The second round of public engagement to develop a new Short Range Transit Plan is underway

SANTA BARBARA –Santa Barbara MTD is currently actively engaging with community members on the second round of MTD Moves Ahead, a community process to create a Short Range Transit Plan that will guide bus service development, infrastructure investment, and capital needs for MTD’s bus system over the next five years.

In October 2021, MTD staff went out to the public via a virtual listening session and survey to find out about the community’s needs and priorities for bus service. Both bus riders and non-riders shared important insights, and MTD’s Planning team combined those with a full analysis of the bus system both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. That analysis helped develop proposals that are now available for review and comment.

While MTD has recently had to put temporary service reductions into effect due to a bus operator shortage, planning for future rebuilding and improvements is vital. The purpose of this second round of engagement is to get feedback on these proposals to improve service by providing more frequent service, later service, modifying or creating new service, and working to prioritize bus riders by moving people more efficiently through our public right-of-way.

Details of the proposals, a link to the survey, and an interactive map can be found in English at sbmtd.gov/MTDMovesAhead and at sbmtd.gov/MTDAvanza in Spanish. Survey respondents have the opportunity to win one of five $50 Visa gift cards or one of ten 30-day bus passes.

The MTD team has been conducting bilingual in-person outreach at key locations and bus stops to explain the proposals and seek feedback since early May. This week, staff will be at the Thursday Carpinteria Farmers Market (May 19^th) and the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market (May 21^st) with display boards and surveys.

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Service to be reduced temporarily to improve system reliability in response to bus operator workforce shortage

SANTA BARBARA—Effective Monday, April 25, 2022, Santa Barbara MTD will be temporarily lowering service levels in order to improve system reliability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, transit operators nationwide and many other industries have experienced workforce shortages, and MTD is no different. While MTD continues to recruit aggressively for bus operators, the agency has experienced a confluence of retirements and normal attrition causing a drop in the number of available bus operators. This drop coupled with the Omicron surge has meant that various bus trips are occasionally cancelled, causing uncertainty for passengers.

In order to adjust service to a level that the MTD workforce can reliably cover on a daily basis, MTD staff have made surgical changes to service levels that will go into effect as of Monday, April 25, 2022. While these reductions are designed to last for the spring and summer period, MTD will notify the public about any future service adjustments.

“The reliability of our schedules is crucial and due to the current labor shortage the temporary reduction of service is a necessary step,” said MTD General Manager Jerry Estrada. “We hope that these temporary reductions will allow us the time to staff up appropriately and return to higher levels of service later this year.” The changes are different for each bus line, so passengers are encouraged to review the schedules of the lines they ride in advance of April 25, 2022. Temporary schedule guides are being printed and hard copies will be available at the Transit Center and on-board buses by next week. In the meantime, a pdf of the new schedule guide is available at this link and the public can get further details at sbmtd.gov/reduced.

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MTD REALIZARÁ REDUCCIONES TEMPORALES DE SERVICIO A PARTIR DEL LUNES 25 DE ABRIL

El servicio se reducirá temporalmente para mejorar la confiabilidad del sistema en respuesta a la escasez de mano de obra de los operadores de autobuses

SANTA BÁRBARA — A partir del lunes 25 de abril de 2022, Santa Barbara MTD reducirá temporalmente los niveles de servicio para mejorar la confiabilidad del sistema. Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, los operadores de tránsito en todo el país y muchas otras industrias han experimentado escasez de mano de obra, y MTD no es diferente. Si bien MTD continúa reclutando agresivamente para los operadores de autobuses, la agencia ha experimentado una confluencia de jubilaciones y bajas normales que causan una caída en la cantidad de operadores de autobuses disponibles. Esta caída, junto con la onda de Omicron, ha significado que varios viajes en autobús se cancelen ocasionalmente, lo que genera incertidumbre para los pasajeros.

Para ajustar el servicio a un nivel que la fuerza laboral de MTD pueda cubrir de manera confiable todos los días, el personal de MTD ha realizado cambios quirúrgicos en los niveles de servicio que entrarán en vigencia a partir del lunes 25 de abril de 2022. Si bien estas reducciones están diseñadas para durar para el período de primavera y verano, MTD notificará al público sobre cualquier ajuste futuro del servicio.

“La confiabilidad de nuestros horarios es crucial y debido a la actual escasez de mano de obra, la reducción temporal del servicio es un paso necesario,” dijo el gerente general de MTD, Jerry Estrada. “Esperamos que estas reducciones temporales nos den el tiempo necesario para incorporar el personal adecuado y volver a niveles más altos de servicio a finales de este año”.

Los cambios son diferentes para cada línea de autobús, por lo que se recomienda a los pasajeros que revisen los horarios de las líneas en las que viajan antes del 25 de abril de 2022. Se están imprimiendo guías de horarios temporales y habrá copias impresas disponibles en el Centro de Tránsito y a bordo de autobuses la próxima semana. Mientras tanto, un pdf de la nueva guía de horarios está disponible en este enlace y el público puede obtener más detalles en sbmtd.gov/reduced.

On Tuesday, December 21st, Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA 24) visited the recently renovated MTD Transit Center to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enhance public transit access for Central Coast residents and travelers. After touring the Transit Center, Rep. Carbajal boarded the Line 12x (Goleta Express) to test out MTD’s convenient new Tap to Ride contactless payment system, and disembarked at a stop in Old Town Goleta.

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supported by Congressman Carbajal, recipients of Federal Transit Administration dollars like Santa Barbara MTD stand to benefit from this once-in-a-generation level of investment. Over the next five years, public transit agencies nationwide will receive $91.1 billion in guaranteed funding and $15.8 billion in funding requiring annual authorization, for a total of $106.9 billion.

A national leader in zero-emission, battery-electric bus technology for over 30 years, Santa Barbara MTD will continue to aggressively seek Federal, State, and local funding for crucial bus replacements, facility modernization and electrification, and operations. With a new focus on the Federal level on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate proofing our communities, the South Coast region is primed to capitalize on this increased investment.

The South Coast’s local transit agency kicks off a community process, seeks input to develop a new Short Range Transit Plan

Today Santa Barbara MTD announced the launch of MTD Moves Ahead, a community process to create a Short Range Transit Plan that will guide bus service development, infrastructure investment, and capital needs for MTD’s bus system over the next five years.

New residential developments, changes to commutes, technology, and the economy all mean a big opportunity to rethink transit on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast.

To prioritize our community’s needs and desires for bus service, MTD is seeking broad community input from everyone—people who ride the bus and those who don’t, employees, employers, students, people with disabilities, seniors, and civic leaders. If you live or work here, MTD wants to hear from you!

The process starts now, with a virtual listening session scheduled for Wednesday, October 20, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., where attendees will be asked to weigh in on what is most important to them in a bus system. Interested individuals can register here for the listening session. Spanish/English interpretation will be provided.

Additionally, an interactive website with project information and a short survey is available in English at sbmtd.gov/MTDMovesAhead and at sbmtd.gov/MTDAvanza in Spanish.

MTD looks forward to hearing from the public as they share their experiences with our local bus system, their priorities for our service, and what they would like to see in the future.

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SANTA BARBARA MTD LANZA “MTD AVANZA”

La agencia de tránsito local de la costa sur inicia un proceso comunitario, busca información para desarrollar un nuevo plan de tránsito de corto alcance.

SÁNTA BÁRBARA– Hoy Santa Barbara MTD anunció el lanzamiento de MTD Avanza,  un proceso comunitario para crear un plan de tránsito de corto alcance que guiará el desarrollo del servicio de autobuses, la inversión en infraestructura y las necesidades de capital para el sistema de autobuses de MTD durante los próximos cinco años.

Los nuevos desarrollos residenciales, los cambios en los viajes diarios, la tecnología y la economía significan una gran oportunidad para repensar el tránsito en la costa sur del condado de Santa Bárbara.

Para priorizar las necesidades y deseos de nuestra comunidad para el servicio de autobús, MTD busca una amplia opinión de la comunidad de todos: las personas que viajan en autobús y las que no, empleados, empleadores, estudiantes, personas con discapacidades, personas mayores y líderes cívicos. Si vive o trabaja aquí, ¡MTD quiere saber de usted!

El proceso comienza ahora, con una sesión de escucha virtual programada para el miércoles 20 de octubre de 2021 a partir de las 5:30 p.m. a las 7:00 p.m., donde se les pedirá a los asistentes que opinen sobre lo que es más importante para ellos en un sistema de autobuses. Las personas interesadas pueden registrarse aquí para la sesión de escucha. Se proporcionará interpretación en español / inglés.

Además, un sitio web interactivo con información del proyecto y una breve encuesta está disponible en inglés en sbmtd.gov/MTDMovesAhead y en sbmtd.gov/MTDAvanza en español.

MTD espera escuchar al público mientras comparten sus experiencias con nuestro sistema de autobuses local, sus prioridades para nuestro servicio y lo que les gustaría ver en el futuro.

Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District and Clean Air Express give customers options to “tap to ride” as a result of a California Integrated Travel Project contactless payment demonstration.

SANTA BARBARA—Contactless payment options are being introduced on Clean Air Express buses and on a selection of Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) buses starting today, Monday, July 26, 2021.

The innovative fare payment system is being made available as part of a six-month demonstration with the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), an initiative of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to simplify travel by increasing access to public transit—including easier, faster payments via contactless credit/debit/prepaid cards and mobile wallets on smart devices.

The contactless payment system for Santa Barbara MTD and Clean Air Express is the first to be introduced among public transit providers in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo tri-county region and one of the first three systems to be deployed statewide. The tap-to-ride system uses cutting-edge fare payment technology provided by specialist partners Littlepay, Kuba, Cybersource, and Elavon. 

“Older fare collection systems create unnecessary barriers for people to ride and choose transit,” said Marjie Kirn, executive director of SBCAG, which operates the Clean Air Express. “With the new contactless payment system, customers can now pay their fare the same way they can buy a coffee or groceries by simply tapping a credit, debit card, or using a mobile wallet on a smart phone or watch with no registration or account setup needed.”

In addition to Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards with tap-to-pay capabilities, mobile payments options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Fitbit Pay. While registration or account setup will not be required to use the system, an online portal will be available to all customers paying with a card who need a receipt or would like to check their recent rides and fare payments.

“We are excited to introduce this convenient payment option for our riders,” said Jerry Estrada, general manager of Santa Barbara MTD. “We’re piloting this technology on ten of our buses, serving Lines 12x and 24x. This means you’ll be able to get to UCSB, Downtown Santa Barbara, Camino Real Marketplace, and Old Town Goleta with a simple tap of a card or device.”

Clean Air Express and Santa Barbara MTD customers will see contactless payment readers installed at the front of the designated buses. If a customer’s debit or credit card is valid and has the contactless symbol on it or if they use a mobile payment option, they can tap it on the payment reader, look for a green checkmark on the payment reader’s screen, and take a seat to ride.

“Much of our goal is a more modern and consistent transportation experience throughout California,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Allowing riders to pay for transit with the same methods they use elsewhere not only increases efficiency and mobility, but also reduces barriers to using public transportation.”

Automatic fare capping enables both transit providers to offer riders the ability to pay-as-they-go to receive multi-ride discounts when riders tap to pay with the same contactless payment card or device throughout the day or within a 30-day period.    

Santa Barbara MTD customers pay the standard adult fare of $1.75 simply by tapping their card or device. Riders using the same payment card or device with the new system will automatically not be charged more than $6 a day or $52 in a 30-day period, which is equivalent to purchasing a one-day or 30-day pass. As an example, if a rider takes four or more trips in one day using a same card or device, the new system will only charge the rider $6 total for the day. Santa Barbara MTD buses with the contactless payment capability will have a special decal next to the front door of the bus, labeled with “Tap to Pay” and the contactless indicator symbol.

Clean Air Express customers using the contactless payment system will be charged $6, a $1 discount from the standard $7 one-way cash fare. Existing Clean Air Express multi-ride fare discounts are honored with the new system, with riders automatically not being charged more than $10 per day—or $150 over 30 days—when using the same payment card or device.

Clean Air Express and Santa Barbara MTD still accept physical passes and cash payments. The contactless payment option is just one more way to pay a fare—and to do so in a quick, secure way on both transit providers.

Together, the adjoining transit providers are making it simpler for Central Coast riders to travel along U.S. 101 and into and around Santa Barbara’s North and South Counties. Whether a day-tripper or a commuter, a North County rider can tap to enjoy a scenic coastline ride on Clean Air Express, transferring in Goleta or Santa Barbara to tap onto a Santa Barbara MTD bus to continue to ride seamlessly to South Coast workplaces, restaurants, shops, and beaches.

ABOUT SANTA BARBARA MTD:

Santa Barbara MTD is the public transit provider for a 52 square mile area of Southern Santa Barbara County, serving the communities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland, and Isla Vista. MTD provides 6.4 million passenger trips annually, and operates a fleet of 112 transit vehicles. The mission of Santa Barbara MTD is to enhance the mobility of South Coast residents, commuters, and visitors by offering safe, appealing, equitable, environmentally responsible, and fiscally sound transit service.

For complete information on MTD’s pilot and to get answers to frequently asked questions, visit https://sbmtd.gov/TaptoRide. For schedule information, visit www.sbmtd.gov.

ABOUT CLEAN AIR EXPRESS

The Clean Air Express is operated by SBCAG and funded by Measure A, Santa Barbara County’s Transportation Sales Tax measure, to serve residents of Northern Santa Barbara County commuting to jobs in Goleta and Santa Barbara. The service features a fleet of 17 charter-style buses. Clean Air Express provides a fast, convenient, and money-saving way to get to work. The service currently operates a limited schedule due to COVID-19, operating 18 one-way trips each weekday, down from 26. The Clean Air Express serves an average of 7,000 riders per month. The service eliminates as much as 400,000 vehicle miles traveled from the County’s roads each month, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

For complete information and answers to frequently asked questions about the tap-to-ride contactless payment service, visit http://cleanairexpress.com/taptoride. For schedule information, visit www.cleanairexpress.com.

ABOUT CAL-ITP:

The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) was established by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to simplify travel across California. There are hundreds of public transit providers in California, with no single system for collecting fares, verifying eligibility for fare discounts, or providing up-to-date vehicle arrival information to riders. This lack of uniformity creates barriers for new riders, complicates travel across different systems, and increases expenses for individual providers. Cal-ITP is working with transit providers to build a modern and consistent travel experience for Californians of all incomes, ages, and abilities—by enabling contactless, open-loop payments, automating customer discounts, and standardizing information for easy multimodal trip planning.

For more information, visit www.calitp.org.

SANTA BARBARA—Santa Barbara MTD is hosting a virtual workshop for local business owners to learn more about becoming a certified disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE), and about future contracting opportunities with MTD.

DBEs are defined as small businesses with minority or woman ownership of at least 51%. MTD has an average of $6 million in contracting opportunities each year, and actively seeks certified DBE firms to bid on those contracts.

To share information about MTD’s goals and process, and to answer any questions a business owner might have, a public virtual workshop will be held via Zoom:

Date: Monday, July 19, 2021

Time: 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Zoom registration link here.

MTD is also welcoming input on the agency’s proposed Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal for FFYs 2022 – 2024. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) has developed the proposed goal in accordance with Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 26. The goal is established to help ensure that DBEs have an equal opportunity to participate in contracts partially or fully funded by the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The proposed DBE triennial overall goal is 2.32%, to be achieved through race-neutral measures (i.e., with no contract goals). The proposed DBE goal and methodology is available on the MTD website at https://sbmtd.gov/about/doing-business/. The overall goal is for the three-year period that begins October 1, 2021 and ends September 30, 2024.

Questions or comments on the goal or methodology may be submitted through MTD’s website at https://sbmtd.gov/about/about-mtd/ or by emailing Steve Maas at smaas@sbmtd.gov.

Santa Barbara MTD is hosting two public outreach meetings in April and May, and is inviting the public to take a brief survey giving feedback on proposed service changes to local bus service. While the usual public in-person meetings cannot take place this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are still several ways for people to learn more and weigh in on the proposals.

These meetings are held annually in the spring to receive input on the proposed changes that would go into effect on August 16, 2021.

The proposed changes include:

Partial or full restoration of service on Lines 15x, 16, 27, and 28

Continued suspension of service on Lines 10, 36, 37, 90, 91, and 92

Termination of the Downtown and Waterfront Shuttle service

MTD invites the public to learn more and to give feedback via an online survey that explains all the proposed changes at www.sbmtd.gov/servicechanges. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

MTD is hosting two virtual community meetings on the Zoom platform that will include a presentation about the proposed service changes, and an opportunity to record input from the public. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

The virtual community meeting webinars will be held at the following times:

Virtual Service Change Community Meeting Webinar #1

Wednesday, April 28^th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Click here to register for Meeting #1.

Virtual Service Change Community Meeting Webinar #2

Tuesday, May 11^th from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Click here to register for Meeting #2.

The same information will be shared at both meetings, and the meeting will be recorded.

In addition to the meetings listed above, a presentation on the proposed changes will be given at the May 11^th meeting of the Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors. The meeting begins at 6:00pm.

For questions on proposed service changes, the public may contact Santa Barbara MTD at 805-963-3364 or email info@sbmtd.gov.

CAPACITY LIMITS INCREASED ON BOARD BUSES AS OF APRIL 15, 2021

After over a year of no fare collection due to the pandemic, today Santa Barbara MTD is announcing the reinstatement of fares as of Monday, May 10, 2021. In order to give riders time to purchase passes before that date, the Transit Center will reopen on Monday, April 26, 2021.

The Transit Center underwent renovation from summer of 2019 to the summer of 2020, but did not open to the public due to the pandemic and the fact that MTD was not selling passes or collecting fares. While the building will reopen on Monday, April 26, the use of the interior will be limited to two types of activities:

1. Conducting a transaction
2. Getting bus information

At this time, customers will not be able to remain inside the building to wait for their buses, in order to allow sufficient physical distancing for those individuals conducting business. Transit Center hours will remain the same: 6:00a.m. until 7:00p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00a.m. until 5:00p.m. on weekends and holidays.

On Monday, May 10, 2021, all passengers will be required to board through the front door of the bus and pay a fare via cash or pass. Customers are encouraged to purchase their passes with debit or credit cards at the Ticket Vending Machines, in order to reduce cash handling.

“Throughout the pandemic, MTD has placed the safety of our customers and employees first, while serving essential workers, and the community as a whole. As we transition back to fare collection, we appreciate the community support for our health and safety protocols and our team of Customer Service Representatives is ready to welcome our loyal passengers into the newly renovated Transit Center,” said General Manager Jerry Estrada.

Additionally, beginning Thursday, April 15, 2021, Santa Barbara MTD will increase the number of passengers allowed on board all MTD buses. Federal law requires that passengers wear face coverings correctly at all times on board all buses, at bus stops, and in and around the Transit Center.

Load limits will be increased as follows: 20 passengers on a 40 foot bus and 15 passengers on a 30 foot bus. This is up from the previous capacity of 15 passengers on a 40 foot bus and 10 on a 30 foot bus. As has been the case since March of 2020, all MTD buses are fully cleaned and disinfected every night, following transit industry best practices. Protective barriers were recently installed between the driver cabin and the boarding area to provide another measure of safety for bus operators and passengers.

CHANGES TO GO INTO EFFECT ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020

Beginning Wednesday, December 23^rd, 2020, Santa Barbara MTD will decrease the number of passengers allowed on board all MTD buses.

Load limits will be decreased as follows: 12 passengers on a 40 foot bus and 8 passengers on a 30 foot bus. This is down from the previous capacity of 15 passengers on a 40 foot bus and 10 on a 30 foot bus.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic, a bus may pass up a person waiting at a bus stop if the amount of passengers onboard has already reached the limit. We apologize for any inconvenience that may result.

This policy will remain in effect through Friday, January 8^th, 2021.

Passengers are asked to maintain 6 feet physical distance from the bus operator and other passengers on the bus.

In order to minimize contact between bus operators and passengers at the front door and farebox area, passengers are still directed to use the rear door of the bus for boarding and alighting. Passengers using mobility devices or who need the ramp will be allowed to board and alight from the front door of the vehicle. MTD is still not collecting fares at this time.

Other items to note:

• Any individuals feeling ill and/or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms should not board the bus
• Face coverings or masks, worn correctly at all times, are still required of passengers and bus operators
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols continue
• Suspension of fare collection continues
• In accordance with the state public health order, individuals should limit their bus travel to essential trips only

CHANGES TO GO INTO EFFECT ON MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

MTD will hold a webinar on Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to explain upcoming service changes that will go into effect on Monday, August 17, 2020.

Members of the public can participate in 3 ways:

Watch via MTD’s Youtube Channel at tinyurl.com/sbmtdyoutube

Watch via Zoom webinar at: https://zoom.us/j/99034953310?pwd=KzAzc3o0b1FHbGV1dWZadVZsM09sdz09

Listen in to the Zoom webinar by dialing: (669) 900-6833, entering Meeting ID: 990 3495 3310, then passcode:
012771

Individuals using the Zoom webinar feature will be able to ask questions in a brief question and answer session during the webinar.

The webinar will be recorded and will be available for viewing afterwards.

The service changes going into effect include the following:

Minor schedule changes for Lines 12x, 20, 24x & 27 for better on-time performance

Elimination of one weeknight late trip on the inbound Line 7

Minor routing changes and stop additions on booster Lines 2630, 2660, & 2740

Continued suspension of Lines 10, 16, 30, 34, 36, & 37 due to continued COVID-19 service level impacts

Questions? Call 805-963-3364 x 218 or email info@sbmtd.gov.

MTD realizará un seminario web el jueves 23 de julio de 2020 a partir de las 5:30 p.m. a las 7:00 p.m. para explicar los próximos cambios en el servicio que entrarán en vigencia el lunes 17 de agosto de 2020.

Los miembros del público pueden participar de 3 maneras:

Mire a través del canal de YouTube de MTD en tinyurl.com/sbmtdyoutube

Mire a través del webinar Zoom en: https://zoom.us/j/99034953310?pwd=KzAzc3o0b1FHbGV1dWZadVZsM09sdz09

Escuche el seminario web de Zoom marcando: (669) 900-6833, marcando la ID de la reunión: 990 3495 3310, luego el código de acceso: 012771

Las personas que utilicen la función de seminario web de Zoom podrán hacer preguntas en una breve sesión de preguntas y respuestas durante el seminario web.

El seminario web se grabará y estará disponible para su visualización posterior.

Los cambios de servicio que entran en vigencia incluyen lo siguiente:

Cambios menores en el horario de las Líneas 12x, 20, 24x, & 27 para un mejor rendimiento a tiempo

Eliminación de un viaje nocturno entrante en la Línea 7 en las día laborables

Pequeños cambios de ruta y paradas adicionales en las Líneas “booster” 2630, 2660 y 2740

Suspensión continua de las Líneas 10, 16, 30, 34, 36 y 37 debido a los continuos impactos del nivel de servicio COVID-19

¿Preguntas? Llame al 805-963-3364 x218 o enviar un email info@sbmtd.gov.

Video of Service Change Webinar