Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), or simply Santa Cruz METRO, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,650,300, or about 13,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
 | |
 Temporary METRO Center in downtown Santa Cruz | |
| Headquarters | 110 Vernon Street Santa Cruz, California |
|---|---|
| Service area | Santa Cruz County |
| Service type | |
| Stations | Amtrak – METRO Center/RiverFront Station, 603 Front St., Santa Cruz36°58′26″N 122°01′26″W / 36.97385000431214°N 122.02378371556136°W |
| Daily ridership | 13,000 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1] |
| Annual ridership | 3,650,300 (2023)[2] |
| Website | scmtd |
Santa Cruz METRO also operates the Highway 17 Express service for Amtrak Thruway between the city of Santa Cruz and San Jose Diridon station, in partnership with Amtrak California and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
History
edit
Santa Cruz METRO was created in 1968 as a special district within Santa Cruz County with taxing authority.[3] Service was initially to the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Live Oak. Santa Cruz METRO extended service to Watsonville, Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley in 1974.
In 1979, voters approved a measure to change the financing of Santa Cruz METRO from a property tax to a 1/2 cent sales tax.
The Amtrak Thruway Highway 17 Express service between Santa Cruz and San Jose started as an emergency bus service after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed Highway 17.
A strike in September 2005 lasted for 35 days and stranded up to 23,000 riders.[4]
In 2011 fixed route service was severely cut then restored mere months later.[5]
In 2012 Santa Cruz METRO received grant funding to construct the Judy K. Souza Operations Facility.[6]
On February 12, 2024, METRO has relocated from the Pacific Metro Center to the new Riverfront Transit Center, which is serving as a temporary transit center until 2026. The existing transit center will be demolished and redeveloped into housing units with a new transit center underneath.[7]
Routes
edit- Route 1 – Soquel/ Cabrillo/ Airport
- Route 2 – Capitola/ Cabrillo/ Main
- Route 3A/3B – Capitola Mall/ Live Oak
- Route 4 – Harvey West
- Route 4W – River/ Harvey West
- Route 11 – UCSC via West Gate – High
- Route 16 – UCSC via Main Gate – Laurel/ Bay
- Route 17 – Highway 17 Express
- Route 18 – UCSC via Main Gate – Mission
- Route 19 – UCSC via West Gate – Bay
- Route 20 – UCSC via Main Gate – Delaware/Western
- Route 35 – Highway 9/Scotts Valley
- Route 35B – Highway 9/ Scotts Valley to Big Basin State Park
- Route 40 – Highway 1 - Davenport
- Route 41 – Empire Grade - Bonny Doon
- Route 55 – Cabrillo – Rio Del Mar
- Route 72 – Green Valley – Hospital
- Route 72W – Green Valley – Corralitos
- Route 73 – Soquel/ Freedom/ Cabrillo
- Route 74S – Pajaro Valley High School/Hospital
- Route 75 – Green Valley – Wheelock
- Route 78 – Ohlone to Hospital / Freedom Centre
- Route 79 – East Lake
- Route 90X – Cabrillo Express[8]
References
edit- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "History of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District". Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ "Strikes halts Santa Cruz bus service, strands 23,000 riders". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ "Just-enacted METRO route cuts may be revisited: Unexpected revenues may lead to restored services". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
- ^ "Final portion of METROBase pie to break ground Oct. 26". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Metro Pacific Station set to close for redevelopment". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "METRO's December newsletter is here!". us21.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2023-12-30.