Red and Green Create a....New Blue!

Partnerships can come in all shapes, sizes and, in this case, colors! MTS’s flagship color is red, and the Trolley has been long-defined by its Blue Line. And, as we all know, green is the color of money. When all three converge, you get a 30-year agreement worth as much as $40 million, uniting UC San Diego and MTS for naming opportunities on the Blue Line and at three transit stations.

The biggest component to the agreement is the “New Blue” – the MTS Blue Line will be renamed the “UC San Diego Blue Line.”

As the workhorse line for MTS with more than 15 million riders annually, the UC San Diego Blue Line will only get busier when the 11-mile Mid-Coast Trolley extension gets built – connecting riders from the border all the way to UTC with no transfers! With millions of riders and Mid-Coast extending across both the university and health campuses, this is a can’t-miss partnership for UC San Diego and MTS.

In addition to renaming the Blue Line, UC San Diego will name two new stations along Mid-Coast and rename the Old Town Transit Center to “Old Town UC San Diego Health South.”

So, what does this mean for riders? It provides a stable funding source for the system, apart from the fluctuations of state and federal funding.

Who’s paying for the naming rights? Don’t worry...not a cent is coming from the pocket of taxpayers, and no educational dollars are being taken away from students as part of this agreement. In fact, the entire
partnership is funded by UC San Diego Health System.

In the transit business, reliable sources of revenue are important to maintain service levels. As such, MTS will continue to explore ways to increase its revenues through partnerships.