The new express routes are:

• 202 Murrietta-Temecula-Oceanside. This route will operate between the Temecula Valley (serving the Murrietta Wal-mart park/ride lot, and the Temecula Promenade Mall) and Downtown Oceanside, for connections to the Coaster commuter rail to San Diego.

  Unlike the other three commuter routes, Line 202 will only provide peak-hour, peak-direction service (to Oceanside in the morning, and back in the evening). A special fare of $4 each way will be charged.

• 204 Riverside-Montclair. This route will operate between Riverside and Montclair via SR-60, I-15, and I-10, stopping at Country Village and Ontario Mills along the way. 204 will provide at least bidirectional peak-hour service, and regular RTA fare will be charged. (Note that this is similar to the former Inland Empire #496 that ran between the two cities until 1996).

• 206 Temecula-Murrietta-Corona. Serving the I-15 corridor between Temecula and Corona Main Metrolink station, Line 206 will stop in Murrietta and Lake Elsinore. Again, bidirectional peak hour service (at minimum) will be provided, and regular RTA fares will be charged. (Back in 1991, RTA ran a line #28 along this corridor. That service lasted until mid-1992).

• 208 Temecula-Sun City-Perris-Moreno Valley-Riverside. This service will operate in the I-215 corridor, stopping in Murrietta, Menifee (San Jacinto College), Sun City, Perris, Moreno Valley and on to Downtown Riverside (both the Metrolink and bus terminal areas). It will provide bidirectional service, and regular RTA fare will be charged. (In years past, RTA ran express service between Downtown Riverside and Perris. Currently #37 runs between Perris and Temecula, but that route is to be replaced by two new routes #74 and #79, requiring a transfer in Winchester for passengers going between Temecula and Sun City when #208 isn't running).

These services will be run by a contractor (Laidlaw), using small, 30' buses outfitted with commuter features like reclining seats. (There is some concern that some of these buses won't be delivered on time, in which case #202 and #206 would be run with the 30' buses that RTA already has received, while the other two lines would be temporarily operated with cutaway vans).

Additional RTA news: discussions are underway to move the main downtown bus transfer point to the Metrolink station. The current downtown bus terminal has been a bone of contention between RTA and the City of Riverside (who owns the facility) as it has become crime-ridden (drugs, etc.)