LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Beginning Monday, Sept. 23, Lake Transit bus riders in Lower Lake and Clearlake will experience new bus routes that promise faster, more direct service.
Along with new early morning and late evening hours, the changes are expected to make life easier for riders commuting to work and school.
Lake Transit General Manager Mark Wall said the new routes and hours amount to “the greatest change in bus service in the Clearlake-Lower Lake area since we implemented our second route in 1999.”
Wall said the new routes are designed to have a familiar feel to make the changes easy to understand.
“We began by looking at the residential neighborhoods and thinking about where people go, and then how we could make the routes more direct,” Wall said. “While there are a few exceptions, most travel times are much faster. Bus schedules will be more reliable, too, because the routes are shorter.”
The new Clearlake/Lower Lake Rider's Guide features four bus routes, instead of two, and operating hours that extend from 5:19 a.m. until 11:07 p.m.
Routes 10, 11, and 12 are all new.
Route 10 runs from Clearlake Park to Lower Lake.
Route 11 provides two-way service from Ray's Food Place, Walmart and Yuba College through “the Avenues,” along 18th, Boyles, Phillips and Davis east of Highway 53, and then connects these areas with central Clearlake businesses and the Highlands Senior Center.
Route 12 operates mostly along Old Highway 53, but offers commercial loops at either end to access business areas in Clearlake and Lower Lake.
In addition to the three new routes, Lake Transit continues to operate Route 5 as an evening bus service that covers most areas of Clearlake.
Clearlake Dial-A-Ride also will operate the new extended schedule. With advance reservations, passengers who may have difficulty using regular bus routes due to disability, can now arrange trips with pickups as early as 5:19 a.m. and drop offs as late as 11 p.m.
To help bus riders find their way as the new routes begin, Lake Transit has an information booth at the Ray's Food Place transfer location in Clearlake.
Rider's guides also are available on Lake Transit buses, at the Lake Transit Lower Lake office, and at many public places and business throughout the community. Schedules are online at www.laketransit.org .
On Friday, Sept. 27, the community is invited to ride any Lake Transit bus route for free. Wall said it's a great opportunity to try the new routes.