MTD Votes to Raise Fares on Downtown, Seaside Shuttles

Due to the State’s elimination of Redevelopment Agencies, the City is no longer able to financially support the all-electric shuttles as it has for the past several years. As of Monday, July 2nd, the fare for these two shuttles will be 50 cents, with Seniors and mobility passengers still only paying 25 cents.

MTD heard from many members of the public expressing their thoughts on this proposed change; overwhelmingly, the feedback was in support of raising the fee by a quarter. “I think a fare increase to 50 cents would be the best solution,” one resident emailed. “I’ve lived in Santa Barbara for 15 years now and can’t believe the shuttles are still only 25 cents.”

Other recently approved changes to MTD service will go into effect on Monday, August 27th. Click here for more info regarding these changes.

The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), with its focus on passenger service, provides a reliable, safe and comfortable means of mobility to those who lack other transportation, including students, seniors and individuals with disabilities. MTD also provides an attractive transportation option for commuters and shoppers who might otherwise drive a car. MTD provides more than 27,000 passenger trips each weekday resulting in 22,676 cars being left at home on weekdays. MTD provided almost 8,000,000 passenger trips last fiscal year. Santa Barbara is recognized as a transit intensive community and is ranked in the top ten in the nation for per capita bus usage. MTD operates North America’s largest fleet of 100% battery electric buses. Additionally, MTD was the first in California to operate its fleet of diesel and diesel-electric buses with a bio-diesel blend of fuel.