The City of San Luis Obispo reinstated the 6 Express bus route, running from Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center directly to the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market. The service offers weekly Thursday services to the San Luis Obispo Downtown Transit Center.
The 6 Express runs until Nov. 21, with its first pick-up at 6 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center and pick-ups continuing every 20 to 30 minutes. The last pick-up leaves the transit center at 9:10 p.m.
In past years, on-campus students primarily used routes three and four as transportation to the farmers’ market. These routes made several stops in between and were often filled to capacity, which caused delays, according to Alex Fuchs, San Luis Obispo Transit spokesperson.
“On farmers’ market, it was a war [to ride the bus],” business administration sophomore Sophie Mallonee said. “Everyone just kind of crowded around the entrance.”
Fuchs expressed hope for the 6 Express line.
“This is a more efficient way,” Fuchs said. “It’ll help the other buses hopefully run a bit better on time.”
San Luis Obispo transit discontinued the 6 Express during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fuchs said. Following the lockdown, the city focused on the return of necessary services such as fixed bus routes. However, driver shortages slowed down the return of pre-pandemic life for SLO transit.
“We let a lot of [drivers] go during the pandemic,” Fuchs said. “It’s been hard to get them back and keep them back.”
The 6 Express’s success depends greatly on the popularity of the service, Fuchs said. In past years, the 6 Express only ran during Cal Poly’s fall quarter. However, if the service experiences enough success, Fuchs is willing to change that.
“If [the route] is popular enough, I’m more than happy enough to run it in spring and early summer,” Fuchs said.
