Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District

Last updated
Santa Cruz METRO
Santa Cruz Metro logo.png
Santa Cruz bus terminal, October 2017.JPG
METRO and Greyhound terminal in downtown Santa Cruz
Headquarters110 Vernon Street
Santa Cruz, California
Service area Santa Cruz County
Service type
StationsAmtrak – METRO Center/Pacific Station, 920 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 36°58′15.3″N122°01′29.8″W / 36.970917°N 122.024944°W / 36.970917; -122.024944
Daily ridership8,300 (weekdays, Q3 2023) [1]
Annual ridership3,097,100 (2022) [2]
Website scmtd.com

Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), or simply Santa Cruz METRO, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 3,097,100, or about 8,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

Contents

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

Highway 17 Express bus at San Jose Diridon Highway 17 Express bus at San Jose Diridon, June 2018.jpg
Highway 17 Express bus at San Jose Diridon

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]

Routes

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References

  1. "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  3. "History of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District". Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  4. "Strikes halts Santa Cruz bus service, strands 23,000 riders". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  5. "Just-enacted METRO route cuts may be revisited: Unexpected revenues may lead to restored services". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  6. "Final portion of METROBase pie to break ground Oct. 26". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  7. "METRO's December newsletter is here!". us21.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved 2023-12-30.