The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) is a public transit agency providing bus service in the southern portion of Santa Barbara County, California. It serves the cities of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Goleta as well as the unincorporated areas of Montecito, Summerland, and Isla Vista. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

History Mule-powered street railways were implemented in 1875 and were gradually replaced by electric streetcars in 1896. The streetcars made their last run on July 1, 1929; about a month later, the Santa Barbara Transit Corporation company started providing local bus service (H.A. Spreitz, its owner, already operated another bus company that served the suburban areas of Goleta and Carpinteria. In the late 1950s and 60s, Santa Barbara Transit was losing revenue, and repeatedly threatened to go out of business. Strikes were also a problem, as the company could not afford to pay its employees.

At first, the City of Santa Barbara considered subsidizing the transit company, but since service was needed to Carpinteria and Goleta as well, a transit district was thought to be a better choice, because it would also be able to levy taxes on separately. Voters approved the formation of the MTD in 1966.

Over the years, service has expanded, particularly on routes serving the University of California, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College. Bus schedules were being distributed from 1983 onwards.

In August 2012 MTD implemented peak-hour commuter service (Coastal Express Limited) between Ventura and the Santa Barbara/Goleta area.

Routes

Local routes All routes serving Downtown Santa Barbara begin and end at the Transit Center RouteTerminalsviaNotes1Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Modoc Rd & Portesuello Av San Andres St2Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Punta Gorda St & Salinas StAnapamu St3Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Foothill Rd & Cieneguitas RdState St4Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Santa Barbara City CollegeCarrillo St, Cliff Dr5Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara State St & La Cumbre RdCliff Dr Serves Santa Barbara City College6Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterGoleta Hollister Av & Storke RdState St, Hollister Av7Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterGoleta Hollister Av & Kellogg AvUS-10111Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterGoleta Storke Rd & Hollister AvState St, Hollister Av Serves Santa Barbara Airport and UC Santa Barbara14Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterMontecito Jameson Ln & Sheffield DrValley Rd16Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Santa Barbara City CollegeCliff Dr Temporarily Suspended17Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara Santa Barbara City CollegeCarrillo St20Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterCarpinteria Via Real & Mark AvVia Real23Goleta Storke Rd & Hollister AvGoleta Winchester Canyon Rd & Bradford DrCalle Real25Goleta Hollister Av & Storke Rd Goleta Calle Real & Winchester PlHollister Av 27Isla Vista UC Santa BarbaraGoleta Santa Felicia Dr & MarketplaceStorke Rd Isla Vista Shuttle28Isla Vista UC Santa BarbaraGoleta Santa Felicia Dr & MarketplaceEl Colegio Rd UCSB Shuttle

Express routes RouteTerminalsViaNotes12XSanta Barbara MTD Transit CenterGoleta Hollister Av & Kellogg AvUS-10115XIsla Vista UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara Santa Barbara City CollegeUS-10119XSanta Barbara Santa Barbara City CollegeCarpinteria Carpinteria Av & Palm AvUS-10124XSanta Barbara MTD Transit CenterGoleta Storke Rd & Hollister AvUS-101 Serves UC Santa Barbara

School supplementary routes Services operate weekdays only. RouteTerminalsViaNotes2010Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterState St To Alpha Resource Center2110Santa Barbara San Barbara Junior High SchoolCota St To MTD Transit Center2410Goleta Turnpike Rd & Ukiah StSanta Barbara La Colina Junior High SchoolHollister Av2420Goleta University Dr & Patterson AvSanta Barbara La Colina Junior High SchoolCathedral Oaks Rd2430Goleta Hollister Av & San Ricardo DrSanta Barbara La Colina Junior High SchoolHollister Av2510Santa Barbara Rancheria St & Gutierrez StSanta Barbara San Marcos High SchoolSan Andres St2520Santa Barbara MTD Transit CenterSanta Barbara San Marcos High SchoolUS-1012530Santa Barbara Carrillo St & San Andres StSanta Barbara San Marcos High SchoolSan Andres St, Modoc Rd2540Santa Barbara Haley St & Bath StSanta Barbara San Marcos High SchoolCliff Dr, Las Positas Rd2610Goleta Hollister Av & Kellogg AvGoleta Fairview Av & Encina RdHollister Av2620Goleta Winchester Canyon Rd & Bradford DrGoleta Cathedral Oaks Rd & Camino Laguna VistaCathedral Oaks Rd2630Goleta Hollister Av & Cathedral Oaks RdGoleta Goleta Valley Junior High SchoolHollister Av, US-1012650Isla Vista Camino Pescadero & El Colegio RdGoleta Goleta Valley Junior High SchoolCathedral Oaks Rd2710Isla Vista Camino Pescadero & El Colegio RdGoleta Dos Pueblos High SchoolStorke Rd2720Goleta Hollister Av & Turnpike RdGoleta Dos Pueblos High SchoolHollister Av2730Santa Barbara State St & La Cumbre RdGoleta Dos Pueblos High SchoolCathedral Oaks Rd2740Goleta Los Carneros Rd & Karl Storz DrGoleta Dos Pueblos High SchoolHollister Av

Fare structure Contactless fare payment Some vehicles are equipped with a contactless fare reading device that allows customers to pay using a credit/debit/prepaid card or a mobile wallet on smart devices.

References

External links Santa Barbara MTD homepage