Golden Empire Transit (GET) recently celebrated the opening of its expanded transit center at California State University- Bakersfield (CSUB), marked by a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony. The public transportation provider has been working with global architecture and engineering firm Stantec, who provided architecture, lighting design, and landscape architecture services. The expanded transit center will allow for future added bus service to transport students, staff, faculty, and residents easily and safely to and from the campus.

The new bus transit center improves pedestrian and bus movement and facilitates easier transfers between bus lines. The new facility will house six bus bays along the campus’ West Don Hart Drive, providing a more safe and convenient configuration for riders and bus operators. Project amenities include bus shelters, seating, lighting, signage, and a bike-share location. Native landscaping, integrated carefully into the site, offers functional sustainability and adds beauty to the project. Stantec also provided street improvements on West Don Hart Drive for ample bus storage capacity and safe operations.

In addition to providing better accessibility for students and faculty, non-students will be able to use the bus transit center to access CSUB for community events. The new location serves as a central transit hub for GET patrons to transfer from one bus line to another, providing better access to Southwest Bakersfield.

“Golden Empire Transit’s new bus transit center on the CSUB campus improves campus access for students and staff, as well as the surrounding community,” said Patrick M. McKelvey, Stantec senior principal. “It was a privilege to work alongside GET and CSUB to expand capacity for safe transit operations on campus, and we’re thrilled to see this project reach its completion.”

Stantec’s Los Angeles office provided architecture, planning, lighting, and landscape design services services on the project, with civil engineering support from Provost & Pritchard Engineers from Bakersfield. 

Service at the new CSUB location began Saturday, April 10, 2021.