OCEANSIDE — Record ridership, reduced bus emissions and plans for the future Sprinter light rail line are just a few of the accomplishments and goals presented in an update of the North County Transit District.

The Report to the Community 2006, released to the public for the first time Jan.13, is NCTD’s attempt to show the community its work and progress in North County, said Jerome Stocks, the NCTD chairman and an Encinitas city councilman. The district headquarters are located in Oceanside.

“I wanted to get the word out and educate folks what NCTD is and does,” said Stocks, who hopes to increase awareness of NCTD’s varied services. “The more people we can have using mass transit, the more we can decrease congestion and pollution from cars on our roads.”

NCTD’s service area covers 1,020 square miles of North County, including Fallbrook, Ramona, the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, San Marcos, Vista, Escondido, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Solana Beach and Del Mar in addition to unincorporated areas in North County. It serves between 35,000 and 40,000 passengers daily and transported nearly 12 million passengers in 2005.

The accomplishments named in the colorful foldout include 180 improved bus stops and new shelters, a 6.6 percent increase in ridership on the Breeze bus fleet and Coaster commuter train, which celebrated its 10th year of service in 2005, and 23 new clean-burning, compressed natural gas buses.

The mission of the transportation district is to “deliver safe, convenient reliable and user-friendly public transportation services” and eventually provide an integrated transit system.

“It’s what we are here for,” Stocks said. “If you think of the Coaster’s 6,100 daily trips for riders, that’s basically 5,000 cars not on the freeway every day. That’s 5,000 cars that aren’t polluting the air.”

Regarding the increase of clean-burning, compressed natural gas buses, Stocks said the NCTD is working to replace all of its buses with more environmentally sound vehicles. Nearly half of the fleet is made up of the compressed natural gas buses.

Since it began this effort in 2002, particulate emissions have been reduced in the fleet by 69 percent, the report stated. With its current fleet, the NCTD expects to exceed California Air Resources Board required reductions for 2009 by 85 percent.

“We are burning natural gas instead of diesel. If you have ever had to sit behind a bus, you’ll appreciate the difference,” Stocks said. “We are aware of the environment and would prefer to do what we can to cause as little environmental impact as possible.”

The update also details the progress of the $385.6 million Sprinter light rail line.

Construction on the line began in September 2004. It is expected to open in late 2007. The 22-mile line will connect Escondido, San Marcos, Vista and Oceanside, with trains stopping at 15 stations.

Trains will depart from Oceanside and Escondido every 30 minutes. The line will also include a link to California State University San Marcos.

About 71 percent of the money for the new rail line came from state and federal funding. Stocks said the Sprinter will help the NCTD realize its vision for an integrated transportation system as it will increase mobility for North County residents while offering an alternative to freeway driving.

Bus and train riders will also have new and improved transit options with several planned programs. Much like a debit card, the planned regional Compass Card, or “smartcard” will work at fare boxes and ticket vending machines, allowing passengers to “seamlessly transfer from mode to mode.” The San Diego Association of Governments will be coordinating the release of that card.

Tom Kelleher, the spokesman for the district, said the card contains a chip that will allow riders to board NCTD vehicles without the hassle of searching for exact change.

Card carriers will be able to add value to the Compass Card by calling an NCTD operator and giving their credit card number, renewing it monthly or adding cash directly at a fare box.

“Every time they ride on public transit there [will be] no fumbling for cash,” Kelleher said, adding that it should be available sometime this summer.

The NCTD is also considering bringing television monitors aboard its Breeze buses that will display information about approaching bus stops in addition to news and entertainment.

The district began placing the monitors on some of its buses in 2005 and full installation may occur later in the year. NCTD is coordinating with the Metropolitan Transit System, which operates buses and trolleys in San Diego, to benefit the entire region.

“It really has some advantages. We think it will be really good for customers,” Kelleher said.

To read the Report to the Community 2006, call the NCTD at (760) 966-6500 and ask for a mailing or go to www.gonctd.com to read it online.