SunLine debuts permanent home in Thousand Palms

In 1985, SunLine Transit Agency moved into “temporary” offices, also known as portables, in Thousand Palms.

A few yards away and three decades later, a new administration building is open to employees and the public.

“We continue to expand both our alternative fuels and our transit,” said SunLine General Manager Lauren Skiver, “in those 30-year-old trailers, that were never designed to be a workspace for employees for that amount of time.”

The 16-million dollar, 25-thousand square foot structure on Varner Road hosts employees as well as new conference rooms open to the public (with reservation) and a state-of-the-art boardroom.

“SunLine is a rock in the Coachella Valley in providing clean, alternative fuel and transpiration for our residents,” said STA Board Chairman, Greg Pettis, “and this is the kind of building they ought to have, something that shows off what our Valley is and what it means to be part of it.”

SunLine Transit Agency serves 4.7 million riders in the Coachella Valley.

One of those riders, Al Ortiz, toured the new building Wednesday with tears in his eyes.

“A lot of my family live in Coachella and further down, so I need to get you know, there and back and forth,” Ortiz explained, “and to know to I can do that without getting stuck out there being a senior.. without getting stuck in the dark…”

Drivers can utilize the park and ride “transit hub” on Varner Road for long and short-term bus rides.

“We don’t want to be the ride of last resort, we want to be the ride of choice,” says Skiver, “We want people to choose how they want to get to work and school every day.”