City of Santa Clarita Transit

Last updated
City of Santa Clarita Transit
CSCT Logo.jpg
Santa Clarita Transit 127.jpg
City of Santa Clarita Transit bus at Santa Clarita station.
Parent City of Santa Clarita
FoundedAugust 5, 1991 (1991-08-05)
HeadquartersTransit Maintenance Facility
28250 Constellation Rd
Locale City of Santa Clarita
Los Angeles County
Service type Transit bus
Routes9 local routes
2 Station Link routes
7 Commuter Express routes
20 school routes
Hubs
Fleet109
Daily ridership9,000 (weekdays, Q4 2023) [1]
Annual ridership2,111,800 (2023) [2]
Fuel type CNG
Diesel
Gasoline
Operator MV Transportation
Website santaclaritatransit.com

City of Santa Clarita Transit is a local bus service, administered by the City's transit division, that serves the City of Santa Clarita, California and nearby surrounding unincorporated areas. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,111,800, or about 9,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023. Daily operations and maintenance of the fleet are under contract with MV Transportation. [3] City of Santa Clarita Transit routes connect with services operated by Metro and Metrolink.

Contents

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works contracts with City of Santa Clarita Transit to provide fixed route and Dial-A-Ride services in some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County that are near the city limits of Santa Clarita. These areas include the communities of Castaic, Forest Park, Stevenson Ranch, Sunset Pointe, and Val Verde.

History

Santa Clarita Transit bus in the original 1991 livery Santa Clarita Transit Gillig Phantom 132.jpg
Santa Clarita Transit bus in the original 1991 livery

The City of Santa Clarita assumed responsibility for local transit in 1991 from Los Angeles County, which had developed an embryonic transit network. A small City staff provides supervision over a contract operator. Over time, the local fixed route network and dial-a-ride service was expanded. Under City management, a number of new regional express services to various points in the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, Antelope Valley, and downtown Los Angeles were added or improved. [4]

MV Transportation

In mid-2007 Santa Clarita Transit entered into a contract with MV Transportation and underwent a branding overhaul. The agency was renamed "City of Santa Clarita Transit" and buses received a new green and blue livery which reflect the colors of the city logo. [5] The livery debuted in August 2007 on 2 brand new 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses. Also receiving an overhaul are the city's bus stops through a $2-million dollar Bus Stop Improvement Program. This included replacing 51 Clear Channel advertising shelters, benches, and trash cans. In addition, 40 additional stops will receive new non-advertising shelters, as well as a number of stops receiving new non-advertisement benches. An element of public art will be added to approximately 15 bus stops. The program's purpose is threefold, bus stops will become more uniform in look and features, the advertisement on benches will be eliminated, and public art will have a large expansion. [6] The overhauls are major parts of the city's efforts to make transit more attractive to citizens.

Starting in 2010, City of Santa Clarita Transit began Summer Beach bus service to Santa Monica State Beach, from Canyon Country, and Newhall. They were separated into two routes servicing each destination to Santa Monica State Beach. However, the 2023 Summer Beach Bus is no longer serving Santa Monica State Beach, it instead is serving Ventura Harbor at Spinnaker Drive. The service stops at Via Princessa Metrolink Station & McBean Regional Transit Center. This service is only operated during the summer.

2023 Transit Service Workers Strike

On September 15, 2023, after over a year of negotiations with MV Transportation, transit service workers represented by Teamsters Local 572 voted to go on strike until a fair contract is reached. MV Transportation was notified of the decision to strike on September 28. [7]

The strike officially began on October 9, halting all bus and paratransit services across the city. The strike forced Santa Clarita Transit and William S. Hart High School District to negotiate an emergency contract with charter bus company Transit Systems in order to provide limited school tripper services to select schools and infrequent bus services along routes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 12. [7] Santa Clarita City Council has declined to enter into contract negotiations as a third party. [8]

The strike ended on December 3rd, 2023. Teamsters Local 572 reached an agreement with MV Transportation. Buses returned to operation on December 4th, the strike lasted 55 days.

Transfer Stations

Transit Maintenance Facility

City of Santa Clarita Transit is housed in the City's Transit Maintenance Facility. The facility has been gold LEED certified.

Fixed-route Service

Local Routes [9]

RouteTerminalsviaNotes
1 Castaic
Sloan Canyon Rd & The Old Rd
Santa Clarita
McBean Regional Transit Center
The Old Rd, Commerce Center Dr, Newhall Ranch Rd, McBean Plwy
2 Val Verde
Val Verde Park
Santa Clarita
McBean Regional Transit Center
Del Valle Rd, Chiquito Canyon Rd, Henry Mayo Dr, Newhall Ranch Rd, McBean Plwy
  • Serves Val Verde Park, Valencia Commerce Center, Valencia Industrial Center and Valencia Town Center
3 Valencia
Middleton St & Ramblewood St
Santa Clarita
Tamarack Ln & Seco Canyon Rd
Magic Mountain Pkwy, McBean Pkwy, Newhall Ranch Rd, Seco Canyon Rd
4Santa Clarita
LARC Ranch
Santa Clarita
Newhall station
Bouquet Canyon Rd, Tournament Rd, Lyons Ave
5 Stevenson Ranch
Faulkner Dr & Thurber Wy
Santa Clarita
Sierra Hwy & Vasquez Cyn Rd
The Old Rd, Lyons Ave, McBean Pkwy, Soledad Canyon Rd, Sierra Hwy
6Stevenson Ranch
Faulkner Dr & Thurber Wy
Santa Clarita
Shadow Pines Bl & Grandifloras Rd
The Old Rd, Lyons Ave, McBean Pkwy, Soledad Canyon Rd
  • Serves Newhall station, McBean Regional Transit Center, Valencia Town Center, and Santa Clarita station
7Valencia
Middleton St & Ramblewood St
Santa Clarita
Tamarack Ln & Seco Canyon Rd
Magic Mountain Pkwy, McBean Pkwy, Newhall Ranch Rd, Copper Hill Dr
  • Serves Six Flags Magic Mountain, College of the Canyons, McBean Regional Transit Center and Valencia Town Center
12Santa Clarita
McBean Regional Transit Center
Santa Clarita
Heller Cir & Maitland Ln
Railroad Av, Sierra Hwy, Whites Canyon Rd
14Santa Clarita
Heller Cir & Maitland Ln
Santa Clarita
Newhall station
Bouquet Canyon Rd, Tournament Rd, Lyons Av
  • Serves Saugus High School, Valencia Town Center, McBean Regional Transit Center, College of the Canyons, California Institute of the Arts, and Hart High School

Station Link service provides service from the Santa Clarita station to local places of employment within the Santa Clarita Valley. Station Link service operates on weekdays peak periods (6-9am, 4-6pm) only except route 501, which as of February 2023, makes morning and afternoon trips excluding midday even on Saturdays and Sundays, select holidays included.

RouteTerminalsviaNotes
501Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita station
Santa Clarita
Six Flags Magic Mountain Employee Gate
Valencia Bl, Tourney Rd, Magic Mountain Pkwy
  • Service operates in a loop beginning and ending at Santa Clarita station
502Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita station
Castaic
Commerce Center Dr & Witherspoon Pkwy
Newhall Ranch Rd
  • Service operates in a loop beginning and ending at Santa Clarita station
  • Serves Valencia Industrial Center

School Supplementary Routes

Supplemental School Day Service routes (also known as Tripper Service), provide service to and from local Junior High and High Schools from residential areas. Supplemental School Day Service routes are numbered in the 600's. This service is only operated on weekdays when schools are in session. Trips are timed with school bell schedule. [10]

Routes include:

Commuter Express Routes

Commuter Express provides service to and from to major places of employment outside of the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 796-799), and also provides service from areas outside of the Santa Clarita Valley to major places of employment inside the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 791-794). All Commuter Express Routes run on weekdays only, except for Route 757, which runs seven days a week. [11]

RouteTerminalsViaNotes
757Santa Clarita
McBean Regional Transit Center
North Hollywood
North Hollywood station
In Santa Clarita: Sierra Highway, Railroad Avenue, Valencia Boulevard, McBean Parkway (Weekdays only)
Express Portion: I-5, CA-170 (Hollywood Freeway)
  • On weekdays service operates in a counter-clockwise loop in Santa Clarita making several stops, on weekends service operates directly to the McBean Regional Transit Center
  • Serves Newhall station on weekdays
791 Warner Center
Topanga Canyon Bl & Victory Bl
Santa Clarita
Technology Dr & Av Hall
In Santa Clarita: Avenue Scott, Valencia Boulevard, McBean Parkway
Express Portion: I-5, SR 118
In the San Fernando Valley: Topanga Canyon Boulevard
792 Century City
Century Park West & Solar Wy
Santa Clarita
Av Stanford & Technology Dr
In Santa Clarita: Avenue Scott, Valencia Boulevard, McBean Parkway
Express Portion: I-5, I-405
In West LA: Westwood Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard
794 Downtown LA
Los Angeles Union Station
Santa Clarita
Av Stanford & Technology Dr
In Santa Clarita: Avenue Scott, Valencia Boulevard, McBean Parkway
Express Portion: I-5
796Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita station
Warner Center
Victory Bl & Topanga Canyon Bl
In Santa Clarita: Valencia Boulevard, Orchard Village Road, Newhall Avenue
Express Portion: Sierra Highway, I-5, SR 118
In the San Fernando Valley: De Soto Avenue
  • Serves Newhall station and Chatsworth station
797Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita station
Century City
Century Park West & Solar Wy
In Santa Clarita: Valencia Boulevard, Orchard Village Road, Newhall Avenue
Express Portion: I-5, I-405
In West LA: Westwood Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard
  • Serves Newhall station and UCLA
799Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita station
Downtown LA
8th St & Spring St
In Santa Clarita: Valencia Boulevard, Orchard Village Road, Newhall Avenue
Express Portion: I-5
In Downtown LA: Alameda Street, 1st Street, Hope Street

Fares

Exact cash fare is required. Under 5, up to 3 per fare-paying rider, ride for free. Passes are stored on reusable Transit Access Pass (TAP) cards that cost $2 each. Customers can also store cash-value on their TAP card that can be used with any Los Angeles county transit agency that accepts TAP. Since February 2018 fares are available for purchase on the Token Transit mobile ticketing app. [12]

The following table shows City of Santa Clarita Transit fares, [13] effective January 1, 2020:

Fare TypeRegularSenior (60+)/
Disabled
Notes
Local, School, Station Link
Single Ride$1Free
Local Day Pass$2.501
Monthly Pass$341
Dial-A-Ride
Single Ride$2
Commuter Express Route 757
Single Ride$3$1.50
Monthly Pass$110$551
EZ transit pass + Zone 3$176$70.51, 2, 3
Interagency Transfer$.551
Commuter Express Routes 791, 796
Single Ride$4$2
Monthly Pass$150$751
EZ transit pass + Zone 4$198$801, 2, 3
Interagency Transfer$.551
Commuter Express Routes 792, 794, 797 & 799
Single Ride$4.50$2.25
Monthly Pass$170$851
EZ transit pass + Zone 5$220$89.51, 2, 3
Interagency Transfer$.551

Notes:

  1. TAP card required.
  2. The EZ transit pass is a monthly pass good for local travel on 21 different public transit carriers throughout the Greater Los Angeles region.
  3. Senior discount eligibility starts at age 62 for EZ transit pass.

Bus fleet

Active fleet [14]

Make/ModelFleet NumbersThumbnailYearEngineTransmissionNotes
Hometown Manufacturing 100 Santa Clarita Transit Trolley.jpg 2017
  • Only used for events
Optima AH-28 101 Santa Clarita Transit Hometown Trolley.jpg 2006Cummins ISBAllison B300R
  • Only used for events
  • Runs on Diesel
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 102-104, 106-1122013Cummins Westport ISL GAllison B400R
  • On November 6, 2017, Bus 102 was totaled in a fatal multi-vehicle accident on Sierra Highway. [15]
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 113-1232014Cummins Westport ISL GAllison B400R
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 124-127 Santa Clarita Transit 127.jpg 2018Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 128-1342019Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 135-1372020Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 138-1402020Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 29' 142-145 Santa Clarita Transit 145.jpg 2021Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 146-1492022Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40' 150-1512023Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
Gillig Low Floor CNG 29' 152-1532023Cummins Westport L9NAllison B3400xFE
NABI 60-BRT CNG 177-178 Santa Clarita Transit NABI 60-BRT.jpg 2007Cummins Westport L Gas PlusAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used on school service
New Flyer C40LFR 188-1942010Cummins ISX12Allison B500R 6 speed
  • In the process of retirement.
MCI D4500CT CNG 259-2642013Cummins Westport ISX12Allison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 265-2692015Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 270-279 Santa Clarita Transit MCI D4500.jpg 2017Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 280-2822018Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 283-2842020Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 285-2862022Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
MCI D4500CT CNG 287-2882023Cummins Westport ISX12NAllison B500R 6 speed
  • Only used for Commuter Express service
Glaval Bus 368-371 Santa Clarita Transit Dial-a-Ride.jpg 2012
  • Only used for Dial-a-Ride services
Glaval Bus 372-3892017/18
  • Only used for Dial-a-Ride services

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References

  1. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. Santa Clarita Signal- New Contractor on Board for Buses
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. City of Santa Clarita, CA – Purchasing: Solicitations Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. City of Santa Clarita, CA – CITY BUS SHELTERS GET A FACE LIFT Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. 1 2 "Transit Service Workers On Strike In Santa Clarita. What This Means For Riders". LAist. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  8. Service, City News (2023-10-10). "Bus driver strike enters second day in Santa Clarita". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  9. "Santa Clarita Transit Routes" (PDF).
  10. "Supplemental School Day Schedules". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  11. "Santa Clarita Transit Commuter Express routes" (PDF).
  12. "Santa Clarita Transit Unveils New Token Transit App". City of Santa Clarita. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. "Fares & Passes". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  14. "Our Fleet". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  15. "Canyon Country woman killed in Santa Clarita crash is identified". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2023.