By SDCN Staff
Oceanside, CA–North County Transit – San Diego Railroad (NCTD) achieved a major milestone by assuming direct management of its bus operations, reflecting the agency’s ongoing commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality transit service. NCTD has assumed these functions by directly hiring the previously contracted employees.
“Today, we celebrate the first time in 50 years that all of our operations employees are together as part of one world-class team,” NCTD Chief Executive Officer Shawn Donaghy said. “Our Breeze team, along with all of the amazing NCTD employees, have always been the very best of who we are, and we are excited to welcome them home.”
Direct management of operations will allow NCTD leadership to provide a more efficient and robust customer experience through NCTD’s Breeze operations alongside its Coaster and Sprinter rail services. This opportunity will continue to foster a strong culture for employees while setting the stage for the district’s next 50 years in North County San Diego.
“Bringing our bus operations in-house is a pivotal step in strengthening the service we provide to our customers and reinforcing the culture we want to build within our organization,” Chief Operating Officer Lilia Montoya said. “This transition allows us to deliver a more consistent, responsive, and customer-focused experience, while also creating a warm, welcoming environment for our team members. By aligning our operations more closely with our agency values, we are investing in both the people who power our service and the communities we serve every day.”
NCTD operates Breeze fixed route bus, FLEX deviated fixed route, LIFT paratransit, and NCTD+ microtransit out of two bus divisions in Oceanside and Escondido. These services account for over 60% of NCTD’s total ridership and travel over 5 million miles annually across NCTD’s 1,020-square-mile service area.
NCTD was formed in 1975 and began bus operations in North County San Diego in 1976 with a small fleet and few fixed routes. In 1995, NCTD launched the COASTER commuter rail service, which was operated by a private contractor managed by NCTD. Sprinter service was launched in 2008 and followed the same model of private operations. In 2010, the agency opted to utilize a private contractor to operate NCTD’s bus services to avoid significant service cuts and retain valued employees.
As fiscal conditions improved, NCTD began its transition to 100% directly managed operations in 2022 with rail operations and maintenance, followed in 2023 by track and signal maintenance functions. NCTD has completed this full transition in 2025 by resuming direct management of bus operations and maintenance functions.
