Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County
Encyclopedia
The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) is the public body responsible for the transportation needs throughout Reno
, Sparks
, and Washoe County
, Nevada
. The RTC, created by the State of Nevada in 1979, is an amalgamation of the Regional Street and Highway Commission, the Regional Transit Commission and the Washoe County Area Transportation Study Policy Committee.. They provide public transportation services, street and highway construction, and transportation planning.
During the early part of the 20th Century, streetcars provided public transportation between Reno and Sparks and served Downtown Reno, the University of Nevada
, and the early suburbs of Reno. By the late 1920's, the streetcars became unprofitable and the tracks were removed. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) created the Citifare bus system Area Transit after several decades of substandard private bus transit. Citifare service began on Sept. 17, 1978 with five used buses serving four routes. Throughout the next twenty five years, the system grew to a fleet of 75 buses operating 30 routes. These years also saw the construction of two transit centers—CitiCenter in Downtown Reno and CitiStation near Victorian Square in Downtown Sparks. By 2003, the growing success of the system, coupled with planning efforts to incorporate bus rapid transit
and transit oriented development into the community, lead the RTC to implement a rebranding of the entire organization, as well as Citifare, over the upcoming years.
With the rebranding of the entire organization, planning, streets and highways construction, and public transportation were streamlined to provide a better identity for the organization and to improve service to the community. Original Nova coaches were gradually replaced with low floor Gillig coaches. New logos and bus livery was implemented. New shelters and bus stop signage were also introduced. The RTC also began working on new capital projects to replace the aging CitiCenter and CitiStation transit terminals. In October 2008, RTC opened RTC CENTENNIAL PLAZA in Sparks and the RTC CITICENTER in downtown Reno was replaced by the new RTC 4TH STREET STATION on October 31, 2010.
RTC RIDE operates on a hub and spoke system, with routes that radiate out from the transit centers and then returning in. It also operates on a pulse system that allows for timed transfers at the transit centers every fifteen minutes.
Routes 1-19 generally operate in the Reno area and originate from RTC 4TH STREET STATION.
Routes 20-29 generally operate in the Sparks area and originate from RTC CENTENNIAL PLAZA.
Routes 50-59 generally operate in South Reno and originate from RTC MEADOWOOD MALL TRANSFER FACILITY.
These are routes that formerly operated within the past 10 years:
2009-2013, the current plan was approved on November 21, 2008.
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
, Sparks
Sparks, Nevada
Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States, located east of Reno, Nevada. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau population count was 90,264. Sparks is often referred to as half of a twin city .-Geography and Climate:...
, and Washoe County
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The RTC, created by the State of Nevada in 1979, is an amalgamation of the Regional Street and Highway Commission, the Regional Transit Commission and the Washoe County Area Transportation Study Policy Committee.. They provide public transportation services, street and highway construction, and transportation planning.
RTC Ride
RTC RIDE is the public transit bus system. From its inception as Citifare in the late 1970s, the system has since been rebranded and has grown to include a service area of approximately 60 square miles (155.4 km²) and an annual ridership of 7.5 million.Citifare era (1978-2004)
During the early part of the 20th Century, streetcars provided public transportation between Reno and Sparks and served Downtown Reno, the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, and the early suburbs of Reno. By the late 1920's, the streetcars became unprofitable and the tracks were removed. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) created the Citifare bus system Area Transit after several decades of substandard private bus transit. Citifare service began on Sept. 17, 1978 with five used buses serving four routes. Throughout the next twenty five years, the system grew to a fleet of 75 buses operating 30 routes. These years also saw the construction of two transit centers—CitiCenter in Downtown Reno and CitiStation near Victorian Square in Downtown Sparks. By 2003, the growing success of the system, coupled with planning efforts to incorporate bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
and transit oriented development into the community, lead the RTC to implement a rebranding of the entire organization, as well as Citifare, over the upcoming years.
RTC RIDE (2004-present)
With the rebranding of the entire organization, planning, streets and highways construction, and public transportation were streamlined to provide a better identity for the organization and to improve service to the community. Original Nova coaches were gradually replaced with low floor Gillig coaches. New logos and bus livery was implemented. New shelters and bus stop signage were also introduced. The RTC also began working on new capital projects to replace the aging CitiCenter and CitiStation transit terminals. In October 2008, RTC opened RTC CENTENNIAL PLAZA in Sparks and the RTC CITICENTER in downtown Reno was replaced by the new RTC 4TH STREET STATION on October 31, 2010.
Fares
| On Board Cash Fare | Adult | Reduced Youth, Senior, Disabled |
| Single Ride * | $2.00 | $1.00 |
| 24-Hour | $5.00 | $2.50 |
| Prepurchased Passes | ||
| 24-Hour | $4.00 | $2.00 |
| 10-Ride | $17.00 | $8.50 |
| 7-Day | $21.00 | $10.50 |
| 31-Day | $70.00 | $35.00 |
| 31-Day Disabled | N/A | $26.00 |
Current Routes
RTC RIDE operates on a hub and spoke system, with routes that radiate out from the transit centers and then returning in. It also operates on a pulse system that allows for timed transfers at the transit centers every fifteen minutes.
Routes 1-19 generally operate in the Reno area and originate from RTC 4TH STREET STATION.
Routes 20-29 generally operate in the Sparks area and originate from RTC CENTENNIAL PLAZA.
Routes 50-59 generally operate in South Reno and originate from RTC MEADOWOOD MALL TRANSFER FACILITY.
- 2- 9th Street/Silverada/Sparks
- 3- Kings Row/Mae Anne/Sky Mountain
- 4- West 7th
- 5- Sutro/Sun Valley
- 6- Arlington/Moana
- 7- Stead/University of Nevada
- 9- Kietzke/Neil
- 11- 4th Street/Prater Way
- 13- Kirman/Locust/Park Lane
- 14- East Mill
- 15- Sutro/Wedekin/TMCC
- 16- Idlewild
- 17- Lemmon Valley
- 18- Glendale/Greg
- 19- Wells/Plumb/Airport
- 21- Sparks Marina
- 25- East Prater/Northeast Sparks
- 26- East Prater
- 28- Glendale/Spice Island
- 54- Mira Loma/Rock
- 56- South Meadows
- 57- Damonte Ranch
Former Routes
These are routes that formerly operated within the past 10 years:
- 1- South Virginia (Replaced by RTC RAPID and RAPID CONNECT)
- 8- Washington/Evans loop
- 10- South Virginia
- 10- Parr Blvd/TMCC (second iteration)
- 11X- Reno-Sparks Express
- 12- West Sparks (replaced by Route 2)
- 14A- Mill/Airport
- 18X- Glendale-Greg Express (replaced by Route 28)
- 19- Greg/Vista (second iteration)
- 22- Northeast Sparks
- 24- Vassar/Airport
- 37- Moya/Lear (largely incorporated into route 7)
- 55- Ridgeview
Current
- 1997-2000 Nova BusNova BusNova Bus is a Canadian bus manufacturer in North America, owned by Volvo Buses, and headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada.- History :The factory was originally a General Motors plant for building city transit buses intended for the Canadian market...
RTS-06Rapid Transit SeriesThe Rapid Transit Series bus is a long-running series of transit buses originally manufactured by General Motors and is currently produced by Millennium Transit Services as the RTS Legend. Millennium had produced the buses from 2006 until it shut down production in 2009, only to be bought back... - 2002 Neoplan USANeoplan USANeoplan USA was a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Denver, Colorado, which was entirely separate from the German corporation, Neoplan, licensing its designs from the German company of the same name. The company was founded in 1981 and folded in 2006. It was originally a subsidiary...
AN460LF - 2003-2004 and 2006 GilligGilligGillig 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 FloorGillig Low FloorThe Gillig Low Floor is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, CA. The Low Floor was introduced in 1996. They are available in 29', 35' and 40' lengths. A diesel-electric hybrid version was introduced in 2004. Frameless side windows are an option. The Gillig Low Floor is... - 2005 GilligGilligGillig 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:...
PhantomGillig PhantomThe Gillig Phantom was a transit bus produced by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The Phantom was first introduced in late 1980 and, with the exception of a small number of buses built in a three-year-long joint venture with Neoplan from 1977 to 1979, was Gillig's first transit bus...
(3 buses built, Fleet numbers 492, 493, and 494. Used on RTC INTERCITY route) - 2007 GilligGilligGillig 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:...
BRT Hybrid (2 buses built, Fleet numbers 503 and 504. Used on the RTC CONNECT Line, previously used on Route 1) - 2008-2009 GilligGilligGillig 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:...
BRT Diesel - 2003 OptimaOptima Bus CorporationOptima Bus, LLC, formerly Chance Coach Inc., is a brand of small transit buses manufactured by North American Bus Industries. It was established in 1976 in Wichita, Kansas....
Opus (used on Sierra Spirit) - 2010 New FlyerNew Flyer IndustriesNew Flyer Industries Inc. is a bus manufacturer in North America, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It also has factories in Crookston and St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA.-History:...
DE60LFA (used on RTC RAPID service)
RTC Rapid
- RTC RAPID is Reno's bus rapid transit service operating along Virginia Street between Downtown Reno and Meadowood Mall. It has limited stops and runs at higher frequencies. In addition, the system is being used as a possible interim step towards the installation of a streetcar or lightrail system.
- RTC RAPID CONNECT is a local route serving Virginia Street between Downtown Reno and Meadowood Mall. Although it does not operate at the same frequency as RTC RAPID, it connects all bus stops and RTC RAPID stations.
RTC Rapid Station List
Outbound, from Downtown Reno to Meadowood Mall- 4th Street Station
- California Station
- Mt. Rose Station
- Plumb Station
- Peppermill Station
- Peckham Station
- McCarran Station
- Meadowood Mall
RTC Intercity
RTC INTERCITY provides express bus service between Reno, Meadowood Mall, and Carson City.RTC Sierra Spirit
- RTC SIERRA SPIRIT is a popular circulator service operating every 15 minutes along Virginia Street in Downtown Reno between the University of Nevada, RenoUniversity of Nevada, RenoThe University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
and the Truckee RiverTruckee RiverThe Truckee River is a stream in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river is about long. Its endorheic drainage basin is about , of which about are in Nevada. The Truckee is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great...
. This is a free service.
RTC Smart Trips
In addition to public transportation, RTC RIDE, through their program RTC SMART TRIPS, provides services to assist those wishing to carpool for their commute.RTC Vanpool
RTC VANPOOL is a membership-based service which allows commuters to rent a van for their commute. The van is driven by one of the members, who picks up and drops off other riders at an agreed-upon location. Expenses are shared by all riders, and subsidized by RTC.RTC Rideshare
RTC RIDESHARE is a free ride-matching program for the Truckee Meadows offered by RTC SMART TRIPS in partnership with Greenride.Streets & Highways
RTC's Streets and Highways program is a joint effort involving the City of Reno, the City of Sparks, the Washoe County, and RTC. Their primary responsibility is road repair and construction within their jurisdiction, specifically, regional roadways, high-traffic (greater than 5,000 avg. daily trips) streets, and roads that cross geographic barriers or that connect jurisdictions. Low-traffic and neighborhood streets are left to local jurisdictions.Planning
Perhaps RTC's most important duty is in the area of planning for the regions transportation needs. Planning is divided into long range and short range needs.Long Range Planning
The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is RTC's plan to create and maintain the long-term transportation requirements for the Truckee Meadows. It addresses travel by all modes including automobiles, transit, bicycles, pedestrians, aviation, rail and goods movement as well as transportation management strategies to make the system more efficient.Short Range Planning
The Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) is RTC's short-range plan to meet the current needs of the Truckee Meadows. Spanning 5 years (FYFY
FY or fy can stand for:*Fiscal year, a 12-month period used for calculating annual financial reports*West Frisian language , a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland, Netherlands...
2009-2013, the current plan was approved on November 21, 2008.