Foothill Transit

Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum, who was later convicted of embezzlement, is credited with the formation of the transit agency. Schabarum, annoyed by what he saw as disproportionate cutbacks of bus service by the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) in the San Gabriel Valley,[9] wanted to secede from the larger agency and form a separate transit agency as early as 1986.[10] Compared to routes serving more densely-populated areas, routes in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys required greater subsidies to serve fewer riders on longer freeway alignments in eastern Los Angeles County.[11]

Foothill was initially founded by 20 member cities;[10] Pasadena voted to join in 1998.[12] In 1987, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC) approved Foothill to take over fourteen routes which serviced the San Gabriel Valley that were currently operated by SCRTD.[5] Although service was planned to start on 1 July 1988,[13] the Foothill Transit Zone had been prevented from starting service in July by an injunction arising from a lawsuit filed by the drivers and mechanics unions (United Transportation and Amalgamated Transit Unions) of SCRTD against LACTC.[11] Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eli Chernow ruled that LACTC could not unilaterally transfer the lines without the consent of the SCRTD board of directors. The injunction was upheld on appeal.[14]

LACTC had begun withholding $9 million per month from SCRTD in April 1988 on the basis that SCRTD had not followed salary guidelines set by LACTC; SCRTD replied that LACTC, under the leadership of its chairman (Schabarum), was holding the funds hostage to pressure SCRTD to release the lines to Foothill Transit.[10] SCRTD consented to Foothill Transit taking over the bus lines in December 1988 in return for the restoration of funding.[15] Those first two lines operated by Foothill Transit were 495 and 498.[5]

The trial for the lawsuit against Foothill Transit started in May 1989,[9] was resolved in Foothill's favor by July,[15] and the other twelve lines previously operated by SCRTD were transitioned to Foothill Transit between 1989 and 1992.[5][16] For a short period in 1992, the last two routes to transition (486 and 488) were operated by both Foothill Transit and SCRTD during continued legal disputes.[11] The drivers and mechanics unions disputed the transfer of 486 and 488 since SCRTD had made the decision without negotiating with the union; an arbitrator held up the unions' argument, which led to duplicated service on those lines, as "Foothill Transit [had] the legal right to operate buses on the contested routes, but the [SCRTD had] the legal obligation to do so", and the union planned to use that precedent to roll back service to SCRTD on all fourteen lines.[11] However, Foothill Transit again prevailed in a February 1993 court ruling.[17]

Schabarum, who hated the influence of trade unions, chose to use contractors to operate the service.[18] All of the operations and maintenance work for Foothill Transit are contracted out. As of 2017, bus service is operated by Keolis at Pomona and Transdev at Arcadia/Irwindale.

Embree Bus Lines was the initial contractor that operated the first two lines for Foothill starting in December 1988.[15] The hourly operating cost under Foothill Transit was reduced by up to half compared to service under SCRTD, and ridership grew, but the contract operator drivers generally earned less in both wages and fringe benefits, and had less influence over working conditions. In addition, Foothill Transit was not required to provide typical rider services such as schedules, bus stops, transit police, or telephone information.[11] During the 1992 Los Angeles riot, Foothill Transit terminated service at El Monte rather than continue on to downtown Los Angeles.[11] Over the first five years, Foothill Transit consistently saved money compared to SCRTD's historical costs.[17] In 1994, Foothill reported their hourly cost of operations was $55, compared to $93 for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), with a farebox recovery ratio of 48% (compared to 32% for Metro) at a lower fare of $0.85 (compared to $1.10 for Metro, which was scheduled to increase to $1.35 later that year). In addition, Foothill reported an accident rate of 0.3 per 100,000 mi (160,000 km) traveled, compared to Metro's rate of 3.3 per 100,000 mi (160,000 km), although Metro's accident rate was skewed by older buses and more dense traffic in its operating area.[18]

Foothill executives made the service essentially strike-proof by insisting that two different companies operate the two bus yards, even if it would cost more in the short term. By 1998, Foothill's contractors were Laidlaw and Ryder/ATE.[19] However, due to bus industry consolidation, First Transit operated both yards from 2001 to mid-2007. Currently, both Foothill Transit yards are represented by unions (Arcadia by the Amalgamated Transit Union and Pomona by the Teamsters Union), but past strikes at the agency have been less than successful due to the ability of one yard to operate the other yard's service.[20][21] In addition, wages are less at Foothill than at other transit operators in the region.[11]

The contract operator drivers at Foothill were also represented by the Teamsters, but a 1994 Los Angeles Times article reported they earned an average of $11 per hour, compared to the average $18.45 per hour earned by Metro drivers.[18] A representative of the union representing Metro's drivers, the United Transportation Union, accused Foothill of not paying its drivers a living wage; the president of the company that was then contracted to manage Foothill, William P. Forsythe, stated the US$20,000 (equivalent to $34,000 in 2019) typical annual pay of a Foothill driver "isn't bad for a service industry job" and admitted it wasn't fair "compared to MTA, but they've been overpaying for years."[18] In January 1995, the Los Angeles Times reported the majority of the 150 drivers for Laidlaw made $8.50 per hour; those drivers, represented by the Teamsters, rejected a proposed contract that offered no wage increases.[22]

Laidlaw, which was responsible for approximately half of Foothill's fleet, operated out of the Upland Yard. The first strike against Foothill Transit started when Laidlaw drivers walked off in February 1996, asking for an immediate $1/hour raise and full medical coverage. Teamsters Local 848 officials stated that drivers could not afford private health insurance, and had to rely on county services instead. Foothill's other contractor was not affected and continued normal operations during the strike.[20] The strike ended after thirteen days, when drivers accepted a 3% pay raise with no health coverage on a one-year contract under the threat they would be fired and replaced if they did not return to work.[23] Shortly after the expiration of the contract, Laidlaw drivers went on strike again in June 1997, but that strike was settled within hours, as most drivers were no longer represented by the union.[21] The reported average wages in 1998 was $9.30 per hour for Ryder/ATE drivers (represented by the Teamsters), and $9.06 per hour for Laidlaw drivers (who had previously voted to become an open shop).[19]

Effective 1 July 2013, due to expiration of the existing management services contract and continuing conflicts of interest between the executive director, staff, and board, Foothill Transit transitioned to in house management. Executive Director Doran Barnes became the first full-time Foothill employee, and planning, procurement, and other administrative functions became Foothill functions as well.[6] Transdev (formerly Veolia) staff continues to operate the transit stores and maintain bus shelters.[24]

The last two lines operated by Metro (SCRTD's successor) in the eastern San Gabriel Valley were turned over to Foothill in 2016.[25]

In 2017, Foothill Transit hired two new contractors, Keolis and Transdev, both of which are French transportation companies, to manage both of their bus storage yards. Keolis took over First Transit's role in managing the Pomona Yard[4] and Transdev took over First Transit's, and previously MV Transportation's, role in managing the Irwindale Yard.[3]

In 2002, Foothill Transit began purchasing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses.[5] In 2010, Foothill Transit was the first transit system to operate an all-electric battery-powered bus from Proterra.[5] By 2013, when the last diesel-powered 2000-2001 Gillig Advantage buses were retired,[6] Foothill Transit became around a 90 percent CNG fleet. 10 percent of the fleet is electric.

Foothill Transit's main goal is to be fully electric by 2030.[26]

Foothill Transit provides shuttle service for UCLA Football games, the annual Rose Bowl Game, and other special events at the Rose Bowl from the Parsons Corporation parking lot, located on Walnut St. and Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena.[27]

Express services operate weekdays only in the peak direction, excluding the Silver Streak.

Services operate weekdays only. Schedules subject to change 1st June  — 1st September & 22nd December  — 3rd January for Lines 853 and 854.

With the retirement of the 2000 and 2001 Gillig Advantage fleet in 2014, the entire current fleet now consists of 100% clean air buses, which either run on electricity or compressed natural gas (CNG). Only about one-tenth of the entire fleet is electric.

Year	Model	Length	Width	Numbers	Fleet	Picture	Fuel Type	Notes
2005-2006	NABI 40-LFW	40'	102"	F1500-F1509	10		CNG	All units run from the Irwindale Yard. Though these buses are identical to their 2004-2005 counterparts, they have Cummins Engines instead of Diesel ones.
2007	NABI 60-BRT	60'	102"	F1600-F1629	30		CNG	These buses are used exclusively on the Silver Streak, but can sometimes be seen on Line 187. The units run from the Irwindale Yard. Currently being repainted in the new livery and repowered to Cummins Westport ISL G engines.
2009	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1700-F1729	30		CNG	All units run from the Irwindale Yard and operated by Transdev.
2010	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1800-F1811	12		CNG	All units run from the Pomona Yard and operated by Keolis.[33]
2010	Proterra BE35	35'	102"	F2001-F2003	3		Electric	Branded as "Ecoliners" by Foothill Transit. This model was the world’s first heavy duty, fast charging electric bus. Each bus costs $1.2 million USD.[34] The units run from the Pomona Yard.
2012	Proterra BE35	35'	102"	F2004-F2015	12		Electric	Branded as "Ecoliners" by Foothill Transit. The units run from the Pomona Yard.
2012	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102"	F1900-F1913	14		CNG	Run from the Pomona Yard. Used on many express routes.
2013	NABI 42-BRT	42'	102'	F2100-F2163	124		CNG	Most of these buses run from the Pomona Yard, but some of them are run from the Irwindale Yard. These three orders were the last orders Foothill Transit ordered from North American Bus Industries because New Flyer Industries bought the company and ceased production of North American Bus Industries' lineup of fleet. These buses replaced the last remaining Diesel powered Gillig Advantage buses, which were retired in 2014. Used on many express routes.
2014				F2200-F2229
2015				F2300-F2329
2015	Proterra Catalyst BE40	40'	102"	F2016-F2017	2		Electric	Branded as "Ecoliners" by Foothill Transit. The units run from the Pomona Yard.
2017	Proterra Catalyst BE40 E2	40'	102'	F2600-F2613	14		Electric	Branded as "Ecoliners" by Foothill Transit. These units run from the Arcadia/Irwindale Yard.
2016	NFI XN40	40'	102'	F2400-F2429	60		CNG	These buses were scheduled to be delivered during the 2016-2017 fiscal year.[35] F2400-F2429 and F2500-F2529 run from the Irwindale Yard.
2017				F2500-F2529
2019	Proterra Catalyst BE35 E2	35'	102"	F2800-F2802	3		Electric	Branded as "duartEbus Powered By Foothill Transit."
2019	Alexander Dennis Enviro500EV	40'			2		Electric	Double-decker bus[36] expected to enter service in 2019. Drivetrain (motor/battery) supplied by Proterra.[37]

Year	Model	Length	Width	Numbers	Fleet	Picture	Fuel	Notes
1988	NFI D40	40'		F106-F184	79		Diesel	Cummins L10, Allison
1987	Gillig Phantom	40'	96"	F200-F218	34		Diesel	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison
1988				F219-F233
1991	Gillig Phantom	40'	96"	F250-F263	14		Diesel	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison HT748
1989	Gillig Phantom	40'	96"	F300-F305 F600-F629 F700-F738	75		Diesel	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison HT748
1991	Gillig Phantom	40'	96"	F630-F648 F750-F768	38		Diesel	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison HT748
1992				F800-F822	23			Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison HT748
1994	Gillig Phantom	35'	96"	F900-F907	8		Diesel	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA, Allison HT748
1996-1998	Gillig Phantom S50T4096	40'	96"	F1000-F1063	64		Diesel	Detroit Diesel Series 50, Allison B400R F1013-F1015, F1040-F1045, F1056-F1063 feature suburban seating Some have been resold to other transit operators F1045 kept by Foothill Transit for historical purposes in the Irwindale Yard. F1047 and F1050 recently sold in public auctions.
2000	Gillig Advantage G22D102N4	40'	102"	F1100-F1176	77		Diesel	Detroit Diesel Series 40, Allison B400R5 All units retired by January 2014.
2000	Gillig Advantage G22E102R2	29'	102"	F1181-F1187	7		Diesel	Detroit Diesel Series 40, Allison B400R5 All units retired by 2011.
2002	Orion V	40'	102"	F1200-F1265	117		CNG	Detroit Diesel Series-50 CNG, Allison B400R5 All units retired by April 2017. Some are leased to other operators. Others remain in the Pomona Yard and some of those units remain as training coaches for new bus drivers. The first CNG buses ordered by Foothill Transit. Some units moved to Omnitrans in 2020's.
2003				F1300-F1350
2004-2005	NABI 40-LFW	40'	102"	F1400-F1474	75		CNG	Detroit Diesel Series- 50G CNG, Allsion B400R5 All units retired by late July to early August 2019. 1427 was the last bus before retirement.

Because Foothill Transit retires most of their buses at the 12-year FTA minimum standard, many of their buses are sold off or leased to other authorities and operate for years afterwards. Notable lessees include Valley Metro, Nassau Inter-County Express, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Arizona State University, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Gold Coast Transit, Glendale Beeline, Santa Cruz Metro, Benicia Breeze, and Amtrak California (operated by SFO Airporter).