Equinox Transit Lines

Equinox Transit Lines has run scheduled passenger services from Austin since 2108. It carries commuters to L5 and Luna and long-haul passengers to Mars.

Eighteen Kestrel light shuttles provide commuter services. A Kestrel carries eight passengers with two pilots, costs 12.8 million credits, and has a 14 AU range. Two Halcyon Starliners provide the Mars route, each carrying 1,200 passengers. A single Seraph Medevac provides medical cover.

The Kestrel was chosen for commuter routes because it is affordable and reliable. Its methalox engines use about 9.5 tonnes per 100 AU, and a typical trip from Earth orbit to L5 uses only a small fraction of that. Equinox flies its Kestrels up to six times a day each. The Starliners, which cost 1,680 million credits each, carry long-haul passengers to Mars on a regular schedule. Four pilots and 64 crew look after the passengers during the six-week journey, and the spin-gravity decks keep travellers healthy.

The Seraph Medevac, costing 96 million credits, is kept on standby at L5 to respond to any medical emergency on Equinox routes. It has been called out eleven times in the past decade. Equinox offers frequent-flyer programmes and discounted fares for students and workers, and many people working at L5 commute weekly from Earth. The company is considering adding a third Starliner to meet growing demand on the Mars route.

In 2187 Equinox carried its 50 millionth passenger. Chidi Okonkwo, Halcyon's VP Sales, manages the account.