The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) is the main transit agency for western Riverside County, California, United States. RTA provides both local and regional services throughout the region with 32 fixed-routes, 3 CommuterLink routes, Micro Transit in the Hemet-San Jacinto area, and Dial-A-Ride services using a fleet of 339 vehicles. In the cities of Corona, Beaumont and Banning, RTA coordinates regional services with municipal transit systems. In Riverside, RTA coordinates with the city's Riverside Special Services, which provides ADA complementary service to RTA's fixed-route services.

RTA was established as a joint powers agency on August 15, 1975, and began operating bus service on March 16, 1977.

In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

Governance RTA is governed by a board of directors composed of 22 elected officials from 18 cities in western Riverside County and four members of the County Board of Supervisors.

The member jurisdictions include the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Canyon Lake, Corona, Eastvale, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Menifee, Murrieta, Norco, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula, Wildomar and the unincorporated areas of Riverside County Supervisorial Districts I, II, III and V.

Rates As of 9-01-2026 ($0.25 a ride before that to 8-31-2026, youths up to 18 free): +Local and RapidLink route faresFare categoriesBase fares1-day pass7-day pass30-day passGeneral$1.75$5$20$60Youth (grades 1–12) $0$0 $45Senior/Disabled/Veteran/Medicare$0.75$2.50$30Child (46" tall or under, up to 3)$0.50 +CommuterLink FaresFare categoriesBase faresGeneral$3.5Youth (grades 1–12)Senior/Disabled/Veteran/Medicare$2.75Child (46" tall or under, up to 3) $0.25 +CommuterLink + Local + RapidLink faresFare categories1-day pass30-day passGeneral$10$95Youth (grades 1–12)Senior/Disabled/Veteran/Medicare$7$70Child (46" tall or under, up to 3) +Dial-A-RideFare categoriesBase faresTicket booksSenior / disabled$3.50$35Medicare Card HolderChild (46" tall or under, up to 3)$0.75N/A Rates resumed 9-01-2024 thru 5-31-2026. June through August 2026 rates are $0.25 per ride, except 6–18 (free to all), 6-19 (no service), & Fridays in June, no charge.

College passes In September 2006, RTA partnered with the University of California, Riverside (UCR) to provide their students with an all-access bus pass. UC Riverside students get free rides on all fixed-route and CommuterLink buses by swiping their valid university identification cards through any RTA bus farebox when they board. The program, called U-Pass, is designed to help ease traffic congestion around campus, reduce parking problems and encourage ride-sharing. Additionally, RTA operates a trolley service called the Crest Cruiser that is free to UCR students and travels around the university to off-campus housing and retail outlets. Students of La Sierra University have also benefited from U-Pass since January 2009, and California Baptist University joined the program in August 2009.

As of August 21, 2008, RTA has also partnered with Riverside Community College District (RCCD) to provide the same free transit services to students at the Riverside City, Norco College and Moreno Valley college campuses. The program, called Go Pass, requires that students swipe their valid RCCD ID cards through the bus farebox when boarding. As of August 2014, the Go-Pass has logged more than 4.5 million RCCD student rides.

In August 2010, RTA expanded the reach of its Go-Pass program by partnering with the Mt. San Jacinto College District. Students at the Banning, Menifee and San Jacinto campuses who pay their student fees are allowed unlimited rides on all fixed-route and CommuterLink buses with the swipe of their ID card.

Fare subsidies Under an agreement with the Riverside County courts, anyone serving as a juror at the Riverside, Banning and Murrieta courthouses is entitled to free travel on any RTA bus.

Any person who meets RTA active duty military, police or fire personnel requirements rides free on RTA fixed-route buses. Active duty military personnel must wear the appropriate uniform at the time of boarding or present to the driver a valid U.S. Uniformed Services ID card indicating active service or a Common Access card indicating uniformed services or active duty. Police and fire personnel must be in full uniform at the time of boarding. Customers must wear the appropriate uniform or show appropriate ID each time they board a bus to receive the discounted fare.

Transit centers RTA maintains several transit centers throughout their service area. Downtown Riverside is served by the Vine Street Mobility Hub

The Downtown Perris station, located between 1st and 2nd Streets, east of C Street in Perris, opened on January 10, 2010, with six bus bays and a park and ride lot. The center is also a station for weekend excursion trains from the Orange Empire Railway Museum, and is a station on Metrolink's 91/Perris Valley Line.

The Corona Transit Center opened in September 2010, adjacent to the North Main Corona Metrolink station. The center has 8 bus bays, additional park-and-ride parking and a direct connection to the Metrolink station and its associated parking garage via a pedestrian bridge.

Major transfer points are also located at several shopping centers throughout the area such as The Galleria at Tyler, the Moreno Valley Mall, the Hemet Valley Mall, the Outlets at Lake Elsinore, and Temecula's Promenade Mall.

Routes

Local routes RTA's service consists of 32 local fixed routes and three CommuterLink Express routes. The fixed-route service includes tourist trolleys (stylized rubber-tired buses, not to be confused with actual trolleys). The agency also provides dial-a-ride service in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Local college students ride free with the U-Pass program. RouteTerminalsViaNotes1Corona Smith Av & 6th StRiverside UC Riverside (at Bannockburn Village)Magnolia Av Serves Corona–North Main Metrolink Station, Galleria at Tyler, California Baptist University, Riverside City College and Vine Street Mobility Hub 3Corona Corona Transit CenterEastvale Amazon EastvaleMain St, Hammer Av Serves Norco College8Lake Elsinore Outlet at Lake Elsinore Mission Trail, Grand Av Clockwise and Counter-clockwise route9Lake Elsinore Outlet at Lake Elsinore Perris Perris Transit CenterCentral Av10Riverside Galleria at TylerRiverside Big Springs Rd & Watkins DrLincoln Av 11Moreno Valley Moreno Valley MallFrederick St, Cactus Av & Lasselle St. Served Lake Perris12Corona Promenade Av & McKinley StRiverside La Cadena Dr & Interchange StCalifornia Av, Main St Serves Galleria at Tyler and Riverside City College13Riverside Galleria at TylerRiverside Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR StationArlington Av Serves Riverside City College14Riverside Galleria at TylerLoma Linda VA HospitalIndiana Av, Washington St15Riverside Galleria at TylerRiverside Riverside-Downtown StationArlington Av Serves Riverside–La Sierra Metrolink Station and Riverside City College16Riverside UC Riverside (at Bannockburn Village)Moreno Valley Moreno Valley MallCanyon Crest Dr, Box Springs Rd18Moreno Valley Moreno Valley MallSunnymead Ranch Pkwy Loop route, Serves to Ironwood & Moreno Beach via Sunnymead Ranch Parkway.19Perris Perris Transit CenterMoreno Valley Moreno Valley MallPerris Bl Serves Moreno Valley College20Riverside Magnolia Av & Elizabeth StMoreno Valley Iris Av & Lasselle StAlessandro Bl Serves Moreno Valley/March Field Metrolink Station and Moreno Valley College21Riverside Galleria at TylerJurupa Valley Jurupa Valley/Pedley StationVan Buren Bl22Perris Perris Station Transit CenterDowntown Riverside University Av & Market StAlessandro Bl, Old Elsinore Rd Serves Vine Street Mobility Hub23Temecula Promenade TemeculaWildomar Palomar St & Wildomar TrailMurrieta Hot Springs Rd24Temecula Promenade TemeculaTemecula Redhawk Pkwy & Via Rio TemeculaPechanga Pkwy Serves Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Temecula Valley Campus, Pechanga Resort, and Temecula Valley Hospital.27Perris Perris Transit CenterRiverside Galleria at TylerI-215, Van Buren Av28Perris Perris Transit CenterValle Vista Florida Av & New Chicago AvI-215, Florida Av 29Eastvale Amazon EastvaleRiverside Vine Street Mobility HubLimonite Av30Perris Perris Transit CenterRedlands Av Loop route31San Jacinto Mt. San Jacinto College San Jacinto Moreno Valley Moreno Valley MallSR 60Serves to Ironwood & Moreno Beach and Beaumont.41Mead Valley Mead Valley Community CenterMoreno Valley Riverside University Medical CenterRamona Expwy Serves Moreno Valley College via Ironwood & Moreno Beach.44Hemet Hemet Valley MallState St, San Jacinto Av Clockwise routeSan Jacinto Mt. San Jacinto College Counter-clockwise route49Fontana Banana Av & Cherry AvRiverside Vine Street Mobility HubMission Bl51Riverside Iowa Av & University VillageCanyon Crest Dr Clockwise route Serves UC Riverside55Temecula Village Rd & Harveston WayHarveston Dr Clockwise route Free Service Serves Promenade Temecula56Riverside Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR StationIowa Av Loop route Serves UC Riverside61Temecula Promenade TemeculaPerris Perris Transit CenterNewport Rd Serves Mt. San Jacinto College74Menifee Cherry Hills Bl & Bradley Rd Hemet Hemet Valley Mall Newport Rd Serves Mt. San Jacinto College79Temecula Promenade TemeculaHemet Hemet Valley MallWinchester Rd

CommuterLink routes In 2003, RTA launched CommuterLink, its first bus service designed to serve Riverside County's growing number of commuters. The specially designed express buses have limited stop service to major transit centers and Metrolink stations in Riverside county. In 2005, RTA debuted free Wi-Fi Internet service aboard its Temecula-Riverside CommuterLink Route 202, making the agency among the first in Southern California to offer such amenities aboard public buses. By the end of 2016, Wi-fi was offered on all of the agency's fixed-route buses. RouteTerminalsViaNotes200San Bernardino San Bernardino Transit CenterAnaheim DisneylandSR 91, I-215 Serves Vine Street Mobility Hub, Galleria at Tyler and Riverside–La Sierra Metrolink Station204Montclair Montclair Transit CenterRiverside UC Riverside (at Bannockburn Village)I-10, SR 60 Serves Ontario Mills206Corona Corona Transit CenterTemecula Promenade TemeculaI-15 Bus fleet

Active fleet Make/ModelFleet numbersThumbnailYearEngineTransmissionHometown Manufacturing Villager1–52018Ford Triton V106-Speed Automatic with OverdriveGillig BRT CNG 40313012011Cummins Westport ISL GAllison B400R31302-31334201231335-31369201331370-31397201431401-31411201531601-31614201631621-316432017Cummins Westport L9N32301-323352023Allison B3400 xFE32336-323702024 RTA's 40-foot and CommuterLink buses are powered entirely by compressed natural gas, with the agency's conversion to the fuel completed in 2001. They also operate CNG fueling stations at their Riverside and Hemet maintenance facilities that help fuel not only transit vehicles but also the alternative-fuel fleet of various government agencies.

In 2013, RTA began the process of replacing their old NABI 40 LFW fleet with newer 42-foot, Gillig Low Floor BRT Suburban buses. RTA's traditional red, white, and blue colors were updated to feature solid blue on the top portion of the bus, with a ribbon of blue and red around the bus's sides and rear. The modern buses also have a more spacious interior, padded and contoured seats, colored headsigns, USB charging ports for customers' mobile phones and tablets, and a design that allows for quicker wheelchair fastening and overall faster customer boarding.

Financials RTA is largely funded by passenger fares, Local Transportation Funds (LTF), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), State Transit Assistance (STA), Riverside County Measure A, and Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees (TUMF).

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