San Diego MTS bus system

MTS Bus
	MTS Bus Gillig Low Floor operating on Route 992 in August 2019
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Headquarters	James R. Mills Building; 1255 Imperial Avenue; San Diego, CA
Service area	Southern San Diego County, California
Service type	Transit bus
Routes	94
Fleet	750 buses
Daily ridership	119,200 (weekdays, Q4 2025)
Annual ridership	37,930,300 (2025)
Fuel type	Compressed natural gas; Battery-electric;
Operator	San Diego Transit Corporation; Transdev;

The San Diego MTS bus system is a public transport bus service serving San Diego County, California. It is part of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The system operates 97 bus routes in San Diego and the rest of the southern half of the county.^[1]^[4] There are 85 "MTS Bus" fixed-route services, 9 "Rapid" bus rapid transit routes, and the "MTS Access" paratransit service.

Routes are operated by private contractors and by the San Diego Transit Corporation (SDTC), a subsidiary of MTS. SDTC operates 27 routes based out of downtown San Diego (Imperial Avenue Division), Transdev operates 74 routes based out of Chula Vista (South Bay Division) and El Cajon (East County Division), and operates the "MTS Access" paratransit service that are operated with mini-buses based out of Kearny Mesa (Copley Park Division).

All buses and division facilities, even those used by contractors, are owned by MTS. MTS serves San Diego proper and the surrounding East County and South Bay regions,^[5] while the North County area is served by the North County Transit District (NCTD)'s BREEZE bus system.^[6]

Routes

Rapid Routes

Type	Route	Terminals		Via	Annual ridership (FY 2024)^[7]	Links	Notes
SuperLoop Rapid^[9]	201/202	University City UTC Transit Center		La Jolla Village Dr, Nobel Dr	2,482,109	Schedule	Frequent service Loop service 201 operates counterclockwise 202 operates clockwise
SuperLoop Rapid^[9]	204	University City UTC Transit Center		Executive Dr, Judicial Dr, Nobel Dr	67,905	Schedule	Weekdays only Loop service, operates clockwise
Rapid	215	Downtown San Diego Santa Fe Depot	College Area SDSU Transit Center	El Cajon Bl	1,411,658	Schedule	Frequent service
	225	Downtown San Diego Santa Fe Depot	Otay Mesa Otay Mesa Transit Center	SR 125, I-805	568,724	Schedule
	227	Imperial Beach Imperial Beach Pier	Otay Mesa Otay Mesa Transit Center	Coronado Av, SR 905	586,598^[10]	Schedule	Frequent service
	235	Downtown San Diego Santa Fe Depot	Escondido Escondido Transit Center	I-15	1,136,605	Schedule	Frequent service
	237	Mira Mesa Miramar College Transit Station	University City UTC Transit Center	Mira Mesa Bl	181,097	Schedule	Weekday peak only
Rapid Express^[8]	280	Downtown San Diego Pacific Hwy & Grape St	Escondido Escondido Transit Center	I-15, SR 163	50,400	Schedule	Weekday peak only
Rapid Express^[8]	290	Downtown San Diego Pacific Hwy & Grape St	Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Transit Station	I-15, SR 163	55,296	Schedule	Weekday peak only

Local Routes

Route	Terminals		Via	Annual ridership (FY 2024)^[7]	Links	Notes
1	Mission Valley Fashion Valley Transit Center	La Mesa La Mesa Boulevard station	El Cajon Bl	811,259	Schedule	Frequent service
2	Downtown San Diego Front St & B St	North Park 30th St & Adams Av	Broadway, 30th St	565,968	Schedule	Frequent service
3	Chollas View Euclid Avenue station	Hillcrest Front St & Arbor Dr	Ocean View Bl	981,093	Schedule	Frequent service
4	Downtown San Diego 12th & Imperial Transit Center	Skyline Hills Paradise Valley Rd & Meadowbrook Dr	Imperial Av	585,628	Schedule
5	Downtown San Diego 10th Av & Broadway	Chollas View Euclid Avenue station	Market St	444,857	Schedule
6	Mission Valley Fashion Valley Transit Center	North Park 30th St & University Av	Camino De La Reina	228,268	Schedule
7	Downtown San Diego Front St & B St	Redwood Village University Av & College Av	University Av	1,878,990	Schedule	Frequent service
8	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Clairemont Balboa Avenue Transit Center	Grand Av, Mission Bay Dr	585,573	Schedule	Frequent service
9/9A	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Pacific Beach Jewell St & Garnet Av	Ingraham St, Sea World	244,269	Schedule	Route 9A does not enter Sea World
10	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Redwood Village University Av & College Av (weekdays) City Heights City Heights Transit Center (weekends)	University Av	946,336	Schedule	Makes limited stops east of Albatross St
11	Downtown San Diego 1st Av & Broadway	College Area SDSU Transit Center	Adams Av, 1st Av	476,948	Schedule
12	Downtown San Diego 12th & Imperial Transit Center	Skyline Hills Paradise Valley Rd & Meadowbrook Dr	National Av, Skyline Dr	931,964	Schedule	Frequent service
13	National City 24th Street station	Grantville Crawford St & Zion Av (Kaiser Hospital)	Fairmount Av	1,768,897	Schedule	Frequent service
14	Grantville Grantville station	La Mesa Baltimore Dr & Lake Murray Bl	70th St, Camino Del Rio	44,447	Schedule	Weekdays only
18	Grantville Grantville station		Camino Del Rio	15,178	Schedule	Weekdays only Loop service, operates counterclockwise
20	Downtown San Diego 10th Av & Broadway	Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Transit Station	I-15, Fashion Valley Transit Center, SR-163	373,818	Schedule	Express service
25	Mission Valley Fashion Valley Transit Center	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center	Aero Dr, SR-163	49,386	Schedule	Weekdays only
27	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center	Pacific Beach Bayard St & Garnet Av	Garnet Av, Balboa Av	246,489	Schedule
28	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	La Playa Anchorage Ln & Shelter Island Dr	Rosecrans St	237,862	Schedule
30	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	University City UTC Transit Center	La Jolla Bl	1,141,886	Schedule	Frequent service
31	University City UTC Transit Center	Mira Mesa Miramar College Transit Station	Miramar Rd	82,332	Schedule	Weekday peak only
35	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Ocean Beach Cable St & Newport Av	Midway Dr, Cable St	321,640	Schedule	Frequent service
41	Mission Valley Fashion Valley Transit Center	Torrey Pines Gilman Transit Center (UCSD)	Genesee Av	776,659	Schedule	Frequent service
43	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center	Clairemont Balboa Avenue Transit Center	Clairemont Mesa Bl	431,740	Schedule
44	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center	Linda Vista / Mesa College	769,401	Schedule	Frequent service
60	University City UTC Transit Center	Chollas View Euclid Avenue station	I-805, I-15, SR-15	51,925	Schedule	Weekday peak only Express service
83	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Downtown San Diego America Plaza station	Reynard Way / Mission Hills	17,222	Schedule	Weekdays only
84	Point Loma Cabrillo National Monument	Point Loma Sub Base Gate	Rosencrans St (Sub Base) or Catalina Bl (Cabrillo Monument)	13,989	Schedule	Weekdays only
88	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	Mission Valley Hotel Circle North & Fashion Valley Rd	Hotel Circle	80,323	Schedule
105	Old Town Old Town Transit Center	University City UTC Transit Center (weekdays) Clairemont Clairemont Square (weekday evenings and weekends)	Morena Bl, Clairemont Dr	192,843	Schedule
115	College Area SDSU Transit Center	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Jackson Dr, Fletcher Pkwy	196,753	Schedule
120	Downtown San Diego 4th Av & C St	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center (weekdays) Serra Mesa Sharp Memorial Hospital (weekends)	Fashion Valley Rd, Linda Vista Rd	486,418	Schedule	Frequent service Makes limited stops south of Fashion Valley Transit Center
701	Chula Vista H Street station	Chula Vista Palomar Street station	Main St, Hilltop Dr, F St	326,354	Schedule
704	Chula Vista E Street station	Chula Vista Palomar Street station	Naples St, Orange Av	342,715	Schedule
705	Chula Vista E Street station	Chula Vista Southwestern College	E St, Otay Lakes Rd	166,061	Schedule	Monday–Saturday only
707	Chula Vista Eastlake Pkwy & Olympic Pkwy	Chula Vista Southwestern College	Eastlake Pkwy	93,672	Schedule	Weekdays only
709	Chula Vista H Street station	Chula Vista Olympic Pkwy & Eastlake Pkwy	H St	629,790	Schedule	Frequent service
712	Chula Vista Palomar Street station	Chula Vista Southwestern College	Palomar St	504,488	Schedule	Frequent service
815	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	El Cajon Main St & Oakdale Av	Main St	281,414	Schedule	Frequent service
816	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Rancho San Diego Cuyamaca College	Washington Av, Jamacha Rd	93,793	Schedule	Weekdays only
832	Santee Santee station		Cuyamaca St, Woodglen Vista Dr, Magnolia Ave	35,867	Schedule	Loop service, operates clockwise
833	Santee Santee station	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Graves Av	71,732	Schedule
834	Santee Santee station		Mission Gorge Rd	21,874	Schedule	Weekdays only Loop service, operates clockwise
838	Granite Hills East County Square	Alpine Viejas Casino	Alpine Bl	101,651	Schedule
848	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Lakeside Mapleview St & Ashwood St	Winter Gardens Bl	243,578	Schedule
851	La Mesa Spring Street Station	La Presa Spring Valley Shopping Center	Bancroft Dr, Sweetwater Rd	55,503	Schedule	Weekdays only
852	San Diego Orange Av & 54th St	La Presa Grossmont Transit Center	University Av	226,043	Schedule
854	La Presa Grossmont Transit Center	El Cajon Grossmont College	Lake Murray Bl	52,285	Schedule	Weekdays only
854X	La Presa Grossmont Transit Center	El Cajon Grossmont College	SR-125	52,285	Schedule	Express service. Operates when Grossmont College is in session for Fall and Spring semesters
855	La Mesa Spring Street station	Rancho San Diego Jamacha Bl & Folex Way	Campo Rd	184,966	Schedule
856	College Area SDSU Transit Center	Rancho San Diego Cuyamaca College	College Av, Jamacha Bl	413,132	Schedule	Frequent service
864	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Granite Hills East County Square	Madison Av	252,895	Schedule
872	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center		Chase Av, Magnolia Av	34,989	Schedule	Weekdays only Loop service, operates counterclockwise
874/875	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center		Washington Av, Parkway Plaza, Broadway	244,239	Schedule	Loop service 874 operates clockwise 875 operates counterclockwise
901	Downtown San Diego 1st Av & Broadway	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center	Silver Strand Bl	548,400	Schedule
904	Coronado Glorietta Bl & 2nd Av	Coronado Silver Strand Bl & Av de las Arenas	Orange Av	43,871	Schedule	During summer: frequent service, fare-free
905	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center	Otay Mesa Otay Mesa Transit Center	SR 905, Otay Mesa Rd	286,779	Schedule
906/907	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center	San Ysidro San Ysidro Transit Center	Beyer Bl, San Ysidro Bl, Calle Primera	1,034,266	Schedule	Frequent service Loop service 906 operates clockwise 907 operates counterclockwise
909	Otay Mesa Otay Mesa Transit Center	Otay Mesa Southwestern College Otay Mesa	Otay Mesa Rd, Britannia Bl	38,606	Schedule	Weekdays only
910	Downtown San Diego Santa Fe Depot	San Ysidro San Ysidro Transit Center	I-5		Schedule	Night owl express service only while the Blue Line Trolley are not operated on night owl service.
916/917	Chollas View Euclid Avenue station		Streamview Dr, Massachusetts Av	118,051	Schedule	Loop service 916 operates clockwise 917 operates counterclockwise
921	San Diego UTC Transit Center	Mira Mesa Miramar College Transit Station	Mira Mesa Bl, Barnes Canyon Rd	205,005	Schedule	Weekdays only
921A	Torrey Pines Gilman Transit Center (UCSD)	Mira Mesa Miramar College Transit Station	Mira Mesa Bl, Mesa Verde Park	205,005	Schedule	Weekends only
923	Ocean Beach Point Loma Av & Sunset Cliffs Bl	Downtown San Diego 9th Av & C St	Voltaire St, Harbor Dr	132,019	Schedule	Weekdays only
928	Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa Transit Center	Mission Valley Fashion Valley Transit Center	Ruffin Rd	139,873	Schedule
929	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center	Downtown San Diego 12th & Imperial Transit Center	Highland Av, 3rd Av	1,367,791	Schedule	Frequent service
932	National City 8th Street station (weekdays and Saturdays) Chula Vista E Street station (Sundays)	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center	National City Bl, Broadway	690,942	Schedule	Frequent service
933/934	Otay Mesa West Iris Avenue Transit Center		Imperial Beach Bl / Palm Av	1,208,025	Schedule	Frequent service Loop service 933 operates counterclockwise 934 operates clockwise
936	College Area SDSU Transit Center	Spring Valley Orville St & Brucker Av	College Grove / Skyline Drive	321,655	Schedule	Frequent service
944	Sabre Springs Sabre Springs Transit Station	Poway Hilleary Pl / Hilleary Park Dr	Poway Rd	42,692	Schedule	Monday–Saturday only
945/945A	Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo Transit Station	Poway Temple St / Midland Rd	Pomerado Rd, Poway Rd	93,021	Schedule	Monday–Saturday only 945A operates weekday peak-only via Espola Rd to serve Poway High School
955	National City 8th Street station	College Area SDSU Transit Center	43rd St / Euclid Avenue station / 54th St	922,412	Schedule
961	National City 24th Street station	Encanto Encanto/62nd Street station	30th St / Plaza Bonita / Woodman St	445,541	Schedule	Frequent service
962	National City 8th Street station	Spring Valley Orville St & Brucker Av	Plaza Bl / Paradise Valley Rd	409,622	Schedule	Frequent service
963	National City 8th Street station	Paradise Hills Saipan Dr & Potomac St	Plaza Bl / Reo Drive	117,463	Schedule	Frequent service
964	Mira Mesa Camino Ruiz & Capricorn Way	Scripps Ranch Alliant International University	Miramar College Transit Station	97,178	Schedule	Weekdays only
965	City Heights City Heights Transit Plaza		University Av / Azalea Park / Home Av	42,313	Schedule	Monday–Saturday only Loop service, operates counterclockwise
967	National City 8th Street station	Alta Vista Division St & Ava St	D Av / Division St	30,922	Schedule	Weekdays only
968	National City 8th Street station	National City Westfield Plaza Bonita	4th St / Euclid Av	46,478	Schedule	Weekdays only
985	University City UC San Diego Central Campus station	Torrey Pines Torreyana Rd & Science Park Rd	N Torrey Pines Rd	28,471	Schedule	Weekday peak only
992	Downtown San Diego 4th Av & Broadway	San Diego San Diego International Airport	Broadway / Harbor Dr	315,341	Schedule	Frequent service

Rural Routes

Route	Terminals		Via	Annual ridership (FY 2024)^[7]	Links	Notes
888	El Cajon Parkway Plaza	Jacumba Hot Springs Campo St & Old Hwy 80	Alpine / Guatay / Pine Valley / Campo	734	Schedule	Monday and Friday peak only Operates flag stop service and off-route by appointment
891	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Borrego Springs Christmas Cir & Palm Canyon Dr	Shelter Valley / Ramona	299	Schedule	Friday peak only Operates flag stop service and off-route by appointment
892	El Cajon El Cajon Transit Center	Borrego Springs Christmas Cir & Palm Canyon Dr	Ranchita / Ramona	235	Schedule	Thursday peak only Operates flag stop service and off-route by appointment
894	El Cajon Parkway Plaza	Tecate Tecate Rd & Thing Rd Campo Hwy 94 & Buckman Springs Rd (Cameron Corners) Lake Morena Lake Morena Dr & Gladiola Dr (Oak Shores Malt Shop)	Tecate / Campo / Morena Village	36,865	Schedule	Weekdays only Operates flag stop service and off-route by appointment

Fleet

Active fleet

Make/Model	Build Date	Fleet numbers	Propulsion	Length	Divisions	Notes
Gillig Low Floor	2013	801‍–‍826	CNG	40 feet (12 m)	Imperial Avenue
	2014	901‍–‍912			Kearny Mesa
	2017	1401‍–‍1410			Kearny Mesa	Repainted into the MTS Rapid livery in 2023.
	2020‍–‍2021	1701‍–‍1738			Kearny Mesa	1701‍–‍1722 are 2020 models, 1723‍–‍1738 are 2021 models.
	2015	2001‍–‍2014			South Bay
	2017	2101‍–‍2136			South Bay
	2022	2201‍–‍2238			South Bay	Final batch of Gillig buses delivered to MTS.
	2013	2301‍–‍2324			South Bay, East County
	2014‍–‍2015	2401‍–‍2438			South Bay	2401‍–‍2418 are 2014 models, 2419‍–‍2438 are 2015 models.
	2021	2601‍–‍2632			South Bay
	2018	2781‍–‍2787			South Bay	Exclusively used on Route 992.
	2021	2791‍–‍2795			South Bay
	2015	8201‍–‍8213			East County
	2016	8301‍–‍8338			East County
	2019	8351‍–‍8356			East County
Gillig Low Floor Plus	2020	1601‍–‍1602	Battery electric	40 feet (12 m)	Imperial Avenue
Gillig Low Floor Plus	2021	1603‍–‍1607	Battery electric	40 feet (12 m)	Imperial Avenue
ElDorado AeroLite	2014	3006	Gasoline		Copley Park	3001-3005 transferred to NCTD in June 2024.
ElDorado AeroLite	2016	3101‍–‍3131	CNG		Copley Park
MCI D4500CT	2020	8531‍–‍8554	CNG	45 feet (14 m)	East County
New Flyer C40LFR	2011	601‍–‍621	CNG	40 feet (12 m)	Imperial Avenue	Currently undergoing retirement. 2923‍–‍2927 are 2011 models, and were originally numbered 622‍–‍626.
	2012	701‍–‍731			Imperial Avenue
	2011‍–‍2012	2901‍–‍2927			South Bay
New Flyer XE40	2019	1501‍–‍1506	Battery electric	40 feet (12 m)	East County, South Bay, Kearny Mesa
New Flyer XE40	2025	7601‍–‍7613	Battery electric	40 feet (12 m)	South Bay
New Flyer XN40	2025	301‍–‍338	CNG	40 feet (12 m)	Imperial Avenue
New Flyer XE60	2023	7551‍–‍7562	Battery electric	60 feet (18 m)	South Bay	Exclusively used on Rapid 227.
New Flyer XN60	2014	1201‍–‍1218	CNG		Imperial Avenue
	2015	1301‍–‍1313			Kearny Mesa
	2021	1801‍–‍1826			Imperial Avenue
	2023	1901‍–‍1924			Kearny Mesa
	2024	1925‍–‍1929			Kearny Mesa
	2017	7401‍–‍7410			South Bay
	2018	7501‍–‍7517			South Bay
StarCraft Allstar XL	2019	3506‍–‍3508	CNG		East County

On Order

Make/Model	Fleet numbers	Year	Notes
New Flyer XN40	(138)	2024–2027	New 5 year contract with New Flyer to supply CNG & Battery Electric Buses. These will likely replace the 600-, 700-, and 2900-series C40LFR buses and the 800- and 2300-series Gillig buses.
New Flyer XE40	(91)	2024–2027	New 5 year contract with New Flyer to supply CNG & Battery Electric Buses.
New Flyer XE60	(34)	2024–2027	New 5 year contract with New Flyer to supply CNG & Battery Electric Buses.

References

^ ^a ^b "About MTS". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. May 14, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
^ "Bus Routes". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. August 24, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
^ "San Diego Regional Transit Map" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. September 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
^ "North County Transit District System Map" (PDF). North County Transit District. October 8, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Annual Service Performance Report" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Rapid Bus Service | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System". www.sdmts.com. May 22, 2015.
^ Routes 201/202 and 204 were formerly known as SuperLoop until the introduction of Rapid in 2015. Some parts of the MTS website still use the names "SuperLoop Rapid 201/202" and "SuperLoop Rapid 204" for these routes, however.^[8]
^ Includes 70,219 from predecessor route 950

External links

[aboutMTS-1] "About MTS". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. May 14, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

[APTAdaily-2] "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.

[APTA_Ridership_Report-3] "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.

[routes-4] "Bus Routes". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. August 24, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

[mts-map-5] "San Diego Regional Transit Map" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. September 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

[nctd-map-6] "North County Transit District System Map" (PDF). North County Transit District. October 8, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

[sdmts-report-7] "Annual Service Performance Report" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.

[RapidBusService-8] "Rapid Bus Service | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System". www.sdmts.com. May 22, 2015.

[SuperLoop-9] Routes 201/202 and 204 were formerly known as SuperLoop until the introduction of Rapid in 2015. Some parts of the MTS website still use the names "SuperLoop Rapid 201/202" and "SuperLoop Rapid 204" for these routes, however.^[8]

[10] Includes 70,219 from predecessor route 950

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Transportation in San Diego County
Air	McClellan–Palomar Airport San Diego International Airport
Bus (routes)	North County Transit District Breeze Rapid San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Rapid
Commuter rail and inter-city rail	COASTER Metrolink (Inland Empire–Orange County Line, Orange County Line) Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak)
Light rail	San Diego Trolley (Blue Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Silver Line, Copper Line) SPRINTER
Maritime	Broadway Pier Port of San Diego
Defunct	San Diego Electric Railway SuperLoop