Coachella Valley survey shows lean toward transit coverage over speed, as SunLine plans for bus route overhaul

A community survey conducted by SunLine Transit Agency found Coachella Valley residents leaning toward expanding transit coverage across the region rather than concentrating faster, more frequent service on busy corridors.

The survey drew 791 valid responses, a sample the agency said is statistically representative of the valley’s population. Overall, 47% of respondents said they preferred a network designed around coverage, meaning wider service across more neighborhoods, while 31% preferred a network built around ridership, meaning faster and more frequent service concentrated on high-demand routes. Another 22% said their preference fell about halfway between the two options.

When those undecided respondents were split evenly between the two options, the overall response leaned toward a 60-40 split favoring coverage over ridership.

In the East Valley region, which includes Indio, La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes, 50% of respondents preferred the coverage concept and 31% preferred the ridership concept, with 19% falling halfway between.

SunLine has presented two contrasting network concepts to illustrate what each approach could mean using the agency’s existing budget. Under the ridership-focused concept, major routes through Indio would run every 15 minutes, up from the 30- and 60-minute service the city currently receives.

Under the coverage-focused concept, more of Indio, particularly the northern half of the city, would gain access to bus service, though no route in that scenario would run more frequently than every 30 minutes.

Survey respondents who favored the coverage concept cited access to areas that currently lack service. “I like that more of the valley will be accessible because I feel like right now a lot of places are far or hard to get to,” one respondent wrote. Another pointed to expanded service to North Indio and Thousand Palms as a benefit of the coverage approach.

Respondents who favored the ridership concept emphasized shorter wait times and more reliable commutes. “Reduce wait times and more people will ride,” one respondent wrote. “Nobody wants to get to work an hour early because that was the only bus available to get you there on time.”

Others who favored the coverage concept still raised concerns about the trade-offs of longer wait times under that approach. “It’s a shame we have to choose between more frequent buses and coverage of an area that needs it,” one respondent wrote.

SunLine has completed the second phase of its Rides Reimagined community engagement process, which included the survey along with mobile outreach events, community organization discussions, and city and community council meetings.

The agency plans to use the feedback to develop a draft transit network plan for the project’s third phase, expected to launch later this month. That draft will include three system maps: one built around current resources, one assuming additional funding, buses and operators, and a scenario without resource constraints. SunLine plans to share the draft maps with the community for further feedback before finalizing the plan.

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