Shasta County travelers now have direct bus service to Sacramento International Airport terminals and to downtown Sacramento and Interstate 5 towns south of Redding, starting at about the price of a Starbucks’ grande cappuccino.
The Redding Area Bus Authority and San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority announced on Monday, Aug. 10, they launched Gold Runner Route 5 — a twice-daily bus service along Interstate 5 between Redding and Sacramento’s downtown bus and Amtrak hub.
The route from Redding also includes stops in Red Bluff, Orland and Williams, said Tom van der List, spokesperson for the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. Based in Stockton, the transportation company manages the Gold Runner Intercity Passenger Rail Service.
“This new service gives North State residents a faster, more convenient connection to Sacramento, Sacramento International Airport, and California’s passenger rail network,” RABA spokesperson Zachary Bonnin said in a statement from the city of Redding. Route 5 will expand “access to jobs, education, healthcare, and travel opportunities.”
A one-way ticket to the airport from Redding is $23, according to Gold Runner’s booking site, and cost to travel to other I-5 towns starts at $5.
Time will tell how cost effective to RABA and Gold Runner the route will be, Redding Mayor Mike Littau told the Record Searchlight. “We’ll have to see how many people want to get on that bus,” he said, pointing out the route will serve more than just Shasta, Tehama and Butte travelers. People on longer trips could use Route 5 as one leg of a longer north-south bus or train trip anywhere between Washington and Southern California.
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Littau said he thinks the new bus route to Sacramento International Airport will have “zero impact” on Redding Regional Airport services, and won’t cut into the business of local flights to San Francisco or Seattle. People catching the bus are looking for a different travel experience, he said.
Representatives from both transportation companies will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Redding at 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 24 at 1530 Yuba St. The event includes the chance for the public to check out the new motorcoach, van der List said.
The I-5 express connection follows the 2024 launch of Gold Runner’s Route 3 between Redding and Chico. “That … allowed RABA to demonstrate service performance and prepare for the Redding-Sacramento route,” van der List said.
Cost to go to these I-5 cities and Sacramento terminals from Redding
Gold Runner’s Route 5 bus stops twice daily going each direction — northbound and southbound — at the Amtrak platform and RABA’s downtown hub, according to its initial schedule. Catch the bus at 1620 Yuba St. in Redding.
Here’s where else the new I-5 bus stops and the price for a one-way ticket from Redding, according to Gold Runner.
For southbound and northbound pickup times go to Gold Runner’s Route 5 schedule at goldrunner.com/route-5.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal, Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding’s Future. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: New I-5 bus stops in Redding, Sacramento airport, Williams, Orland
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
