges during the Great Recession (2007-2009), which led to service cuts and a decline in ridership, Pasadena Transit rebounded with the support of the City Council and interagency collaboration. The system was rebranded to Pasadena Transit in December 2015.

In December 2024, Pasadena Transit added two new routes to the system, a significant expansion for the system. This is discussed more in the next section under Metro NextGen Implementation.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
30 Fixed-Route Transit Services in Pasadena
Overview of Fixed-Route Services
The City of Pasadena’s public transit network is served by a mix of local and regional providers. Fixed-route and rail services are operated by Pasadena Transit, Metro, Foothill Transit, and LADOT Commuter Express, while Pasadena Dial-A-Ride and Access Services offer paratransit services.

Among these services, Metro Rail and Metro Bus together account for more than half of the city-wide average weekday ridership, 39.2% and 30.7% respectively. Pasadena Transit contributes a little over a quarter, making up 26.1% of total weekday ridership. In contrast, Foothill Transit serves 3.8%, and LADOT Commuter Express sees just 0.2% of the total.

Figure 16: Regional Transit Services is a summary of the different public transit options in Pasadena operated by Metro, Foothill Transit, and LADOT Commuter Express.

Figure 16: Regional Transit Services
Agency Type of Service Lines Service Description
Metro Light Rail A Line Connects Pomona to Long Beach via Pasadena and Downtown Los Angeles. There are six stations in Pasadena.

Metro Bus: Local 660, 662 Local routes operating primarily in Altadena and Pasadena.

Metro Bus: Regional 180, 260, 266,
267, 268
Regional routes connecting Pasadena to surrounding cities and the region.

Metro Bus: Express 487, 501 Line 487 connects Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles and Line 501 connects Pasadena to North Hollywood.

Foothill
Transit
Bus: Regional 187 Connects Pasadena to the eastern San Gabriel Valley.

LADOT
Commuter
Express
Bus: Express 549 Operates between Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley, with stops in the Burbank Media District and Glendale before entering Pasadena via the 134 Freeway at Walnut. This line serves the Parsons complex, the Civic Center area, the South Lake Business District, and the Metro A Line Lake Station.

The City’s extensive coverage of fixed-route transit services can be seen in Figure 17. To assess transit coverage in Pasadena, this map shows the area within walking distance, or walkshed, of bus stops and Metro stations. The walking distance used is one-quarter (¼) mile (i.e., 5 minute walk) to a bus stop or half-mile (½) mile (i.e., 10 minute walk) to an A Line station. Pasadena’s standard is to maintain no more than a 1/4 mile distance between bus stops along a route.

Bus stops to serve local destinations, including schools, centers of employment, retail centers, public facilities including libraries, and hospitals, should be prioritized. This metric is a commonly accepted bus stop spacing standard in the industry, especially for local routes such as those run by the City (City of Pasadena General Plan Metrics Report, 2010).

The average bus stop spacing within the City is under ¼ of a mile. As shown on the map, most areas of Pasadena have access to bus service within a ¼ mile. Service coverage is more limited in lower density residential neighborhoods in the southwest, central, and northeast portions of Pasadena. 31 Figure 17: Transit Coverage in Pasadena (All Agencies) Ridership
In this section, ridership data is organized at the stop level for Pasadena Transit and all agencies operating within the region. The data utilized was average weekday boardings for Fall 2023. Figure 18: Top Stations and Stops with Highest Weekday Boardings – All Agencies shows ridership by stop for all agencies combined including Pasadena Transit, Metro, Foothill Transit, and LADOT Commuter Express Route 549.

Figure 19 and Figure 20 visualize the average weekday boardings by stop for Pasadena Transit and all agencies, respectively.

Key stop level ridership findings are as follows:
• The top six stops with the highest average weekday ridership listed are stations serving the Metro A Line. • Sierra Madre Villa Station is the second most popular Metro rail station, and it is the most popular bus stop. 32% of boardings are from Pasadena Transit and the rest from Metro Bus. • Other bus stops that have a high number of average boardings are mostly located on the west side of the City, specifically clustered around Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, and Huntington Hospital. • Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd., in the Northwest of the City, stands out to be one of the highest Pasadena Transit boarding stops that has no ridership from the other agencies.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
32 Figure 18: Top Stations and Stops with Highest Weekday Boardings – All Agencies Stop Name % of Total Boardings
on Pasadena Transit
Average Weekday
Boardings
Memorial Park A Line Station (Rail) n/a 1,704
Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station (Rail) n/a 1,211
Lake A Line Station (Rail) n/a 1,175
Del Mar A Line Station (Rail) n/a 1,056
Allen A Line Station (Rail) n/a 1,027
Fillmore A Line Station (Rail) n/a 978
Sierra Madre Villa Station (bus) 32% 480
SB Raymond Ave. & Del Mar Blvd. 8% 302
WB Colorado Blvd. & Hill St. n/a 248
NB Raymond Ave. & Holly St. 53% 243
SB Fair Oaks Ave. & Colorado Blvd. n/a 220
SB Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. 100% 215
NB Raymond Ave. & Del Mar Blvd. 27% 192
WB Colorado Blvd. & Lake Ave. 11% 155
SB Lake Ave. & Washington Blvd. 69% 143
SB Fair Oaks Ave. & Washington Blvd. 72% 137
NB Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. 100% 133
33 Figure 19: Pasadena Transit Average Weekday Boardings

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
34 Figure 20: All Agency Weekday Boardings
Line Ridership
Figure 21: Average of Weekday Boardings by Route by Agency presents average weekday boardings by route and service for all transit agencies operating in the City of Pasadena. Among the services, the Metro Rail A Line is the busiest transit service with 7,151 boardings or 39.2% of total boardings, accounting for over one-third of average weekday transit ridership. The second busiest route, which is also the busiest bus route, is Pasadena Transit Route 20 averaging 2,540 boardings per weekday, roughly one-third of the A Line’s Pasadena ridership.

Metro Bus Lines 180 and 662 are the third and fourth busiest routes, both seeing over 1,000 average weekday boardings, and highlighting their importance within the local transit network. Both routes serve mostly the western portion of the City, overlapping in Old Pasadena. Finally, Pasadena Transit Route 31/32, an east-west connection north of Foothill Freeway, is the fifth busiest route with 874 average weekday boardings.

35 Figure 21: Average of Weekday Boardings by Route by Agency Agency Route
Average Weekday
Boardings in Pasadena
Metro Rail A 7,151
Pasadena Transit 20 2,540
Metro Bus 180 1,356
Metro Bus 662 1,192
Pasadena Transit 31/32 874
Pasadena Transit 40 710
Foothill Transit 187 698
Metro Bus 260 623
Metro Bus 660 591
Pasadena Transit 10 442
Metro Bus 256 398
Metro Bus 267 386
Metro Bus 266 288
Metro Bus 501 274
Metro Bus 686 180
Pasadena Transit 51/52 158
Metro Bus 487 127
Metro Bus 177 120
Metro Bus 268 55
LADOT 549 32
Pasadena Transit 60 32
Metro NextGen Implementation
Metro adopted the NextGen Bus Plan in October 2020, which reimagines their Countywide bus system to better meet the needs of current and future public transit riders in Los Angeles County. One of the basic tenets of the NextGen Bus Plan is to have lines that operate more as a local service rather than a regional service operated by local service providers.

Metro bus Lines 177 (connecting Caltech and JPL) and 256 (connecting SMV Station to Highland Park via Washington Blvd.) were identified as two such lines operating in Pasadena. On July 27, 2023, Metro’s Board authorized its CEO to establish an agreement between the City of Pasadena and Metro to fund the City of Pasadena for the operation of the two routes and a contribution toward the purchase of nine zero-emission expansion vehicles. Assumption of these lines would provide the City with the opportunity to interline and coordinate schedules of existing Pasadena Transit lines, thereby providing customers with enhanced transit service.

Pasadena assumed the operation of the two routes on December 15, 2024 renaming Line 177 to Route 53 and Line 256 to Route 33. Assuming Route 33 allows for coordinated service along Washington Blvd. with Routes 31 & 32. The addition of these two routes to the Pasadena Transit network is the first addition to Pasadena Transit’s system in over 20 years.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
36 Metro Regional Connector
There are six Metro A Line stations in Pasadena which serve major activity centers in the City. The Pasadena Transit system has been structured to provide local transit service to the A Line (previously Gold Line) by providing connections at each of the six stations with the goal of providing seamless transportation between the A Line and local businesses, commercial corridors, residential areas, colleges and universities, other institutional buildings, recreational and cultural destinations, etc. Pasadena Transit serves as a primary local feeder to the A Line stations.

Metro opened the Regional Connector, a 1.9 mile underground light rail system connecting the Metro Gold Line to the Metro A Line via the 7th Street/Metro Center Station in downtown Los Angeles, on June 16, 2023. This connection transformed the Gold Line into the A Line creating one route travelling from Azusa to Long Beach through Pasadena. The Regional Connector improves the commute from Pasadena to sections of downtown, Long Beach, Santa Monica or mid- city Los Angeles by reducing the transfers required to one. Metro estimated that the opening of the Regional Connector would increase ridership on all connecting rail lines by 7% to 10% including the A Line. It is anticipated that Pasadena Transit would experience a corresponding increase in demand. On September 19, 2025, Metro again expanded the A Line adding an additional 9.1 miles to the route and extending from its previous termination point in Azusa to Pomona.

Pasadena Transit System Structure
Pasadena Transit consists of ten bus routes that serve the City of Pasadena and a few neighboring communities. The City service plays a crucial role in the regional transit network by providing local fixed-route services that complement the broader regional services offered by Metro, Foothill Transit, and LADOT. Pasadena Transit routes connect key points within the City, including residential areas, business districts, schools, and recreational centers, to the Metro A Line stations. This integration ensures connectivity for passengers traveling within Pasadena and to other parts of the Los Angeles County. The system’s structure is designed to enhance accessibility and mobility for residents, visitors, and workers, thereby supporting the City’s goal of reducing car dependency and promoting sustainable transportation options. By providing reliable and efficient local transit services, Pasadena Transit significantly contributes to the overall effectiveness and reach of the regional transit network.

Below is an overview of the current routes.
• Route 10 operates between Old Pasadena and the Allen Metro A Line Station. Key destinations include retail centers on Colorado Blvd. and Lake Ave., and education centers such as Caltech and Pasadena City College. • Route 20 is a loop route which operates bidirectionally from Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. in the northwest to Lake Ave. & California Blvd. in the southeast. Key destinations include the ArtCenter College of Design South Campus, Old Pasadena, Caltech and the North & South Lake Business Districts. • Route 31 provides service between Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. and Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station via Washington Blvd. and Altadena Dr.; as an east-west connector route in the northern area of the service area, it provides vital service to the surrounding communities.
• Route 32 runs on a similar alignment to Route 31, but provides service to the Eaton Canyon Trailhead and business parks and industrial sites along New York Dr.
• Route 33 also runs on a similar alignment to Route 31 on Washington Blvd. and Altadena Dr. and Route 40 on Rosemead Blvd. to the Sierra Madre Villa Metro A Line Station. This route continues southwest from Washington Blvd. to Highland Park A Line Station connecting to the Highland Park pool, recreation center, and adult senior citizen center. • Route 40 connects Old Pasadena and the Sierra Madre Villa Metro A Line Station. Trip generators along the route include Old Pasadena, the Central Library and City Hall on Walnut St., the Allen Metro A Line Station, and the PCC Community Learning Center, as well as several older adult living facilities. • Route 51 connects the ArtCenter College of Design Hillside campus and South Campus and the Rose Bowl Stadium with Old Pasadena via Fair Oaks Ave. The weekend runs a short line Route 51 between the Memorial Park A Line Station and the Rose Bowl Stadium.
• Route 52 operates on the same alignment as Route 51 but continues north from the ArtCenter College of Design to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Route 53 operates westbound between Caltech and Pasadena City College and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory via Old Pasadena.
• Route 60 connects Pasadena City College to the Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station. The route continues past the station to the border of the City of Pasadena and the City of Sierra Madre. 37 Frequency and Span
Frequency of service, or how many trips a route operates per hour, is the most important factor in attracting riders to use the bus. Riders want to be able to show up at a stop without consulting a schedule and have a bus arrive within a few minutes.

When service is infrequent (trips are more than 15 minutes apart), most riders will not spontaneously use transit but rather plan their arrivals around the timetable to minimize wait time.

Route 20 is the only Pasadena Transit route with frequency better than every 20 minutes. As of August 2025, Route 10 is just over 20 minute frequency (21 minute+), as the schedule was updated to reflect current traffic conditions due to extensive road reconfigurations that took place during the Covid 19 pandemic. Figure 22 shows that the weekday span of service is generally uniform across the service area, with trips starting in the 5:00 a.m. hour and ending by 8:00 p.m. Based on the Replica data and other findings from the Market Assessment, there are opportunities to better balance transit service by providing service later into the evenings while retaining better frequency on the routes with the most ridership.

Figure 22: Pasadena Transit Weekday Frequency and Span
Figure 23 and Figure 24 show that the level of service on the weekends drops dramatically from weekday service. On Saturdays, service only operates between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday service only operates between the 7:00 a.m. hour and ending by 5:00 p.m. By more closely matching service spans across weekday and weekends, and making frequencies more uniform throughout the day, Pasadena Transit service will be more accessible and better reflect existing travel patterns.

Figure 23: Pasadena Transit Weekend Frequency and Span

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
38 Figure 24: Pasadena Transit Weekend Frequency and Span Fixed-Route Fares
Pasadena Transit offers two fare options: single ride fare and 30-day pass (available only for TAP card). Both fare types have discounts for Youth, Senior, and Disabled riders. Figure 25: Pasadena Transit Fares summarizes the fare structure and options in more detail. Transfers between Pasadena Transit routes are free and unlimited with a TAP card within 2.5 hours of the passenger’s first boarding. If a rider boards another agency’s service within the 2.5-hour window, they will not be able to transfer back onto Pasadena Transit routes for free. Discounted transfers to Metro and other agencies are also offered if boarding with a TAP card.

Figure 25: Pasadena Transit Fares
Fare Type Full Youth Senior (60+) Disabled
Single Ride $0.75 $0.50 $0.35 $0.35
Pasadena Transit 30 Day Passes (TAP) $15.00 $10.00 $ 7. 00 $ 7. 00 Inter-Agency Transfer to Pasadena Transit $0.25 $0.25 $0.10 $0.10 Pasadena Transit also participates in various regional programs including the EZ Pass, UPASS, GoPass, EPASS and the LIFE program. These programs promote integration with other regional transit services, and some offer additional discounts or free fares to the participants. The City of Pasadena also offers a $5.00 subsidy for the purchase of $20 stored value on a TAP card for seniors (62+).

39 Funding
Pasadena Transit is primarily funded by the Los Angeles County Local Return Transportation Sales Tax program, which includes Propositions A and C and Measures M and R which together collect two cents of sales tax revenue across the County. These funds are crucial for the operation and maintenance of the transit system. Pasadena Transit also generates revenue from fare collection and advertising through the City’s bus shelter program. Additionally, the City also participates in the National Transit Database (NTD) reporting, which provides additional funding based on the data submitted.

Pasadena Transit also benefits from being designated as a “Tier II Operator” along with Glendale, Burbank, and the City of Los Angeles. This designation allows Pasadena Transit to receive Proposition A Growth Over Inflation (GOI) funds, recognizing its significant contribution to the regional transit network. Over the years, the City has been successful in securing various grants, which have provided millions of dollars in both capital and operating funds for the transit system. These grants have been instrumental in supporting the expansion and improvement of Pasadena Transit’s services and infrastructure.

Fleet and Facilities
Existing Fleet
By fiscal year 2014, the Department of Transportation completed the transition of all Pasadena Transit diesel fuel buses to low-emission, compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. The Department purchased smaller gasoline fueled shuttle style “cutaways” and minivans for the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service. Pasadena began transitioning Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride to zero-emission vehicles after FY2025.

As of 2026, the total transit fleet was comprised of 41 fixed-route buses and 16 paratransit vehicles as noted below.

Fixed-route (Pasadena Transit):
• One 35-foot Battery Electric Bus
• 16 35-foot low-floor Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses • 20 32-foot low-floor CNG buses
• Two 25-foot CNG shuttle style cutaways
• 100% of the fleet is equipped with wheelchair lifts
• 100% of the fleet is equipped with bicycle racks
• 100% of the fleet is equipped with vehicle location devices to provide realtime arrival information Paratransit (Pasadena Dial-A-Ride):
• 13 20-foot shuttle style cutaways (unleaded fuel)
• Three minivans (unleaded fuel)
• 100% of the fleet is equipped with wheelchair lifts
CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
40 Below is the fleet replacement and zero-emission transition plan.

Pasadena Transit: Pasadena Transit currently has one zero-emission vehicle which went into service in 2025. In 2027, seventeen vehicles will be transitioned to zero-emission, in 2030 eight vehicles will be converted, in 2032 four vehicles will be converted and in 2036 the remaining nine vehicles will be converted. The fleet replacement plan indicates that zero-emission fixed-route vehicles will be replaced after 12 years (the zero-emission vehicle currently in service is planned to be replaced in 2037).

Pasadena Dial-A-Ride: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride currently has one zero-emission vehicle planned to go in service in 2026. In 2027, seven vehicles will be transitioned to zero-emission and the rest of the fleet will be converted by 2028 (eight additional vehicles). The fleet replacement plan indicates that zero-emission cutaway vehicles will be replaced after six years, and zero-emission minivans will be replaced after four years.

41 Zero-Emission Bus
Roll Out Plan
In 2023, the City adopted the Pasadena
Zero-Emission Bus (ZEB) Rollout Plan,
which greatly transforms Pasadena’s transit
system by employing zero-emission
vehicles and constructing infrastructure
to fuel/charge and maintain the City’s
zero-emission transit and paratransit
fleets. The Pasadena ZEB Rollout Plan outlines the ZEB implementation plan as required by the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) Regulation, which mandates that all transit agencies in California transition to ZEBs. To comply, the City of Pasadena bus fleet must be 100% zero-emission by 2040. The transition can occur incrementally with 25% of new bus purchases to be ZEBs by 2026, and 100% of new bus purchases to be ZEBs by 2029 for full transition by 2040. The City of Pasadena purchased its first ZEBs in 2024, and is planning for a complete transition for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride by 2030 and Pasadena Transit by 2037.

Based on this comprehensive evaluation, the ZEB Rollout Plan determined that the fixed-route public transit service would transition to fuel cell electric buses (FCEB), while the paratransit service would transition to battery electric buses (BEB). FCEB buses offer the potential for a direct one-to-one replacement for the current CNG fleet in terms of operational range for fixed routes. The analysis indicated that a transition to BEBs for fixed-route vehicles would necessitate a 1:1.5 replacement ratio due to range limitations that require an additional bus to maintain existing service levels. Furthermore, the complexities associated with BEB charging, including varying charging times and optimal charging schedules, introduce additional logistical challenges to the already intricate operational and maintenance processes.

Operating Facilities
The Department of Transportation, including the Transit Division, is currently located in a commercial office building located at 221 E. Walnut St. within walking distance of City Hall.

The Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride services are operated under contract by a contractor. The operations and maintenance facility leased and operated by the contractor is located at the southwest corner of North Allen Ave. and Corson St., south of the 210 freeway, at 303 North Allen Ave. This facility has reached its capacity and no longer meets the operational and service demands of the City’s growing transit fleet.

Pasadena also utilizes two additional remote bus parking areas for overflow vehicles: 95 Alessandro Place and 2180 East Foothill Blvd.

For both CNG and unleaded fueling services, the City’s transit contractor primarily uses the City fueling facilities at the City Yard located in the northwest area of the City at 233 West Mountain St. and the City’s Civil Defense Center location off of Eaton Canyon Blvd. When the CNG fueling facility at the City Yard is not available, the transit fleet is fueled at a commercial CNG facility on Foothill Blvd.

Pasadena Transit /two.lf/zero.lf/three.lf/seven.lf Goal:
/one.lf/zero.lf/zero.lf/percent.lf ZERO

EMISSION FLEET
/four.lf/zero.lf/zero.lf

BUS STOPS
OVER
/one.lf./zero.lf/five.lf MILLION
TRIPS
/seven.lf/seven.lf/five.lf,/zero.lf/zero.lf/zero.lf miles annually
CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
42 Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility
The City will construct a Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility (TOMF) located on adjoining parcels at 2180 East Foothill Blvd. and 2211 East Walnut St. The project is currently in the design phase with construction planned to be in 2028. The new TOMF will be designed with specialized ZEB charging stations, including the necessary infrastructure to support both battery-electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses (FCEBs). This transition will include the development of charging and maintenance systems specifically for these new vehicle types, which require different servicing technologies and equipment than the traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) buses. The TOMF will include charging infrastructure and the requisite electrical capacity to manage the power demands of a large fleet of electric buses. The project is primarily funded through the Metro, Measure R, Mobility Improvement Program Grant.

Hydrogen Fueling Station
To support the City’s transition to hydrogen fuel cell buses by 2037, a hydrogen fueling station will be constructed on City-owned property at 159 South Kinneloa Ave. The station will include an above-ground fuel storage and two dispensers, mechanical equipment enclosure, additional bus parking and various site improvements to enhance accessibility and traffic engineering improvements. Starting in 2027, it is anticipated that 17 buses will fuel at this site daily, increasing to 25 buses in 2030, and up to 45 buses by 2037. The hydrogen storage tank will be refilled as needed during business hours. This facility will be dedicated solely to Pasadena Transit buses, and will not be accessible to the public.

The project is partially funded through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) that is overseen by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); and the Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergllZE), which is funded by the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program and implemented by CALSTART, Inc. 43 Peer Evaluation
To evaluate Pasadena Transit and Pasadena Dial-A-Ride, a comparison has been made with a cohort group of the “local” Los Angeles County community transit agencies which are generally smaller in size and scope than the regional oper- ators. The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Urban iNTD was used to select the peers. This tool analyzes several characteristics of an agency including service area population and demographics, operating budget, revenue miles and vehicle count to calculate a “total likeness score” with Pasadena. The peers were further refined based on those used in the previous SRTP . The final peers shown in Figure 26: Peer Evaluation Agencies. The most recent National Transit Database (NTD) data from reporting year 2024 was used for this analysis.

Figure 26: Peer Evaluation Agencies

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
44 Pasadena Transit has the highest ridership amongst its peers and outperforms them in post-Covid ridership recovery.

Compared to the cities of Norwalk, Redondo Beach and Glendale, Pasadena Transit had the highest ridership and outperformed in post covid transit recovery. By October 2023, Pasadena Transit carried 75% of their pre-Covid ridership (see Figure 27: Peer Agency Change in Monthly Ridership).

Figure 27: Peer Agency Change in Monthly Ridership
Figure 28 shows how Pasadena compares to its peer agencies in terms of efficiency measurements of cost per hour and boardings per revenue hour. Pasadena’s cost per revenue hour is $113.93 which is lower than the average cost per hour for the peer agencies of $137.74. This shows that Pasadena Transit is operating efficiently in comparison to its peers in the region and has a cost-effective agreement with their contractor. Pasadena’s boardings per hour rate of 16.8 is highest of its peers, and more than double the average of 8.0; this again shows that Pasadena Transit is above average in terms of service effectiveness.

45 Figure 28: Peer Fixed-Route Buses, Hours, Cost per Hour, and Boardings per Revenue Hour Agency Buses Annual
Revenue Hours
Cost per
Revenue Hour
Boardings per
Revenue Hour
Baldwin Park 6 21,584 $88.28 3.3
Burbank 11 21,318 $105.05 8.5
Carson 4 2,946 $164.54 1.5
Cerritos 6 7,730 $158.32 2.8
El Monte 7 24,698 $121.37 10.7
Glendale 35 99,373 $137.33 8.3
Norwalk 20 82,796 $188.44 13.8
Palos Verdes Peninsula 21 18,333 $165.23 7.5
PASADENA 21 70,270 $113.93 16.8
Redondo Beach 13 33,945 $134.90 7. 4
Average 14 38,299 $137 .74 8.0
Figure 29: Peer Fixed-Route Cost per Boarding and Farebox Recovery demonstrates that Pasadena provides a very cost-effective service, and has the lowest cost per passenger, lowest subsidy per trip, and second highest farebox recovery of the peers.

Figure 29: Peer Fixed-Route Cost per Boarding and Farebox Recovery Agency Cost per
Passenger
Subsidy
Per Trip
Farebox
Recovery Ratio
Baldwin Park $26.89 $26.32 2.1%
Burbank $12.37 $11.75 5.0%
Carson $112.60 $112.56 0.0%
Cerritos $57.41 $56.78 1.1%
El Monte $11.35 $11.00 3.1%
Glendale $16.58 $15.97 3.7%
Norwalk $13.68 $12.91 5.7%
Palos Verde Peninsula $21.97 $20.39 7. 2%
PASADENA $6.78 $6.35 6.3%
Redondo Beach $18.32 $17.50 4.5%
Average $29.79 $29.15 3.9%
CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
46 Systemwide Ridership
Ridership data was gathered for the Pasadena Transit routes through an on-board ride check in Fall 2023. Ride checkers rode every trip in the system across all day types. Data collected included boardings, alightings, and stop departure times. The total number of boardings on weekdays is about 4,700 boardings, an average of 317 boardings per hour.

Figure 30 shows the Pasadena Transit Boardings by Day Type and Hour. During the week, service was busiest during the 3 p.m. hour recording 578 boardings. Other high ridership time periods are 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a little over 400 boardings each hour. For most of the day, ridership hovers between 300 and 400 boardings an hour with minimal extreme peak in rider demand.

Saturday ridership is roughly one-third (35%) of weekday boardings.

The total number of boardings is 1,630, an average of 116 boardings per hour. Boardings peak at 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. recording 200 boardings in each hour. Route 51s begins service at 7:30 a.m. and the rest of the routes begin service between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., therefore, boardings are very low before the 11 a.m. hour.

The numbers for Sunday are similar to Saturday. The total number of boardings is 1,622, an average of 147 per hour. In addition to 10 a.m., popular boarding times are in the afternoon, specifically between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. recording at least 200 boardings per hour.

47 PUSD School Consolidation & Transit Coordination
Pasadena Transit’s service model and ridership base are closely intertwined with the needs of Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) students, making school access a core priority for the system. Pasadena Transit remains deeply attuned to the evolving educational landscape within the community, particularly that of PUSD.

As PUSD evaluates recommendations for potential school closures and the consolidation of campus sites over the next five years, Pasadena Transit recognizes that these shifts, if implemented, may fundamentally alter the travel patterns of a significant portion of its youth ridership.

In response to these potential changes, staff will closely monitor PUSD’s final decisions to ensure that the transit network remains responsive to the needs of students and families. If school closures occur, Pasadena Transit intends to evaluate the long-term alignment of its routes to ensure that service continues to provide efficient access to consolidated campuses and newly designated school hubs. This monitoring process will also extend to bus stop infrastructure near affected sites.

Figure 30: Pasadena Transit Boardings by Day Type and Hour

Route Level Ridership
Diving deeper into route-level ridership, Route 20 is the busiest route carrying about 2,500 weekday boardings, approximately 53% of total weekday ridership. This route has the most frequency and serves many popular key destinations including multiple high schools, ArtCenter College of Design South Campus, Caltech, Jackie Robinson Community Center, Robinson Park, Pasadena Civic Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital and the North and South Lake Business Districts.

Route 31/32 and Route 40 are the next busiest carrying 874 (18%) and 710 (15%) weekday boardings, respectively. Figure 31 shows that the trends are generally the same during Saturday and Sunday, but it’s worth noting that Route 10 records slightly more boardings than Routes 31/32 on Saturday.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
48 Figure 31: Pasadena Transit Boardings by Day Type and Route Stop Level Boardings
Figure 32 shows the top ten Pasadena Transit weekday boarding locations. The highest weekday boarding location is southbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. recording 215 daily boardings. A majority of the busiest bus stops are transfer stops connecting to multiple bus lines or near Metro A Line stations. For example, southbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. connects Route 20 to Route 31/32 and to Metro Line 660. As the northern terminus of the Pasadena Transit Routes (aside from JPL) this location provides access to transit service into Altadena. The top 10 ridership locations are mostly the same from the last SRTP analysis, but there were changes to ridership at some of the top locations. For example, southbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. increased from 118 weekday boardings in 2019 to 215 in 2023.

Sierra Madre Villa Station was the top ridership location in 2019 at 198 daily boardings, but has decreased to 153 in 2023.

49 Figure 32: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Weekday Boarding Locations Stop Name
Average Weekday
Passenger Boardings Key Destinations/Transfer Opportunities SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Woodbury Rd. 215 Mountain View Cemetery; connect to services to Altadena.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 660, 710
Sierra Madre Villa Station
(bus) 153 Hastings Village Shopping Center; Kaiser Permanente.

Routes 31, 32, 33, 40, 60, 266, 268, 487, Metro A Line
NB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Woodbury Rd. 133 Mountain View Cemetery; connect to services to Altadena.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 660, 710
NB Raymond Ave. &
Holly St. 128 Pasadena Memorial Park; Senior Center; Civic Center; Central Library; Routes 20, 33, 40, 51, 52, 53, 187, 267, 501, Metro A Line SB Lake Ave. &
Washington Blvd. 99 Longfellow Elementary School; Washington Park; Shopping Center. Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 662
SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Washington Blvd. 98
La Pintoresca Park & Library; Octavia E Butler Magnet Middle School; Washington Elementary School.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 660, 662
EB Green St. &
Arroyo Pkwy 90 Old Pasadena; Central Park; Convention Center. Routes 20, 33, 40, 51, 52, 53, 187, 267, 501, 660, 662, 686, Metro A Line SB Marengo Ave. &
Orange Grove Blvd. 77 Villa Parke Community Center; Villa Park; Madison Elementary School. Routes 20, 33
NB Lake Ave. &
Del Mar Blvd. 69 Caltech; South Lake Business District.

Routes 10, 20, 53, 267, 662
NB Lake Ave. &
Colorado Blvd. 63 Playhouse Village; South Lake Business District.

Routes 10, 20, 180, 187, 662, 686
Average weekday passenger boardings are three times higher than those on weekends. Figure 33 shows the Pasadena Transit Top 10 Saturday boarding locations. With the exception of the northbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. stop, the top six weekday boarding locations remain among the top ten on Saturdays. While most weekday destinations are near schools, including Caltech and Pasadena City College, many weekend destinations are more prominently located near leisure-related activities.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
50 Figure 33: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Saturday Boarding Locations Stop Name
Average Saturday
Passenger Boardings Key Destinations/Transfer Opportunities SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Woodbury Rd. 75 Mountain View Cemetery; connect to services to Altadena.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 660
NB Raymond Ave. &
Holly St. 55
Pasadena Memorial Park; Senior Center; Courthouse;
Civic Center; Central Library. Routes 20, 33, 40, 51s, 187, 267, 501, Metro A Line
Sierra Madre Villa Station
(bus) 38 Hastings Village; Kaiser Permanente. Routes 31, 32, 33, 40, 266, 268, 487, Metro A Line
EB East Orange Grove Blvd.
& North Fair Oaks Ave. 32 United States Post Office; Shopping Center.

Routes 20, 51s, 33, 660
SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Washington Blvd. 30 La Pintoresca Park & Library; Octavia E Butler Magnet MS; Washington Elementary School. Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 660, 662 NB Lake Ave. & Cordova St. 26 Playhouse Village; South Lake Business District.

Routes 10, 20, 662
EB Colorado Blvd. &
Fair Oaks Ave. 26 Old Pasadena; Central Park.

Routes 10, 33, 180, 187, 260, 267, 660, 686
SB Lake Ave. &
Washington Blvd. 23 Longfellow Elementary School; Washington Park; North Lake Business District. Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 662 SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Orange Grove Blvd. 23 United States Post Office; Shopping Center.

Routes 20, 33, 51s, 660
SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Tremont St. 22 Pasadena Public Health Department. Routes 20, 31, 32, 660 Southbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. consistently ranks as the highest boarding stop across all day types, with Saturday ridership exceeding Sunday by just six passengers. Figure 34 shows the Pasadena Transit Top 10 Sunday Boarding locations. Northbound Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd., which has the second-highest number of boardings on Sundays and third-highest on weekdays, does not appear in the top locations on Saturdays. Most Sunday stops are located near schools, churches, and community centers, similar to the weekday rankings, with seven of the top ten stops appearing on both lists. Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday share five of the same stops. 51 Figure 34: Pasadena Transit Top 10 Sunday Boarding Locations Stop Name
Average Sunday
Passenger Boardings Key Destinations/Transfer Opportunities SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Woodbury Rd. 69 Mountain View Cemetery; connect to services to Altadena.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 660
NB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Woodbury Rd. 52 Mountain View Cemetery; connect to services to Altadena.

Routes 20, 31, 32, 660
SB Lake Ave. &
Washington Blvd. 50 Longfellow Elementary School; Washington Park; North Lake Business District. Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 662
NB Raymond Ave. &
Holly St. 38
Pasadena Memorial Park; Senior Center; Courthouse;
Civic Center; Central Library. Routes 20, 33, 40, 51s, 187, 267, 501, Metro A Line
SB Marengo Ave. &
Orange Grove Blvd. 32 Villa Parke Community Center; Villa Park; Madison Elementary School. Routes 20, 33
NB Raymond Ave. &
Del Mar Blvd. 31 Central Park; Old Pasadena.

Routes 20, 51s, 267, 501, 660, 662, 686, Metro A Line
Sierra Madre Villa Station
(bus) 29 Hastings Village Shopping Center; Kaiser Permanente.

Routes 31, 32, 33, 40, 266, 268, 487, Metro A Line
EB Green St. &
Arroyo Pkwy 28 Old Pasadena; Central Park; Convention Center.

Routes 20, 40, 187, 267, 501, 660, 662, 686, Metro A Line SB Fair Oaks Ave. &
Tremont St. 24 Pasadena Public Health Department. Routes 20, 31, 32, 660 EB Washington Blvd. &
Los Robles Ave. 24 Pasadena Church; Friends Indeed Food Bank; Pasadena Christian School. Routes 20, 31, 32, 33, 662
CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
52 Service Productivity
The route productivity data reveals interesting patterns of passenger boardings per revenue hour across different routes and day types for Pasadena Transit (Figure 35: Pasadena Transit Boardings per Hour by Day Type). Notably, Route 20 demonstrates the highest productivity across all day types, indicating consistent and significant passenger usage.

This analysis underscores the varying levels of route efficiency and usage patterns, providing valuable insights for optimizing transit services.

Figure 35: Pasadena Transit Boardings per Hour by Day Type Cost Effectiveness
The cost per boarding data reveals significant variations across different routes and day types for Pasadena Transit (Figure 36: Pasadena Transit Cost per Boarding by Route and Day Type), with an average cost of $5.92. Route 51/52 has the highest overall cost at $13.61, Route 10 second at $11.06 and Route 60 third at $9.86. Routes 20, 31/32, and 40 have average operating costs below $4.13 per boarding.

When examining day-type variations, Sundays have the highest cost per boarding at $7.86, with Saturday at $7.02 and Weekdays at $4.87. Route 51/52 has the highest weekday and Saturday cost per boardings, while Route 10 has the highest Sunday cost.

53 Figure 36: Pasadena Transit Cost per Boarding by Route and Day Type Customer Experience
Bus Loading
Routes 20, 31/32 and 40 have added peak hour trips to address overcrowding issues, especially related to student boardings from Blair School, Pasadena High School, McKinley School and Muir High School. Even despite the added peak hour service, Route 20 consistently reports overloads, and remains busy throughout the day. As mentioned above, the Route 20 carries the majority of passengers in the Pasadena Transit system. Route 31 occasionally reports overloads as well. Figure 37: Weekday Peak Load by Trip shows the peak passenger loads by route, direction, and trip start time on weekdays.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
54 Figure 37: Weekday Peak Load by Trip

55 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
56 57

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
58 The preceding charts (figures 38 and 39) indicate the peak loads for each weekday trip. As shown, Route 20CC has a standing load trip in the morning and Routes 20CW and 31 each have a standing load trip in the afternoon. Figure 38: Weekday a.m. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment shows the magnitude of the standing loads by segment for the Route 20CC a.m. trip and Figure 39: Weekday P .M. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment shows the magnitude of Route 20CW and 31 trips in the p.m.

59 Figure 38: Weekday A.M. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
60 Figure 39: Weekday P .M. Peak Bus Overcrowding by Segment

61 On-Time Performance
In addition to collecting boarding and alighting information, the route checkers also noted schedule adherence data.

Figure 40 shows the weekday percentage of early departures, on-time departures and late departures by route. On average, the routes are 84% on-time based on the bus departing no more than one minute early or five minutes late at a timepoint. Route 60 has the highest on-time performance at 92%. In terms of earliness, 9% of Route 20 timepoints are early, which is the highest among the routes. For lateness, Route 51/52 is 15% late, with Route 40 following with 14% and Route 31/32 at 13%.

Figure 40: Pasadena Transit Weekday On-Time Performance by Route Figure 41 shows the Saturday percentage of early departures, on-time departures and late departures by route. For Saturdays, almost a quarter of Route 10 timepoints are early (1%) or late (24%). Route 20 and Route 32 have the largest percentage of early trips, at 2%. Route 20 has the second largest percentage of late trips at 16%. The average on-time percentage is 86% with Route 31/32 doing the best at 98% and Route 10 with the lowest at 74%. Subsequent to this analysis, a schedule change was implemented for Route 10 to account for current traffic conditions due to extensive road reconfigurations that took place during the Covid 19 pandemic.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
62 Figure 41: Pasadena Transit Saturday On-Time Performance by Route Interestingly, all of the routes on Sunday are at least 6% late. Figure 42 shows the Sunday percentage of early departures, on-time departures and late departures by route. Route 10 is 6% late, Route 20 is 17%, and Route 40 is 16%. On the other hand, routes depart early 2% of trips. The average on-time performance is 87% with Route 10 with the highest on-time performance of 93%.

Figure 42: Pasadena Transit Sunday On-Time Performance by Route

63 Operating Speed
Routes 31/32 and 40 consistently exhibit higher scheduled operating speeds across all days, indicating these routes are more efficient with fewer delays. Conversely, Route 20 is the slowest, which is likely due to the higher volume of boardings and the number of turns on the route. Notably, Sunday speeds are higher overall, reflecting lighter traffic conditions.

Route 31/32 achieves the highest speed on Sundays at 16.3 mph and Route 20 shows a significant improvement on Sundays compared to weekdays. These variations highlight the impact of traffic patterns and congestion on transit efficiency, with weekends generally offering faster travel times. Figure 43 shows the Pasadena Transit operating speed by route and day type.

Figure 43: Pasadena Transit Operating Speed by Route and Day Type

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
64 Pasadena Transit Route Profiles
This section contains route profiles of each individual route. The profiles include the following information:
• Description of each route and notable destinations
• 2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
• Service Statistics such as frequency, ridership, and productivity • Map of each route showing the alignment and weekday boardings by stop location Route 10: Old Pasadena – PCC – Allen Station
Route Description
Route 10 operates primarily along Colorado Blvd. on the west end of the route providing direct service connections to the Central District. The eastern portion of the route operates on Del Mar Blvd. and Allen Ave. Route 10 serves Old Pasadena, the Civic Center, Playhouse Village, the South Lake Business District, Caltech, Pasadena City College and the Allen A Line Station.
2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
2019 SRTP Recommendation 2019 Service Current Service
Implement Sunday service Implemented in July 2018 Still running Increase weekday frequency up to 10 minutes 18-minute frequency 21-minute frequency Operate earlier on Saturday at 7 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m.

Increase Saturday frequency up to 15 minutes 18-minute frequency 21-minute frequency Extend weekday hours 10 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 7:45 p.m.

Service Statistics
Route 10 operates from 5:50 a.m. – 7:45 p.m. on weekdays, Saturday from 10:45 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with a frequency of 21 minutes. In August 2025, runtimes were updated to reflect current traffic conditions related to road reconfigurations completed during the Covid 19 pandemic. This led to a drop in frequency for the route. On average, it has 442 boardings on a weekday, which is 9.3% of total system ridership, 287 (17.6%) on Saturday, and 214 (13.2%) on Sunday. The route carries 9.3 passengers per hour during the week, and on Saturdays and Sundays it carries

9.2 and 7 passengers per hour, respectively.
65 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
66 Route 20: Fair Oaks Ave. – Lake Ave.

Route Description
Route 20 operates a bi-directional loop along the Fair Oaks Ave. and Lake Ave. corridors linking high density residential to community destinations. The Fair Oaks Ave. corridor extends from Woodbury Rd. in the north to Glenarm St. in the south. The Lake Ave. corridor extends from Woodbury Rd. in the north to California Blvd. in the south. This route serves key community destinations such as the Jackie Robinson Community Center and Robinson Park, Old Pasadena, the Pasadena Senior Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and Blair Middle and High School, as well as the Memorial Park, Del Mar and Fillmore A Line Stations. The Lake Ave. section serves the North Lake and South Lake Business Districts, the Playhouse Village, and the Lake A Line Station.
2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
2019 SRTP Recommendation 2019 Service Current Service
Retain grant funded service Grant initiated in 2014 Service permanently implemented 2023
Implement Sunday service Implemented in July 2018 Still running Increase weekday frequency up to 10 minutes 22-minute frequency 18-minute peak/24-minute off peak frequency
Operate earlier on Saturday at 7 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.

Increase Saturday frequency up to 15 minutes 31-minute frequency 35-minute frequency Extend weekday hours at 10 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

Service Statistics
Route 20 operates on weekdays from 5:45 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. with a frequency of 18-24 minutes, Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 8:15 p.m., and Sunday from 7:15 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. with a frequency of 35 minutes. Route 20 is the busiest bus route in the City. On a weekday, it has an average of 2540 (53.4% of total boardings) boardings, 794 (48.7%) on Saturday, and 863 (53.2%) on Sunday. Lastly, its weekday passengers per hour is 23.8 while it is 19.9 and 21 for Saturday and Sunday, respectively. 67 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
68 Route 31/32: NW Pasadena – SMV Station
Route Description
Route 31/32 serves the Washington Blvd. corridor between Lincoln Ave. and Altadena Dr. The route branches at Altadena Dr. with Route 31 serving south Altadena Dr. and Foothill Blvd. and Route 32 serving north Altadena Dr., New York Dr. and Sierra Madre Villa Ave. The two branches terminate at the Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station. The routes serve John Muir and Pasadena High Schools, Jackie Robinson Community Center and Robinson Park, North Lake Ave., the Washington Blvd.

Corridor, the New York Dr. business park, and the Hastings Ranch shopping and business area. 2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
2019 SRTP Recommendation 2019 Service Current Service
Retain grant funded service Grant initiated in 2016 Service permanently implemented 2021 Implement Sunday service Implemented July 2018 Still running Operate earlier on Saturday at 7 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.

Extend weekday hours at 10 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

Service Statistics
Route 31/32 each operates with a frequency of 40 minutes on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., and a 60-minute weekend frequency from 10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. On the segment between Fair Oaks Ave. & Woodbury Rd. to Washington Blvd. & Altadena Dr, there are combined frequencies of 20 minutes and 30 minutes respectively. A typical weekday has 874 boardings, which is 18.4% of the total system ridership, and has 269 (16.5%) boardings on Saturday and 276 boardings (17%) on Sunday. The passengers per hour on the weekdays is 26.4, 13.5 69 for Saturdays, and 9.4 for Sundays.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
70 Route 40: Old Pasadena – SMV Station
Route Description
Route 40 serves the Orange Grove Blvd. and Villa St. corridors between the Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station on the east and the Memorial Park A Line Station and Old Pasadena on the west, as well as the Allen A Line Station midway through the route. The route serves Victory Park, Old Pasadena, the Pasadena Senior Center, Civic Center, and the Hastings Ranch shopping and business area.
2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
2019 SRTP Recommendation 2019 Service Current Service
Implement Sunday service Implemented July 2018 Still running Operate earlier on Saturday at 7 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

Extend weekday hours at 10 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:20 p.m.

Modify route 40 to extend to serve Central Park,
Del Mar Station and South Lake Ave.; 20-minute
frequencies
24-minute peak and 30-minute off
peak weekday frequency; 30-minute
weekend frequency
24-minutes weekday;
30-minutes weekend
Route not modified
Service Statistics
Route 40 operates on weekdays from 5:55 a.m. – 8:20 p.m., 11:00 a.m. – 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday with a 24-minute frequency on weekdays and 30-minute frequency on weekends. It has 710 (14.9% of total boardings) boardings on weekdays, 188 (11.5%) on Saturday, and 183 (11.3%) on Sunday. The route carries 23 passengers per hour during the week, 13.1 on Saturday, and 8.5 on Sunday. 71 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
72 Route 51/52: So. Raymond – Linda Vista – ArtCenter/JPL Route Description
Route 51/52 serves the Memorial Park, Del Mar and Fillmore A Line Stations. It provides a connection to ArtCenter College of Design’s north and south campuses, the Linda Vista community, Old Pasadena and South Raymond. Route 52 serves the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Route 51/52 also provides service to the Rose Bowl area, Pasadena Senior Center, and Huntington Memorial Hospital. This route operates Monday through Friday, with service to JPL only in the morning and afternoon peak periods. Off-peak service is approximately every hour. The schedule for this route has also been developed to help meet some of the travel demand from Blair Middle and High School. On Saturday and Sunday, the route serves a shorter, more high frequency route connecting Old Pasadena and the Memorial Park A Line station to the Rose Bowl.
2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
2019 SRTP Recommendation 2019 Service Current Service
Implement Sunday service for Route 51 Implemented July 2018 Still running Service Statistics
Route 51/52 operates weekdays from 5:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. with a 30-minute peak frequency and 60-minute off peak frequency, Saturday from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with a 22-minute frequency. A typical weekday has 158 (3.3% of total boardings) boardings, 92 (5.6%) on Saturday, and 86 (5.3%) on Sunday. It carries 7.2 passengers per hour during the week, and 6.2 and 7.7 on Saturday and Sunday. 73 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
74 Route 60: PCC – SMV Station - Michillinda
Route Description
Route 60 feeds the Sierra Madre Villa A Line Station. On the northeast end, the route serves the Hastings Ranch and Sierra Madre/Michillinda area, including La Salle High School, Pasadena City College Community Education Center and Hastings Ranch Shopping Center. On the west end, the route serves Pasadena City College’s main campus, the Del Mar Blvd. corridor between Bonnie Ave. and Madre St., and provides direct service to Wilson Middle School and the Pasadena Community Urgent Care and Ability First on Del Mar Blvd. The route operates Monday through Friday with morning and afternoon peak service only.
2019 SRTP Goals and Progress
There were no goals for Route 60 stated in the 2019 SRTP .

Service Statistics
Route 60 operates only on the weekdays from 7:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. with peak only service of 3 trips in the morning and 4 trips in the afternoon. It has 32 boardings a day, which is 0.7% of overall system ridership. The passengers per hour is 9.6. 75 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
76 Key Findings of Pasadena Transit Evaluation
The following are the key findings from the evaluation of the existing Pasadena Transit routes which should be considered when developing service recommendations:
• Citywide Transit Use: Metro Rail and Metro Bus service together account for more than half of the city-wide average weekday transit boardings (39.2% and 30.7% respectively). Pasadena Transit contributes a little over a quarter, making up 26.1% of total weekday ridership. In contrast, Foothill Transit serves 3.8%, and LADOT Commuter Express sees just 0.2% of the total.
• Transit Coverage: Most areas of the City have access to bus and rail service. Coverage is more limited in lower density residential neighborhoods in the southwest, central, and northeast portions of Pasadena. • High Ridership Locations: The top six stops with the highest weekday ridership are the Metro A Line stations.

Sierra Madre Villa Station is the second most popular Metro rail station, and is the most popular bus stop with 32% of boardings from Pasadena Transit and the rest from Metro Bus. Other stations and bus stops with higher than average boardings are mostly located in the west of the City, specifically clustered around Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, and Huntington Hospital. • Highest Ridership Routes: Metro Rail’s A Line stands out as the busiest transit route with 7,151 weekday boardings, accounting for over one-third of average weekday ridership. The second busiest route is Pasadena Transit Route 20, which averages 2,540 boardings per weekday. Metro Bus Routes 180 and 662, as well as Pasadena Transit Route 40, round out the top five highest busiest routes in the City. • Metro NextGen: Metro has implemented almost all of their planned changes in Pasadena. This included transferring Line 177 (now Pasadena Transit Route 53) and Line 256 (now Pasadena Transit Route 33) to Pasadena Transit in December 2024.
• Peer Review: Pasadena Transit demonstrates efficient operation with the lowest cost per passenger ($6.78) and second-highest farebox recovery (6.3%) among peer agencies. • Span of Service: Pasadena Transit route span of service falls short of LA Metro services and does not match the travel patterns analyzed in the Market Assessment. The gap in service span is most pronounced on weekends. • Passenger Loads: Overcrowding is minimal across routes, with occasional standing passengers recorded on select trips during peak times. This may increase if ridership returns closer to pre-pandemic levels. • Reliability: Weekday routes averaged 84% on-time, and Route 60 has the highest on-time performance at 92%.

Route 20 had the highest percentage of early stop departures. • Operating Speed: Routes 31/32 is able to travel with the least delays and fastest speeds, while Route 20 operates at a slower speed due to higher passenger activity and high number of turning movements. 77 Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Evaluation
System Summary
History
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride has been serving Pasadena residents since 1984. In 1989, the City of San Marino contracted with the City of Pasadena to provide its Dial-A-Ride services to San Marino residents. In 1990, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works entered into a contract with Pasadena to begin providing its Dial-A-Ride service to residents of the unincorporated areas of Kinneloa and East San Gabriel. In 1993, L.A. County expanded this service agreement to include Altadena. Together, the three agencies, with Pasadena as the lead, participate in a Metro incentive program that provides special funding to encourage service coordination. These funds are used by Pasadena to offset administrative costs for the program.

Funding
Typically, Pasadena funds about 56% of the cost of operating Pasadena Dial-A-Ride using Proposition A of the Los Angeles County Local Return Transportation Sales Tax program funds. About 30% of the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride budget is subsidized by Metro’s Incentive Grant Program for Subregional Paratransit Services, which are received due to Pasadena’s partnerships with San Marino and with Los Angeles County. Additional funds are also provided by San Marino and Los Angeles County as direct reimbursement for the trips provided to their residents. Additionally, over the course of the past several years, DOT has been very successful in securing grant awards that have resulted in a full fleet replacement, expansion vehicles, and some operating funds. Fare revenue accounts for a very small part of the budget.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
78 Service Profile
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is a shared, curb-to-curb transportation service available to residents of Pasadena, San Marino, Altadena, and other unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including Chapman Woods, Kinneloa area, and the unincorporated area of the City of San Gabriel (see Figure 44: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Service Area Map). The service is designed for residents ages 60 and older, as well as those under 60 with an Access Services membership or a LACTOA Disabled Reduced Fare TAP card. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride members are eligible to ride free on Pasadena Transit.

Figure 44: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Service Area Map

79 Operating Days and Hours
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service is provided during the following days and hours:
• Monday to Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Saturdays, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve: 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. • Sundays: 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• No service on major holidays
Membership and Application Process
To join, residents must provide a Pasadena Dial-A-Ride application, proof of residency, and a Reduced Fare TAP card.

Applications can be submitted online, by mail, or in person at the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Administrative Office. For assistance with obtaining a TAP card, residents can contact the Administrative Office or visit the TAP website. Those under 60 much provide proof of an Access Services membership or LACTOA Disabled TAP card.

Scheduling and Fares
Members can schedule rides by calling Dispatch between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Rides must be reserved at least 24 hours in advance and can be scheduled up to five days ahead. The service has a 20-minute pick-up window and ride times should take no more than 40 minutes. The cost is 75 cents a ride, payable with exact change or a TAP card loaded with Stored Value. Guests ages 10 and older can accompany members at the regular fare. Self-provided escorts ride for free.

Relation to Access Services
Access Services in Los Angeles serves as the complementary ADA provider for its member agencies, which includes the City of Pasadena. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride plays a crucial role in managing demand by locally serving individuals and alleviating pressure on Access. As a result, the system not only maximizes resource efficiency and operational flexibility but also broadens the overall mobility network, ensuring both qualifying ADA riders and others with basic mobility needs gain access to reliable transportation.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
80 Peer Comparison
The same process was used for the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride peer comparison as the Pasadena Transit peer comparison.

Figure 45 shows how Pasadena compares to its peer agencies in terms of efficiency measurements of cost per hour, cost per passenger and passengers per revenue hour. Pasadena’s hourly cost per hour of $113.38 is lower than the average cost per hour for the peer agencies of $147.57. Pasadena’s average cost per passenger of $32.51 is also lower than the average cost per passenger of the peer agencies of $46.34. These costs indicate that Pasadena is more productive than others in the region on managing their costs. Finally, the average productivity amongst peers is 3.8 while Pasadena Transit has an average productivity of 3.5 passengers per revenue hour, which is still very high for a paratransit service.

As noted above, Pasadena funds about 56% of the operating costs for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride with Proposition A sales tax revenue; this means that of the $32.51 cost per passenger, $18.21 is paid for by Pasadena, and the rest is covered by the Metro’s Incentive Grant Program for Subregional Paratransit Services and other grant funding.

Figure 45: Peer Dial-A-Ride Cost per Boarding and Farebox Recovery Agency
Cost per
Revenue Hour
Cost per Passen-
ger
Subsidy per
Passenger
Passengers per
Revenue Hour
Baldwin Park $105.23 $44.01 $43.66 2.4
Burbank $145.60 $40.77 $40.45 3.6
Carson $88.21 $10.94 $8.30 8.1
Cerritos $303.65 $59.83 $59.23 5.1
El Monte $220.01 $71.74 $71.30 3.1
Glendale $140.26 $45.82 $44.80 3.1
Norwalk $121.10 $60.38 $59.53 2.0
Palos Verdes Peninsula $131.22 $22.81 $16.81 5.8
PASADENA $113.38 $32.51 $32.19 3.5
Redondo Beach $107.06 $74.57 $73.64 1.4
Average $147 .57 $46.34 $44.99 3.8
81 Usage by Day and Time
For the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service analysis, data from the paratransit software system was analyzed for calendar year 2023. Overall, there were 2,481 annual trips analyzed over the 12 months. Weekdays average 197 boardings with the highest day being Wednesday, which averaged 217 boardings (see Figure 46). Weekend ridership drops to 47 boardings on Saturday and 53 boardings on Sunday, which is about 25% of weekday usage.

Figure 46: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Average Boardings by Day Type The service provides the most trips between 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. on weekdays where it averages 26.2 boardings per hour. Trip activity during non-weekday peak periods is similar between weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (Figure 47).

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
82 Figure 47: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Boardings by Hour by Day Type Trip Lengths
Figure 48 shows the average trip length for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride trips is 3.5 miles, which is slightly shorter on the weekends (3.3). The average trip time is 17.6 minutes, which is also shorter on the weekends. Only 2.8% of trips exceeded the City’s standard maximum trip length of 40 minutes.

Figure 48: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Average Trip Lengths
Row Labels Average Trip Length (Miles) Average TripLength (Minutes) Weekday 3.5 17.9
Saturday 3.3 15.2
Sunday 3.3 14.6
Total 3.5 17.6
Key Service Locations
The spread of the top destinations reflects concentrated ridership at a few key locations. Weekday boardings are highest at day program facilities, local food bank, specialized residential and City facilities. Figure 49 shows the spread of boarding locations throughout the service area. The majority of pick-ups are in Pasadena primarily in Northwest Pasadena, central Pasadena and around Huntington Hospital.

83 Figure 49: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Pick-Up Locations
On Saturdays, no location averages more than one pickup. On Sundays, a few key locations have multiple boardings, including places of worship. Ridership to Sunday services may contribute to the higher overall ridership on Sunday than Saturday.

Figure 50 indicates most of the 2023 boardings occurred within the City of Pasadena, which accounts for 89% of the total; Altadena accounts for 8%, San Marino 2%, San Gabriel 0.44%, and South Pasadena 0.20%. There were a few trips to La Cañada Flintridge, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre which are most likely trips provided for residents in unincorporated LA County who are permitted to travel up to one mile outside of the service area for medical trips.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
84 Figure 50: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Boardings by Jurisdiction City
Weekday
Boardings
Weekday
Percent
Saturday
Boardings
Saturday
Percent
Sunday
Boardings
Sunday
Percent
Pasadena 45,100 89.73% 2,108 84.97% 2,287 82.65%
Altadena 3,944 7. 85% 280 11.29% 302 10.91%
San Marino 884 1.76% 83 3.35% 116 4.19%
San Gabriel 175 0.35% 8 0.32% 61 2.20%
South Pasadena 101 0.20% 0 0.00% 1 0.04%
La Cañada Flintridge 43 0.09% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
Arcadia 14 0.03% 1 0.04% 0 0.00%
Sierra Madre 1 0.00% 1 0.04% 0 0.00%
Key Findings of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Evaluation
The following are the key findings from the evaluation of the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride service which should be considered when developing service recommendations:
• Service Area: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride serves Pasadena, Altadena, San Marino, and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
• Regional Context: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride complements Access Services by managing less complex mobility needs at the local level.
• Operating Hours: Service operates Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with reduced hours on weekends and certain holidays.
• Jurisdiction Usage: 89% of trips occur within Pasadena, while Altadena accounts for 8%, and other surrounding areas account for smaller percentages.
• Trip Lengths: Average trip length is 3.5 miles and 17.6 minutes, with slight reductions on weekends. • Cost Efficiency: Pasadena’s cost per revenue hour ($113.38) and subsidy per passenger ($32.19) are below their peer average.
• Productivity: The average of 3.5 passengers per revenue hour meets Metro’s standard of 3.5 passengers per hour and is very high for a dial-a-ride service.
• Ridership Patterns: Weekday ridership averages 197 boardings, while weekend ridership drops to 47 boardings on Saturdays and 53 on Sundays.
85 SRTP Community
Priorities Outreach
Pasadena Transit Survey
In late 2023, an extensive on-board and online survey
gathered 1,330 responses over a three-month period
to assess rider satisfaction and usage patterns. In
addition to conducting the survey on-board the
buses, the survey was also promoted to non-riders
through social media and Pasadena Transit website
to gather input on their preferences.

The survey revealed high overall satisfaction with the Pasadena Transit service, with passengers particularly appreciating the affordability of fares, convenient payment options, quality of customer service, and sufficient passenger seating access (Figure 51). Respondents also identified important areas for improvement (largest gap between level of importance and level of satisfaction), including improved on-time performance, extended service hours, more frequent service, and safety at bus stops.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
86 Figure 51: Pasadena Transit Survey- Importance Satisfaction Gap Attribute Average of
Importance
Average of
Satisfaction
Importance-
Satisfaction Gap
Buses being on time 4.50 3.75 -0.75
When service is available (hours of operation) 4.44 3.70 -0.74 Frequency of buses (how often it runs) 4.42 3.71 -0.71
Perception of safety at bus stops 4.48 3.80 -0.68
Bus Arrival Time Information 4.48 3.88 -0.60
Cleanliness inside the bus 4.45 3.89 -0.56
Safety on bus 4.54 4.01 -0.53
Overall trip time 4.19 4.03 -0.16
Ease of transfers 4.14 3.99 -0.15
Distance to the bus stop 4.11 4.00 -0.11
Passenger seating access 4.16 4.13 -0.03
Customer Service of bus drivers 4.18 4.18 0.01
Ease of paying fare 4.10 4.35 0.25
Cost of riding 4.01 4.31 0.29
Demographics
The survey responses present a demographic picture of Pasadena Transit ridership:
• 78% of Pasadena Transit riders live in Pasadena and Altadena. 37% of riders live in Northwest Pasadena (zip codes 91103 and 91104 ), Pasadena’s most disadvantaged community. 23% of riders live in Central Pasadena (zip codes 91101 and 91106). Approximately 5% of riders live in the surrounding cities of Monterey Park, Highland Park, South Pasadena, Alhambra, and Sierra Madre.
• When excluding home trips, work and school are the two most common reasons for using Pasadena Transit, making up 23% and 13% of trips, respectively (Figure 52). Medical and recreational trips were the least common trip purpose (5% of trips, respectively).
• 86% of riders are lower income than the citywide average of$103,778 per household. 73% of riders were identified as low-income based on the Metro LIFE income limits.
• 85% of riders indicated that they did not have access to a car to make trips. • 51% of riders identified as female and 46% identified as male riders making up 46%; the rates are similar to general population in the City.
• 27% of riders are ages 19-29, 18% are ages 30 to 39. Older adults (65 and older) made up 11% of riders (less than the citywide percentage of 17.1%) (Figure 53).
• A majority of the riders are employed either full or part time at 57% (Figure 54). Students make up 20% of riders. 87 Figure 52: Pasadena Transit Trip Destination
Figure 53: Pasadena Transit Rider Age

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
88 Figure 54: Pasadena Transit Rider Employment Status
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Survey
In early 2024, a comprehensive survey of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride users collected over 150 mail-in responses, revealing both strengths and challenges of the service.

The survey found that riders particularly appreciated the affordability of rides, the ride time, and safety/comfort of the service. However, several service limitations were identified, including difficulty securing rides at preferred times, inconsistent on-time performance for pickups and drop-offs, and where you can travel. When asked about barriers to using the service, respondents primarily cited three issues: destinations falling outside service area, inability to book due to fully scheduled trips, and the lack of same-day ride options.

Demographics
The survey responses present a demographic picture of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride ridership:
• 93% of Pasadena Transit riders live in Pasadena and Altadena. 30% of riders live in Northwest Pasadena (zip codes 91103 and 91104 ), Pasadena’s most disadvantaged community. 30% of riders live in Central Pasadena (zip codes 91101 and 91106). Approximately 5% of riders live in San Marino and San Gabriel. • 95% of riders are lower income than the citywide average of$103,778 per household. 78% of riders were identified as low-income based on the Metro LIFE income limits.
• 55% of riders indicated that they did not have access to a car to make trips. • 74% of riders identified as female.
• 77% of riders reported some type of physical, cognitive or intellectual disability, and 14% reported using a wheelchair.

89 Figure 55: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Survey- Importance Satisfaction Gap Attribute Average of
Importance
Average of
Satisfaction
Importance-
Satisfaction Gap
Where you can travel 4.72 4.07 -0.65
Ability to get a scheduled ride when you want to travel 4.68 4.17 -0.51 On-time pickup within the 20-minute window 4.77 4.39 -0.38 Hours when service is available 4.64 4.34 -0.30
On-time drop-off at your destination 4.72 4.51 -0.21
Reservation call answer time 4.52 4.41 -0.11
Ability to schedule curb to curb service 4.81 4.70 -0.11 Professionalism of reservations staff 4.70 4.69 -0.01
Professionalism of driver 4.74 4.74 0.00
Vehicle cleanliness/comfort of vehicle 4.67 4.71 0.04
Perception of safety on vehicle 4.78 4.84 0.06
Length of the ride time 4.37 4.55 0.18
Cost of ride 4.41 4.83 0.42
When asked about service coverage, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride users would like to be able to make trips to South Pasadena, Arcadia, and Sierra Madre, which are currently outside of the service area.

Figure 56: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Survey- Respondents Requesting Service to Other Areas Location
Total
Respondents
South Pasadena 63
Arcadia 40
Sierra Madre 37
Glendale 14
Alhambra 8
Monrovia 6
San Gabriel 5
SRTP Community Priorities Public Workshops
The surveys were complemented in Spring 2024 with targeted workshops with the general community as well as specific demographics: older adults, persons with disabilities, youth, and Spanish speakers. Overall, six workshops were held as shown in Figure 57.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
90 Figure 57: SRTP Priority Workshop Locations and Attendance Focus Meeting Location Date and Time Attendance
General In-Person Victory Park Saturday April 27th
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 12
General Virtual Zoom Wednesday, May 1st
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 15
Older Adults and
Persons with Disabilities Pasadena Senior Center Thursday, May 2nd 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 11
Meeting in Spanish Washington Park Commu-
nity House
Saturday, May 4th
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 4
Youth Focus Meeting Robinson Park Recreation
Center
Tuesday, May 7th
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 15
Meeting in Spanish 2 Villa Parke Community
Center
Wednesday, June 26th
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. 10
Across all public meetings during this first phase of outreach, three aspects of Pasadena Transit’s service received consistent praise: driver quality, cleanliness/safety, and reliability. Throughout the focus meetings, which were attended by a total of 67 community members, participants repeatedly described drivers as friendly, patient, helpful, and courteous.

The bilingual capabilities of Pasadena Dial-A-Ride dispatchers were also specifically appreciated. Participants value Pasadena Transit’s timeliness, consistency, and affordability, along with satisfactory coverage of key destinations. The Youth Focus Meeting highlighted particular satisfaction with school schedule alignment and punctuality.

Figure 58: Example Interactive Workshop Exercises

In addition, clear community priorities emerged regarding opportunities for service improvements. Participants emphasized the need for more frequent weekday service, expanded route coverage, increased service span and enhanced bus stop facilities. Participants discussed the need for later service, especially past 8 p.m. Regarding bus stop improvements, participants asked for more covered bus stops throughout the system. They noted that several key stops lack adequate seating, and some existing benches are insufficiently sized.

Pasadena Dial-A-Ride users echoed these sentiments, specifically requesting longer service hours and extended Sunday availability. Participants also expressed interest in same-day reservations and increased availability during peak travel times.

91 Service Recommendations
Summary of Key Findings
Based on the review of existing services, peer review, and surveys, the following key findings were used to guide the development of goals and objectives for this SRTP:
• The SRTP should integrate Pasadena Transit routes with upcoming projects such as the North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Corridor project and recent changes to the Metro Bus and Rail system. • The SRTP should support the City’s Land Use and Mobility Element which encourages development in the Central District, near Metro A Line stations, and along the East Colorado Blvd., North Lake Ave., Fair Oaks Ave., Orange Grove Blvd., and Lincoln Ave. corridors.
• High transit opportunity areas include Old Pasadena, near Caltech and Pasadena City College, and neighborhoods along Lake Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave. north of the 210 Freeway. • Most areas of the City have access to bus or rail service. There is not a need to expand the coverage of the fixed-route transit network.
• Pasadena Transit span of service falls short of LA Metro services and does not match the travel patterns identified in the Market Assessment.
• The Pasadena Transit survey identified important areas for improvement including improved on-time performance, extended service hours, more frequent service, and safety at bus stops. • The Dial-A-Ride survey identified opportunities to serve destinations that fall outside the service area, difficulty booking trips during peak travel times, and the lack of same-day ride options as opportunities for improvement. • Attendees at the six community workshops held in Spring 2024 highlighted areas for improvement for Pasadena Transit such as increased weekday frequency, extended service hours, and enhanced bus stop facilities. For Pasadena Dial-A-Ride, participants emphasized the need for later service hours, and same-day reservations and expanded availability.

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
92 Recommendation Goals / Objectives
The key findings discussed above guided the development of the following goals and objectives for the SRTP recommendations:
• Goal 1: Reflect new travel patterns
• Extend span of service (operating hours) on most routes to better match post-pandemic travel demand • Provide same service frequencies and span on Saturday and Sunday to match weekend travel demand patterns • Goal 2: Integrate with NextGen
• Extend span to better match Metro service hours
• Integrate former Metro Lines 177 and 256 into the Pasadena Transit network • Reduce service on corridors well-served by Metro Lines • Prepare Pasadena Transit routes for the upcoming NoHo to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project • Goal 3: Enhance Customer Experience
• Use compatible, clock-face frequencies for easier transfers with Metro and other Pasadena Transit routes • Improve weekday peak frequencies on key corridors
• Add holiday service on Pasadena Transit routes to match Metro service • Same-day service pilot for Pasadena Dial-A-Ride with extended service area Pasadena Transit Recommendations
Route by Route Recommendations
The following pages include details on the Pasadena Transit route recommendations as presented to the public during the second round of outreach. Figure 59 provides a summary of the types of changes proposed to each route. More details about each change and the potential impacts are included on route-specific pages. The recommendations below are designed to be implemented as a complete package; when adopted together, they are cost-neutral. Any recommendations requiring additional funding are identified in the table below.

A new alignment for Route 10 is recommended which replaces the initial recommendation. Due to significant public concern regarding the previously proposed 60 minute frequency, and the desire to retain service between business districts and to PCC and Caltech, a more streamlined route is recommended. The new route would maintain connection between Old Pasadena on the west and SMV Station on the east. To enable 40 minute frequencies while maintaining the originally proposed span of service the route has been modified to stay on Colorado Blvd. except between Lake Ave. and Hill Ave. where the route will run on Del Mar Blvd. The revised Route 10 will improve east west connectivity to East Pasadena along Colorado Boulevard. A second proposal was developed that could run every 20 minutes between Colorado Blvd. & Hill St to Sierra Madre Villa Station. This option would complement the NoHo to Pasadena BRT Line which will provide fast and frequent transit service between North Hollywood and its terminus at Hill St. and Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. This modified Route 10 version would connect the NoHo to Pasadena BRT line to East Pasadena.

It is recommended that new services—including the Route 10 and Route 51 re-routes, evening service, and weekend service—be evaluated using passengers per hour to ensure they align with Pasadena’s productivity standards. 93 Figure 59: Route Recommendation Summary
Route Route Recommendation Summary Annual savings/
cost
10 • Proposed re-route connecting Old Pasadena and SMV Station via Colorado Blvd. and Del Mar Blvd, incorporating portions Route 60 (proposed to be discontinued).
• 40 minute frequency.
20 • No route change recommended.
• Increase weekday frequency to 15 minutes during weekday peak. • Recommendation is unfunded. $1,550,229
31/32
• Eliminate Route 32 because of low ridership.
• Coordinate schedule with Route 33 (former Metro Line 256) to provide 20 minute frequency on Washington Blvd. (implemented December 2024, Routes 31/32/33 run every 18 minutes along Washington Blvd. between Fair Oaks Blvd and Altadena Drive).

33 • Assume operations of Metro Line 256 at slightly increased frequency (implemented December 2024 running every 35 minutes).
40 • Move part of alignment to Orange Grove Blvd. between Lake Ave. and Allen Ave.
• Increase weekday frequency.
51/52
• Create one alignment between JPL and Old Pasadena running Monday through Sunday, discontinue service to ArtCenter.
• Provide service on all days at a 60 minute frequency. 53 • Assume operations of Metro Line 177 at same frequency (implemented December 2024).
60 • Eliminate route (Proposed Route 10 will cover parts of the discontinued route).
710
• New route from JPL to Huntington Hospital via Fair Oaks Ave., Lincoln Ave. & Woodbury Rd.
• Recommendation is unfunded.
$619,076
10, 20, 31,
40, 51
• Extended weekday evening hours, extended Saturday morning hours and extended Sunday evening hours
• Implement holiday service
Dial-A-Ride
• Same day service in an expanded service area.
• Increase fare to $1 for regular service.
• Charge $2 for same day appointments and expanded service. • Recommendation is unfunded. $82,500

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
94 Old Pasadena - PCC - Allen Station
Proposed changes
■ Extend eastern section of Route 10 to Sierra Madre Villa Station on Colorado Blvd at 40 minute frequency ■ Extended evening hours on all days and morning hours on weekends Current Proposed
Service
Days
Daily
Boardings
Frequency (minutes)✽
Service Hours
Frequency (minutes)✽
Service Hours
Peak Midday Evening Peak Midday Evening
Weekday 442 17/20 15/20 40 5:45 AM - 7:45 PM 40 40 40 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday 287 17/20 17/20 17/20 10:45 AM-7:45 PM 40 40 40 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday 214 15/20 15/24 N/A 8:15 AM - 4:45 PM 40 40 40 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM ✽Peak: 6:00 - 9:00 AM & 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Midday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Evening: 6:00 - 8:00 PM Route 10 (Staff Recommendation)
Alignment and Schedule
Impacts
■ New service on Colorado Blvd
east of Allen Ave to Sierra Madre
Villa Station
■ Extended operating hours
■ Reduced frequency compared
to existing Route 10 service,
but more frequent than original
recommendation
■ Would no longer serve Allen A
Line Station
■ Combined with elimination of
Route 60, removes local service
from Del Mar Blvd east of Hill
Ave, which is still served by Metro
95 A
A
A
A
A A
A
A Metro A Line StationsRoute NetworkCurrent RouteProposed Route Colorado Blvd
Washington Blvd
California Blvd
Woodbury Rd
E Del Mar Blvd
Fair Oaks Ave
Lake Ave
Allen Ave
Altadena Dr
Sier
M
ra
ad re Blvd
Hill Ave
South
Pasadena
Altadena
Pasadena
Old Pasadena - PCC - Allen Station
Proposed changes
■ Shortened alignment on Colorado between Wilson Ave and Sierra Madre Villa Station at 20 minute frequency
■ Extended evening hours on all days and morning hours on weekends Current Proposed
Service
Days
Daily
Boardings
Frequency (minutes)✽
Service Hours
Frequency (minutes)✽
Service Hours
Peak Midday Evening Peak Midday Evening
Weekday 442 17/20 15/20 40 5:45 AM - 7:45 PM 20 20 20 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM Saturday 287 17/20 17/20 17/20 10:45 AM-7:45 PM 20 20 20 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday 214 15/20 15/24 N/A 8:15 AM - 4:45 PM 20 20 20 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM ✽Peak: 6:00 - 9:00 AM & 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Midday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Evening: 6:00 - 8:00 PM Route 10 (Option 2)
Alignment and Schedule
Impacts
■ Focuses higher frequency service
on Colorado Blvd east of Metro
BRT terminus
■ Extended operating hours
■ Removes local service from
Colorado Blvd west of Lake Ave
and to Allen A Line Station
■ Combined with elimination of
Route 60, removes local service
from Del Mar Blvd east of Hill
Ave, which is still served by Metro
CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
96 Original Recommendation

97 CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
98 99

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
100

101

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
102

103

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
104

105
Overview of Frequency and Span Changes
The following figures provide an overview of the proposed changes to the span and frequency by day type. On weekdays, most routes will be extended from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. based on travel demand data and to match Metro services.

Weekend span will increase even more with more routes starting at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m. The spans on Saturday and Sunday will be standardized based on travel demand data and schedule reliability. The proposed frequencies are standardized across day type, with routes having consistent frequencies except for early morning and late evening hours, when frequencies are reduced.

Figure 60: Existing and Proposed Weekday Frequency and Span

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
106
Figure 61: Existing and Proposed Saturday Frequency and Span

107
Figure 62: Existing and Proposed Sunday Frequency and Span

CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
108
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Recommendations
The following Pasadena Dial-A-Ride recommendations were developed based on the review of current operations and survey results:
• Pilot new same-day service program with alternative service providers (for example, Uber, Lyft, UZURV), limited to four trips per month per client. Service to existing service area and expanded areas of South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Glendale (see Figure 63: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Proposed Service Areas) • Explore coordination and expanded service areas with South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and Glendale • Increase Pasadena Dial-A-Ride fare from $0.75 to $1.00 and implement new $2.00 fare for pilot same-day service The most frequent request from individuals who responded to the Pasadena Dial-A-Ride survey is the ability to travel to neighboring cities outside the current service area. To address this request, the City is proposing a pilot program allowing same day appointments using alternative service providers, such as Uber or Lyft, allowing the City to provide this service without degrading the response time of the existing service. The City would ensure that the pilot would be rolled out equitably and ensure access to the service across all user types.

In addition, because Pasadena Dial-A-Ride is a more premium service, the fare is recommended to increase to $1.00. The fare for the pilot same-day service should be priced at $2.00 to limit demand and reflect the additional length expected for these trips.

Figure 63: Pasadena Dial-A-Ride Proposed Service Areas

109
Other Recommendations
Pasadena Transit fare study
Fares for Pasadena Transit were first implemented in 2003 in coordination with the opening of the Metro Gold Line (now the A Line). At that time, three fare categories were established: a 50cent base fare, a 25cent youth fare, and a 25cent fare for seniors and individuals with disabilities. In 2009, fares were adjusted to a 75cent base fare, 50 cents for youth, and 35 cents for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Base fares have remained unchanged for 17 years. During this period, operating costs for transit agencies including fuel, labor, insurance, and vehicle maintenance, have increased steadily, while Pasadena Transit fare revenues have not kept pace with rising expenses. At the same time, regional fare policies and peer agency practices have evolved, with many agencies updating fare structures, discount programs, and pass products.

A comprehensive fare study is therefore recommended to evaluate Pasadena Transit’s existing fare structure, including its base fare and 30day pass, relative to peer agencies and current industry standards.

Study and pursue travel time reduction tools
The City will continue to pursue efforts to improve Pasadena Transit service and advance the recommendations of this Short Range Transit Plan, including identifying opportunities to increase bus travel speeds. Improving travel time is critical, as operating funds and the ability to expand the fleet remain limited. Under these constraints, the most effective way to increase service frequency and enhance reliability is to reduce travel time so existing vehicles can complete trips more efficiently.

Travel time improvements can be achieved through a combination of operational strategies and interdepartmental coordination. Examples include:
• Optimizing stop spacing by consolidating stops that are too closely spaced • Implementing transitsupportive traffic signal strategies, such as transit signal priority or transitfriendly signal timing
• Targeted busonly or queuejump lanes at congested intersections and corridors • Improving curb management along key routes to reduce delays from parking or loading activity • Enhancing bus zone design, including extended red curbs or bulbouts where appropriate • Addressing recurring bottlenecks through targeted roadway design improvements • Coordinating with City departments to incorporate transit needs into street resurfacing, safety, and complete streets projects
The City may also pursue external funding opportunities, such as state or federal grants, to study and implement additional travel time improvements. Prioritizing these strategies will help the City make measurable progress toward its frequency, reliability, and service quality goals without requiring significant new operating resources.

Promoting Transit Options for City Events
To enhance accessibility and support sustainable transportation choices, the City should include transit information on all notifications for City organized or City sponsored events, when the event is accessible by transit. This practice will help residents and visitors understand their full range of travel options and encourage the use of public transit.

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Continue to pursue ongoing operations funding for the
Mt. Wilson Express
The Mount Wilson Express is a proposed bus service between the Metro A Line Memorial Park Station and the Mount Wilson Observatory in the Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (ANF/SGMNM). Pasadena, with its partner Nature For All, was successful in obtaining a grant from Metro to operate a pilot project which is anticipated to operate for six months when launched. The 25-mile bus route will provide seasonal, summer weekend service to nine local, urban stops and seven recreational stops. The service will provide Los Angeles County’s first modern public transit system to the mountains, offering a sustainable transportation alternative and improve access to parks, open space, trails and outdoor recreational destinations within the ANF/SGMNM, especially for underserved and disadvantaged communities in the Los Angeles Basin. The Proposed Project will also improve air quality, including reducing emissions of smog-forming air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs), by alleviating road congestion and replacing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from private automobiles with hydrogen-fuel cell buses.

The project is currently in the planning phase. The pilot project will be operated with the existing fleet of Pasadena Transit vehicles. The results of the pilot will help refine the project including identifying the type of vehicle that will best fit ongoing operations of the shuttle.

Pasadena is continuing to work with its partner to identify ongoing funding for the operations, and may also need to consider funding for vehicles outside its current fleet make-up.

Continue to pursue funding for The Huntington Library Shuttle Pasadena Transit, in collaboration with The Huntington Library, operated a pilot route on Saturdays and Sundays between January 8, 2022 through June 26, 2022. Route H ran between the Metro A Line Sierra Madre Villa Station in East Pasadena to The Huntington Library (The Library) between 9:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., operating every 20 minutes.

The ride is approximately 15 minutes long. The service was free for passengers and was fully funded by The Huntington Library. Over the 25 weekends, the route carried over 8,200 passengers.

The Huntington Library is a popular destination located adjacent to Pasadena in San Marino. One of the primary entrances to The Library requires for vehicles to travel through Pasadena. As part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, The Library approached Pasadena Transit to discuss the potential for Pasadena to operate a shuttle to The Library and that The Library would assist with funding the service. The Huntington Library felt Pasadena Transit would be the ideal operator of such a service because Pasadena Transit provides a network of routes that focus on serving key Pasadena destinations, the six Metro A Line stations in Pasadena, and connecting to the regional transit network.

Pasadena should continue to explore the feasibility of a regularly operating route, which would benefit both the Library and the region. The Huntington Library was identified as a park of interest in it’s 2019 Transit to Parks Strategic Study.

In addition to operating funds, the vehicle type for this service may need to be evaluated. 111
SRTP Recommendation Outreach
Project Website
In April 2024, the City launched an interactive website for the Short Range Transit Plan project. This website is a resource for the community and interested community members to learn more about the project and the project timeline, to learn more about the draft recommendations, public meetings and to provide feedback. The website was heavily interacted with; for example, between November 7th, 2024, and January 7th, 2025, the website was viewed 844 times.

Figure 64: Screenshot of project StoryMap
SRTP Recommendations Public Meetings
In November 2024, a second round of public meetings was held to collect feedback on the SRTP draft recommendations.

The recommendations were presented to the public across three meetings. Two were in-person, one in English and one in Spanish, and one meeting was hosted virtually, as seen below in Figure 65: SRTP Recommendations Public Meeting Locations and Attendance. The meeting provided a presentation to discuss each of the recommendations, as well as poster boards with information on the individual service recommendations. Meeting attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions.

Figure 65: SRTP Recommendations Public Meeting Locations and Attendance Public Meeting Location Date and Time Attendance
General In-Person Victory Park Room 3 11/9/24 1:00-3:00 p.m. 7 Meeting in Spanish Villa Parke Conference Room
#131 11/12/24 6:00-8:00 p.m. 10
General Virtual Zoom 11/19/24 5:00-7:00 p.m. 7
General feedback from the meetings include:
• Strong concern about reducing Route 10 frequency to 60 minutes, noting its importance for Caltech access, student schedules, and as a frequent, lowcost alternative to Metro. • Several attendees questioned the proposed 10/60 alignment and advocated maintaining service on Hastings Ranch • Participants questioned the ability of the Route 40 re-route onto Orange Grove Blvd. to grow ridership • Additional comments focused on preserving Route 32 for Eaton Canyon access • Support for increased Route 33 frequency
• Support for weekend and holiday service on multiple routes

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SRTP Recommendations Survey
In coordination with the second round of public meetings, the website was updated with a survey to collect feedback on the draft recommendations. The City planned to promote the survey beyond the public meetings after the holiday season, however, due to the breakout of the Eaton Fire and the disruption the fire had to the service area, the outreach was halted to re-evaluate the timeline of the project. Primarily during the month of November 2024, in conjunction with the public meetings, the survey received 42 responses. In 2026, a forum for public comment on the recommendations was opened to provide the public with another opportunity to give feedback on the draft SRTP and route recommendations.

The survey asked respondents to provide any specific feedback on the recommendations for each route. Respondents were not required to comment on every recommendation, and were able to choose their preferred routes to comment on. The following section summarizes the responses received by route. • ROUTE 10 – Old Pasadena – PCC – Caltech Corridor
The Route 10 proposal received the most feedback with 31 responses. 75% of respondents disagreed with the recommendation.
• Strong concerns about reducing service to 60-minute frequency; many riders say this would make the route unusable.
• Multiple comments note the value of current service to PCC, Caltech, South Lake, and the A Line at Allen Ave.; riders oppose removing these direct connections.
• Proposed routing is seen as duplicating Metro 267 and Foothill 187 while reducing coverage where it is most needed.
• Extended hours are appreciated, but riders state this must not come at the cost of major frequency reductions. • Expressed appreciation of potential connection to Del Mar A Line Station. • Route 20 – Fair Oaks / North Pasadena Corridor
The Route 20 recommendation received 16 responses, 75% in agreement. • Strong support for increased frequency and expanded service hours, with riders citing high ridership and crowding.
• Some riders encouraged routing adjustments to improve access to the Pasadena Museum of History. • Comments highlight continued reliance on the route for A Line connections. • Route 31/32 – Northwest Pasadena & Sierra Madre Villa The Route 31/32 recommendation received 8 responses, and they were split evenly between agree and disagree. • Calls to preserve Route 32 due to its importance for reaching Eaton Canyon and neighborhoods north of Washington.
• Emphasis on maintaining service for Pasadena High School students. • Concerns about potential confusion related to renumbering or consolidation of routes. • Route 33 – Highland Park – SMV
The Route 33 recommendation received 7 responses, 6 were in support of the recommendation. • Positive feedback on increased frequency.
• Suggestions to extend service to JPL via Lincoln/Woodbury. • Occasional requests for expanded weekend or evening service. 113
• Route 40 – Old Pasadena – SMV via Villa/Orange Grove
The Route 40 recommendation received 20 responses. The responses were split, 10 responses disagreed with the recommendation, while 10 agreed with the recommendation. • Riders appreciated extended hours and improved frequency. • Concerns about shifting service from Villa St. to Orange Grove Blvd. between Lake Ave. and Allen Ave. due to pedestrian safety and lower density.
• Several riders believe Villa St. retains stronger ridership potential and safer walking access. • Excitement for the new alignment providing coverage for where the Metro 256 previously ran, and increased speed of the route due to the removal of the Allen Station deviation. • Route 51/52 – ArtCenter / JPL / South Pasadena Corridor The Route 51/52 recommendation received 11 responses with only 1 in strong agreement with the proposal. 4 responses were neutral.
• Feedback supported maintaining service to ArtCenter is essential for students, faculty, and staff. • Riders rely on 51/52 when campus shuttles are unavailable. • Suggestions to adjust routing while still keeping reliable ArtCenter and JPL connections. • Route 53 – JPL – Caltech / Downtown Pasadena
The Route 53 recommendation received 10 responses, 7 which were in support of the recommendation. • Support for stronger connections between JPL, Caltech, and central Pasadena. • Requests for midday or weekend service enhancements.
• Some interest in restored Del Mar Station access.
• Route 60 – PCC – SMV / Hastings Ranch
The Route 60 recommendation received 4 responses, 1 which was in support of the recommendation. • Riders report difficulty booking Metro Micro and emphasize preserving fixedroute service. • Suggestions for midday service and avoiding a merge with Route 10. • Recommendations for east/west extensions to replace former Metro coverage. • Route 710 – Proposed Fair Oaks – JPL Connector
The Route 710 recommendation received 15 responses, 10 which were in agreement with the recommendation. • The written feedback provided mixed reactions: some support improved JPL connectivity, others view the route as duplicative.
• Concerns that hourly frequency is insufficient for reliable transfers. • Recommendations to enhance existing routes instead of launching a new line. • DialARide
• Limited feedback; one respondent questioned cost-effectiveness compared to fixed-route improvements.

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Eaton Fire Impacts
The Eaton Fire began the night of January 7, 2025 and, by the time it was extinguished on January 31, had burned more than 14,000 acres—becoming the second most destructive
wildfire in California’s history. The fire was driven by a powerful Santa Ana wind event: sustained winds between
50–80 mph and gusts up to 60 mph (and up to 100 mph in
foothill areas). While Altadena experienced the most direct impacts, surrounding jurisdictions including Pasadena and Sierra Madre were also significantly affected.

The fire destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses, caused major damage to over 1,000 additional structures, and was directly linked to 19 fatalities. Nearly half of all homes in Altadena fell within the burn perimeter. In total, more than 100,000 residents were affected as transportation networks, schools, and other vital services were disrupted.

Eight school campuses were damaged or destroyed, with additional campuses closed for two to three weeks. The fire displaced residents both temporarily and permanently, resulting in shifts to daily routines and travel patterns throughout the region.

These impacts extended to local transit services. Pasadena Transit experienced temporary service suspensions, detours, and modified operations due to unsafe conditions and road closures. The high winds resulted in approximately 300 downed trees making many streets in Pasadena unsafe to navigate. Fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride services were fully suspended on January 8 and 9, with modified service resuming on January 10. Routes serving or nearing the fire zone (31/32, 51/52, and 53) were suspended temporarily, while other routes, such as 10, 20, and 33, may have operated at reduced frequencies or on detours. Operations were further challenged by staff call-outs related to evacuations, air quality, and household disruptions. Regular fixed-route service resumed on January 20.

Pasadena Dial-A-Ride resumed earlier than fixed-route service, restarting on January 10 with a focus on essential medical trips before returning to regular service on January 15. Although Pasadena Transit has limited service in Altadena, Pasadena Dial-A-Ride serves the entire area.

Fare collection on both systems was paused through January 27. To enable fare collection to resume with limited impact on wildfire victims, Los Angeles Metro’s LIFE program offered targeted support to fire victims through free 90 day passes.

Patrons with LIFE benefits ride free on Pasadena Transit.

Ridership Impacts on Pasadena Transit
Ridership impacts were most evident in January 2025, with total boardings dropping 32% compared to the previous year. This decline reflects both reduced service levels and broader community disruptions, including school closures and business shutdowns related to fire impacts and air quality. Although ridership recovered in February and held steady through the remainder of the year, growth was limited and did not meet expectations. Ridership increases were expected due to the addition of two new routes. This suggests that while some riders relocated within the service area or adopted new travel patterns, others left the area altogether, contributing to the limited growth.

Student ridership showed more lasting effects. Between January and May 2025, student boardings fell by an average of 1,792 riders per month—a 21% decline compared to the previous year.

Conversely, LIFE ridership surged. Between January and May 2025, LIFE boardings increased to 20,499—more than double the 8,708 recorded the year before. While LIFE ridership grew overall, its distribution shifted: Route 20’s share dropped from about 60% prior to the fire to an average of 48.5% afterward, indicating changes in trip patterns and destinations among program participants.

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Ridership Impacts on Pasadena Dial-A-Ride
Pasadena Dial-A-Ride services the entirety of
Altadena, unlike Pasadena Transit which provides
only limited service in the area. Data from 2023
helps illustrate how displacement from the fire likely
affected ridership: 14% of all Pasadena Dial-A-Ride
trips began or ended within what became the Eaton
Fire zone, and 27% of users made at least one trip
to or from an address there. Analysis of ridership
after the fire shows that Pasadena Dial-A-Ride had
been experiencing steady ridership growth prior to
the fire, but January 2025 saw a 20% year over year
decline. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride ridership has not
rebounded; between January and May 2025,
ridership remained down an average of 21.8%. Trips
to and from Altadena were particularly affected,
falling 38% compared to the previous year. Perhaps
those Dial-A-Ride users displaced by the fire have
not resettled within the service area, or their travel
patterns have changed so much that they are no
longer relying on Pasadena Dial-A-Ride to make
their trips. In addition, some destinations within
Altadena may have burned further impacting travel
patterns.

The Eaton Fire had substantial and lasting impacts on Pasadena’s transit services, particularly for communities most directly affected by displacement, school closures, and changes in daily travel needs. Pasadena Dial-A-Ride continues to experience sustained declines tied to population displacement and reduced trip demand in Altadena. Ongoing monitoring of ridership patterns, particularly among students and LIFE program users, will be essential for understanding long-term travel behavior shifts and for planning service adjustments that best support recovery across the region.

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Bus Stop Amenities Evaluation
and Recommendations
Another priority of the City is to focus on improving bus stop amenities to ensure a more comfortable and secure environment for passengers waiting for buses. Toward that end, as part of this SRTP , a comprehensive review of existing bus stop amenities was conducted, and bus stop design framework was developed to ensure that infrastructure improvements such as bus stop furniture, passenger information, lighting and other enhancements are applied consistently across the network and tailored to the specific needs and context of each bus stop type defined as Enhanced, Standard, or Basic.  This effort involved a multi-phased approach, including a comprehensive inventory and analysis of existing bus stop conditions, followed by a prioritization of improvements based on a set of defined criteria.

Feedback on particular bus stops and community priorities related to bus stops was collected at the public meetings and as part of the surveys conducted.

Bus Stop Amenities Evaluation
The first step in the process was to evaluate and score all the bus stops based on their existing condition in the following categories:
• Existing bus stop furniture including bus stop shelters, seating and trash receptacles • Bicycle parking
• Tree shade
• Lighting
• Passenger information
• Curb Ramps
• Sidewalk Access
Bus Stop Prioritization
The next step in the process was to prioritize stops and to recommend improvements based on bus stop typologies and context which dictates amenity needs. The prioritization incorporated the results of the Amenities Evaluation and included the following criteria in order to rank the bus stops in order of priority:
• Security and Comfort, including lighting and crime incidents • Connectivity, including key locations and destinations served, if the stop is a transfer point, if it is located on a safe route to school route, and/or is in a Transit Priority Area • Ridership and demand including ridership, frequency of service, and share of commuters using public transportation nearby
• Equity including analysis of CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Disadvantaged communities, Metro Equity Focused Communities, SCAG Priority Equity Communities, Jusitce40 communities, land surface temperatures, census data related to vulnerable populations, household income, and vehicle ownership CITY OF PASADENA • SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
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Bus Stop Design Matrix
The bus stop design guidelines outline a strategic framework for improving bus stop infrastructure across the City and serve as a reference tool for implementing enhancements based on stop typology. These guidelines are intended to support the City’s ongoing efforts to provide consistent, accessible, and comfortable transit experiences. The design guidelines are organized to achieve the following objectives:
• Establish design standards and recommended treatments for different types of bus stops, tailored to their surrounding context and ridership characteristics;
• Provide guidance on the selection and placement of shelters, seating, lighting, signage, and other passenger amenities;
• Support a consistent visual identity and branding across the transit system while allowing flexibility for future services or corridor-specific improvements.

By meeting these objectives, the bus stop design guidelines aim to create a more intuitive, welcoming, and equitable transit environment, enhancing both the visibility and usability of transit infrastructure for all users throughout the City.

To support a consistent approach to bus stop design, the developed guidelines categorize stops into three primary types: Enhanced, Standard, and Basic. This typology considers if the bus stop is located along a major corridor, ridership, proximity to key destinations, and whether the stop functions as a transfer point.

Enhanced stops are likely located on major corridors with high ridership, near key destinations, and/or serve as transfer points. These locations typically warrant greater infrastructure investment due to higher usage and visibility within the network.

Standard stops serve moderate ridership levels or fulfill at least one strategic function (e.g., near a key destination or located on a major corridor) and therefore receive a balanced set of amenities appropriate for their context.

Basic stops are generally located off major corridors, serve lower ridership, and have limited proximity to key destinations or network significance. These stops are designed with essential amenities to maintain access and usability while ensuring efficient resource allocation.

To support the implementation of the bus stop design guidelines, a bus stop amenity recommendation matrix was developed to define the recommended and optional features associated with each bus stop typology. This matrix ensures that infrastructure improvements are applied consistently across the network and tailored to the specific needs and context of each bus stop type (Enhanced, Standard, and Basic).

The matrix categorizes a broad range of elements—such as shelters, seating, technology, lighting, and accessibility— into a toolbox of design options. Each amenity is identified as either:
• E (Essential): A required element for that stop type, unless physical constraints exist. • R (Recommended): Recommended based on available space, demand, or site-specific needs. • C (Considered): A flexible option that may be incorporated to enhance user experience. • (Not Applicable): Not typically included at this stop type because it may already be provided and/ or not applicable.
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Figure 66: Bus Stop Amenity Recommendation Matrix

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Conclusions
Per the SRTP data analysis and public outreach, the findings indicate overall that the structure of the local transit services the City provides generally operate where people need and want services. However, in the last five years, the landscape in which Pasadena is providing services has dramatically changed. A global pandemic shifted people’s travel patterns. Metro implemented their NextGen Bus Plan, their first major system overhaul in 25 years. This SRTP identified the need for Pasadena to address these major shifts that have affected local transportation patterns.

Once the SRTP has been approved and finalized, the Department will develop a timeline to roll out the changes. Due to extensive nature of the proposed changes, they will likely be rolled out in phases. Each phase will have a public outreach component to ensure that users and non-users are aware of the service changes, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback on the change and timeline of the rollout.

The City will continue to pursue other efforts to continue to improve service, and to support the recommendations.

For example, the City will continue to search out opportunities to improve travel time of the buses. Improving travel time will support the City’s frequency goals and service reliability. This could include pursuing partnerships with departments within the City to ensure that there is a transit component or searching out grants to study improvements.

The rollout of the Bus Stop Amenities Plan will include a comprehensive public outreach component. Currently, the City’s bus stop shelters are owned and managed by Outfront, which oversees advertising within the shelters and shares a portion of the revenue with the City. Since the original contract was implemented, the advertising landscape has evolved significantly. In response, the City is revamping its outdoor amenities program and plans to initiate a procurement process for a new contract in 2026. Additionally, the City aims to expand the range of bus stop furniture to better accommodate diverse needs and site conditions. Public engagement will play a key role as the City selects new furniture and begins implementing amenities at the stop level.

Finally, the Department has been very successful in being awarded grant funding for both operating and capital funds.

This success in grant awards is due to the demand for the services, the diverse area served, the cost effective and efficient implementation of the City’s transit programs and how integral the City’s local transit system is in supporting the regional transit network, among other key factors. The Department will continue to actively seek opportunities for grant funds and/or new sources of dedicated funding.