District Information
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NCTD moves more than 12 million passengers annually by providing public transportation for North San Diego County. The family of transit services includes the BREEZE bus system, the COASTER commuter rail service, LIFT paratransit and the new SPRINTER light rail line.

The North San Diego County Transit Development Board (NSDCTDB) was created by California Senate Bill 802 on September 20, 1975. The Board was created to plan, construct and operate, directly, or through a contractor, public transit systems in its area of jurisdiction. On January 1, 2003, a new state law was enacted (SB 1703) that essentially transferred future transit planning, programming, development and construction to SANDAG, San Diego's Regional Planning Agency. The NSDCTDB, referred to as the North County Transit District (NCTD), continued to operate the BREEZE, COASTER and SPRINTER. In this new role, NCTD continues to provide integrated public transit service within the North San Diego County region. On August 30, 2005, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1238, which amended the North County Transit District Act to rename the District to North County Transit District (NCTD), thus eliminating the full name North San Diego County Transit Development Board. Although the transit district had commonly been referred to as North County Transit District, this formal name change was effective January 1, 2006.

NCTD's geographical service area encompasses 1,020 square miles of north San Diego County extending from Del Mar in the South, northeasterly to Escondido, north to the Riverside County line and west to the Orange Count line. The area includes the unincorporated communities of Fallbrook and Ramona as well as the Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base. Other cities in the service area include Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos. The total population of the NCTD service area is more than 800,000.

Benefits of Public Transit
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NCTD's public transportation options provide greater freedom, access, opportunity and choice for North County residents. Even if you don't use public transit, you benefit from it. Consider these facts:

• Public transportation improves air quality by reducing pollution. Compared with private vehicles, public transportation produces, on average, per passenger mile, 95 percent less carbon monoxide, 92 percent fewer volatile organic compounds, 45 percent less carbon dioxide and 48 percent less nitrogen oxide.


• Public transportation reduces gasoline consumption. Each year, public transportation use saves the equivalent of 34 supertankers of oil, or a supertanker leaving the Middle East every 11 days.


• Public transportation eases traffic congestion. In 2003, public transportation in America's most congested cities saved travelers 1.1 billion hours in travel time.


• Public transportation saves money. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found that public transportation use saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline every year, and can reduce household expenses by $6,200 — more than the average household pays for food in a year.


• Public transportation provides economic opportunity. Every $1 invested in public transportation projects generates from $4 to $9 in local economic activity.


• Public transportation offers increased mobility options for our seniors and people with disablities. 83 percent of older Americans agree that public transit provides easy access to the things that they need in everyday life. Public transportation systems provide a vital link for the more than 51 million Americans with disabilities.


• Approximately 12 percent of public transportation users are en route to schools. Educators and concerned parents in several North County school districts that no longer offer bus services now rely on NCTD's public transportation system. We believe nearly one of every five SPRINTER riders is using the new rail line to get to school.


• Public transportation creates community benefits by fostering transit oriented development, revitalizing neighborhoods, and increasing social interaction and pedestrian activity. In North County our stations and transit centers have helped to create a sense of "place" that makes our communities unique and special.


• Public transportation fosters a healthy and active lifestyle, encouraging more people to walk, bike and jog to transit stops. An analysis of 2001 National Household Travel Survey data for transit users finds that walking to and from transit helps inactive persons attain a significant portion of the recommended minimum daily exercise they need.

Take the challenge: try transit just one day a week and you too can help ease congestion, save gas money and even help the environment. Click here to see what your transit benefits calculation is.

To learn more about the benefits of public transit, visit the www.publictransportation.org web site hosted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Fact Sheets

NCTD Fact Sheets


BREEZE Fact Sheets


COASTER Fact Sheets
COASTER Anniversary Quick Facts - Posted Feb. 26, 2010

SPRINTER Vehicle Fact Sheet


SPRINTER Map

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