SolTrans
Encyclopedia
SolTrans, officially Solano County Transit, is a Joint Powers Authority
which provides public transportation services to the southern Solano County cities of Vallejo
and Benicia
. SolTrans is the result of a merger between former bus transit systems; Vallejo Transit and Benicia Breeze.
, Benicia, California
, as well as intercity service to Concord, California
, and Fairfield
. It also provides express bus service to Contra Costa County
, allowing connection to the regional Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART) rail system. It provides a bus service for physically disabled customers, offering pick-up-from-home busing called the Vallejo Runabout. Its inter-city express buses and ferries are branded as Baylink while local buses are marketed as SolTrans.
It provides ferry
service south across San Pablo Bay
and San Francisco Bay
to San Francisco's Ferry Building
. All VT ferry services operate from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal
in downtown Vallejo. In October 2007, State of California legislation (SB 976) initiated a State acquisition of Baylink service, which would be overseen by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
.
low-floor hybrids with the SolTrans logo shown in various places. Supplemental school routes in Vallejo use TMC
102-A3s and Orion
V High Floors, painted white with a wavy blue gradient which blends into the Vallejo Transit logo on the front end of the bus. Baylink buses are MCI
D-4500 buses, painted white with a wave shaped stripe separating a graphic of the San Francisco skyline on rear and the Baylink logo on the front, or wrapped in advertising. All buses are wheelchair-accessible..
, to both Pleasant Hill
and Walnut Creek
BART stations, then returns north, bypassing Pleasant Hill BART, into Benicia then Vallejo. Route 80 travels south from Vallejo into Contra Costa County, arriving at El Cerrito Del Norte, then returns to Vallejo. Route 85 travels north along Interstate 80 from Vallejo into Fairfield, first to Solano Community College
's main campus then Solano Mall before reversing its path. Route 200 travels between Vallejo and San Francisco. As of September 2003, Vallejo Transit also provides seven supplemental routes for students of the city's public schools.
Joint Powers Authority
A Joint Powers Authority is an entity permitted under the laws of some states of the USA, whereby two or more public authorities can operate collectively. Joint Powers Authorities may be used where:*an activity naturally transcends the boundaries of existing public authorities...
which provides public transportation services to the southern Solano County cities of Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
and Benicia
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
. SolTrans is the result of a merger between former bus transit systems; Vallejo Transit and Benicia Breeze.
Services
SolTrans provides local, express, and school bus service to the Solano County cities of VallejoVallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
, Benicia, California
Benicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, as well as intercity service to Concord, California
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
, and Fairfield
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
. It also provides express bus service to Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, allowing connection to the regional Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
(BART) rail system. It provides a bus service for physically disabled customers, offering pick-up-from-home busing called the Vallejo Runabout. Its inter-city express buses and ferries are branded as Baylink while local buses are marketed as SolTrans.
It provides ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service south across San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...
and San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
to San Francisco's Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
. All VT ferry services operate from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal
Vallejo Ferry Terminal
The Vallejo Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal in Vallejo, California. It is the northernmost terminal in the San Francisco Bay Area, which serves as the northern destination point for Baylink Ferry. It connects with Vallejo Transit's local and Baylink bus services, as well as Napa VINE.-External...
in downtown Vallejo. In October 2007, State of California legislation (SB 976) initiated a State acquisition of Baylink service, which would be overseen by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority , is a government entity created by the California state legislature in 2007 by Senate Bill 976. The organization was formerly the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority , which the legislature established in 1999...
.
Vehicles
Vallejo-based buses feature a fleet of GilligGillig
Gillig Corporation, formerly Gillig Bros., is a manufacturer of heavy-duty low-floor transit buses located in Hayward, California. Prior to 1993, Gillig had also been a manufacturer of school buses.-History:...
low-floor hybrids with the SolTrans logo shown in various places. Supplemental school routes in Vallejo use TMC
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation was a bus manufacturer based in Roswell, New Mexico.The company was formed in 1974 by Greyhound Bus Lines to manufacture Motor Coach Industries vehicles...
102-A3s and Orion
Orion Bus Industries
Orion International, previously Orion Bus Industries and Ontario Bus Industries in Canada and Bus Industries of America in the United States, is a bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and established by the Government of Ontario in 1975...
V High Floors, painted white with a wavy blue gradient which blends into the Vallejo Transit logo on the front end of the bus. Baylink buses are MCI
Motor Coach Industries
Motor Coach Industries International Inc. is an American bus manufacturer based in Schaumburg, Illinois, and is a leading participant in the North American coach bus industry. It has various operating subsidiaries:...
D-4500 buses, painted white with a wave shaped stripe separating a graphic of the San Francisco skyline on rear and the Baylink logo on the front, or wrapped in advertising. All buses are wheelchair-accessible..
Routes
As of October 6, 2011, sixteen routes run along the system. The first seven are branded as SolTrans and run entirely in the city of Vallejo. Three of them are east-west routes which loop in opposite directions of each other. For example; Route 5 loops along the central and eastern parts of town in a clockwise direction. Four of the routes are north-south intercity routes branded as Baylink. Route 78 travels south from Vallejo, stopping through BeniciaBenicia, California
Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California, United States. It was the first city in California to be founded by Anglo-Americans, and served as the state capital for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the San...
, to both Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill (BART station)
Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station serving the Contra Costa Centre Transit Village in Contra Costa Centre, California, just north of Walnut Creek and just east of Pleasant Hill.-Overview:...
and Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek (BART station)
Walnut Creek is an elevated subway station in Walnut Creek, California, on the Pittsburg/Bay Point – SFO/Millbrae line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.-Location:...
BART stations, then returns north, bypassing Pleasant Hill BART, into Benicia then Vallejo. Route 80 travels south from Vallejo into Contra Costa County, arriving at El Cerrito Del Norte, then returns to Vallejo. Route 85 travels north along Interstate 80 from Vallejo into Fairfield, first to Solano Community College
Solano Community College
Solano Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Fairfield, Solano County, California . It is part of California's public community college system, which comprises 109 campuses in 72 districts across the state.-History:The college was established in 1945 as Vallejo...
's main campus then Solano Mall before reversing its path. Route 200 travels between Vallejo and San Francisco. As of September 2003, Vallejo Transit also provides seven supplemental routes for students of the city's public schools.
- Route 1: South Vallejo - Rancho Vallejo
- Route 2: Northeast Vallejo - Downtown
- Route 3: Glen Cove - Georgia Street
- Route 4: Tuolumne Street - Downtown
- Routes 5 & 7: Redwood Parkway - Gateway Plaza - Springs Road
- Routes 6: Tennessee St - Beverly Hills
- Route 15: Benicia HighBenicia High SchoolBenicia High School is a public school serving roughly 1,700 students, grades nine through twelve. It is located in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Benicia, California. Like most California high schools, it is an open-air facility...
and Middle Schools via Western Rose/Solano Drive - Route 17: enicia High and Middle Schools via Hastings Drive
- Route 21: Benicia City Park - Northwest Benicia
- Route 22: Benicia City Park - Northeast Benicia
- Route 76: Benicia - Diablo Valley College/Sun Valley Mall
- Route 78: Vallejo - Benicia - Pleasant Hill BART - Walnut Creek BART
- Route 80: Vallejo - El Cerrito Del Norte BART
- Route 85: Vallejo - Fairfield - Solano College