Service Alerts
Bus Stop Closed in Brookdale
See Route Schedule: 35 35A See Route Map: 35 35A
Effective: Aug 06 2014
The bus stop at 11181 Highway 9, near Larkspur Rd in Brookdale will be closed to bus access on Wednesday August 6 from 9:00am – 2:00pm due to PG&E maintenance work nearby.
Capitol Corridor Weekend Train Schedule Changes
See Route Schedule: 17 See Route Map: 17
Effective: Jul 28 2014
Notice to Amtrak Highway 17 Express Commuters. Changes to the Capitol Corridor Train Schedule effective Monday July 28th, will effect Weekend connection times with Amtrak Highway 17 Express at Diridon Station in San Jose. Click here for complete details on the changed connection times.
Road Resurfacing on UCSC Campus Roadways
See Route Schedule: 10 12 15 16 19 20 20D See Route Map: 10 12 15 16 19 20 20D
Effective: Jul 28 - Sep 05 2014
Road resurfacing projects are underway along on-campus roadways. Three of the four construction corridors will impact Santa Cruz Metro service traveling through the campus: Hagar Drive, Heller Drive/West Parking, Heller Drive/College Eight Road. Traffic Flaggers will control traffic while construction work is underway, with possible traffic delay of up to five minutes.
General Announcements
New $1 Summer Student Fare
Effective: Jul 01 - Sep 30 2014
Any local ride, any time, $1 for K-12 Students with a valid Student ID, half its regular cost.
Santa Cruz METRO, your summer license to ride!
On June 27, 2014, Santa Cruz METRO’s Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved reducing bus fare for K-12 students to half its current rate starting July 1, 2014 through September 30, 2014. The initiative, brought forth by METRO Board Chair Dene Bustichi, is designed to encourage youth ridership and will charge students $1 per ride with valid school identification.
"We want to get young people on our buses and educate them on the value of public transportation" said Bustichi. "This way, when they’re ready to get their licenses, maybe they’ll choose to continue to ride the buses instead and make them less dependent on cars."
The program also has strong support from the Santa Cruz County’s Office of Education along with local youth groups such as the Boys & Girls Club.
Alex Clifford, Santa Cruz METRO’s CEO/General Manager, explained that this program has two goals. The first goal is aimed at those who are too young to ride alone. The reduced bus fare will make it easier for parents to take their children to beaches, museums, libraries, Big Basin and other entertainment venues in the county. The second goal seeks to encourage those who are old enough to travel alone to use the bus to get to entertainment venues on their own. "Our hope is to encourage young people to become regular riders of the bus and to help keep them occupied with access to quality activities during the summer months", said Clifford.
Public Hearings
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Contracting Goal
Effective: Aug 08 2014
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District is proposing a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of 1.5% for U.S. Department of Transportation assisted contracts for FFY15-FFY17.
A Public Hearing has been rescheduled for Friday, August 8th at 8:30AM and will be held at 110 Vernon Street, Santa Cruz.
Draft Monterey Bay Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP)
Effective: Jul 23 - Aug 22 2014
The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) invites the public to comment on the Draft Monterey Bay Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP): FFY 2014-15 to 2017-18.
Read moreThe Draft Monterey Bay MTIP: FFY 2014-15 to 2017-18 is the region’s short range transportation programming document that contains transportation improvement projects including public mass transit, highway, bridge, local road, bicycle and pedestrian projects proposed for funding based on anticipated available federal, state and local funding over the next four years (FFY 2014-15 to 2017-18). All projects that receive federal funds, are subject to a federally required action, or are regionally significant need to be included in the MTIP. The MTIP must be financially constrained and must be updated at least every four years. The MTIP must be consistent with AMBAG’s 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) for the tri-county (Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties) Metropolitan Planning Region.
Copies of the Draft Monterey Bay MTIP: FFY 2014-15 to 2017-18 are available for public review and comments from July 23, 2014 to August 22, 2014 at the following locations, as well as website links listed below:
1. Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments: 445 Reservation Road, Suite G, Marina, CA 93933, or www.ambag.org
2. Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission: 1523 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or www.sccrtc.org
3. Transportation Agency for Monterey County: 55-B Plaza Circle Salinas, CA 93901, or www.tamcmonterey.org
4. Council of San Benito County Governments: 330 Tres Pinos Rd, Suite C7, Hollister CA 95023, or www.sanbenitocog.org
Written comments may be submitted to Bhupendra Patel, AMBAG Office at 445 Reservation Road, Suite-G, Marina, CA 93933, faxed at 831-883-3755 or e-mailed to bpatel@ambag.org. Written comments must be received at AMBAG no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2014.
This public notice of public involvement activities and time established for public review and comments on the MTIP development process will also satisfy the FTA’s Program of Projects requirements.
A public hearing to receive public testimony on this document is set for Wednesday, August 13, 2014 no sooner than 6:00 p.m. (PDT) during the AMBAG Board of Directors meeting at the Marina Library Community Room, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina, CA 93933.
Quarterly Service Updates
Summer Service Jun 19, 2014 - Sep 10, 2014
Route 3 - Mission / Natural Bridges
Weekends: For summer service only, Route 3 has altered routing in order to avoid weekend beach traffic. This route will not serve the Beach/Boardwalk area.
Route 68 - Live Oak via Broadway / Portola
See Route Schedule: 68 See Route Map: 68
Weekends: For summer service only, Route 68 has altered routing in order to avoid weekend beach traffic. This route will use Broadway between Front Street and Ocean Street instead of San Lorenzo Blvd.
Route 71 - Santa Cruz / Watsonville
See Route Schedule: 71 See Route Map: 71
Daily: The 11:45 PM Route 71 will now go into service at 11:35 PM at the Boardwalk (Cliff & Beach bus stop) then continues to Santa Cruz Metro Center for the regularly scheduled 11:45 PM departure. This change is for the summer only.
Route 74 - Ohlone Parkway / Rolling Hills
See Route Schedule: 74 See Route Map: 74
Daily: The routing and schedule for the Route 74 have both changed. This route will now serve the Watsonville Hospital once on each trip rather than twice. After serving the Watsonville Hospital and Freedom Centre, this route will then serve the Rolling Hills area before returning to the Watsonville Transit Center. The weekday 7:00 AM and 3:10 PM trips that serve Pajaro Valley High School will now become a new route called the Route 74S.
Route 74S - PVHS / Watsonville Hospital
See Route Schedule: 74S See Route Map: 74S
Weekday: This is a new route that will serve Pajaro Valley High School, Freedom Centre and Watsonville Hospital. It is similar to the Route 74 but is different enough that it has been given a different designation with the “S” meant to signify “school” service. The morning routing has been altered from the afternoon routing in order to more efficiently take students to and from Pajaro Valley High School. The 7:00 AM trip will serve the high school after serving Freedom Centre and the Watsonville Hospital. The 3:10 PM trip will serve the high school, then Freedom Centre and the Watsonville Hospital.