Starting on Monday, August 18, the price for a ride on Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) buses will increase for the first time in 16 years, going up to $2.50 for a regular fare, with a reduced fare of $1.25 for seniors or people with disabilities.
According to a statement released by MTD, the increased fare has been in the works since January, when MTD officials proposed the fare hike as a way to address the 10 percent increase in operational costs over the past five years and the expected $3 million loss in Federal Transit Authority funding due to the city’s designation as a “large urbanized area,” eliminating several previously available funding options.
MTD began a public comment process earlier this year, seeking input from the community between two proposed fee rates, giving an option to either raise the regular fare to $2.25 with more expensive extended passes, or raise the fare to $2.50 with more moderately priced extended passes.
In March, following the public feedback period, MTD’s Board of Directors voted to adopt the second alternative, raising the base fare by 75 cents to $2.50, while raising the age for seniors from 62 years to 65 years and older. The fare for seniors and riders with disabilities will be raised from its current rate of 85 cents per ride to $1.25.
Ten-day passes will go up in price to $17.50 for adults — up from the previous price of $11.50 — and 30-day passes will now be offered at $80, increased from the current price of $52. Discounted rates will be offered for extended passes for youth ($12.50 for 10-day and $65 for 30-day passes), and seniors ($8.50 for 10-day and $30 for 30-day passes).
Riders who purchased passes prior to August 18 will be able to use their passes through the end of the month, and any remaining value can be traded in at the Transit Center and used toward the cost of a new pass.
MTD’s fleet of buses are now also equipped with “Tap2Ride” contactless payment systems that allow riders to pay for fares using bank cards, mobile wallets, or smartphone apps such as ApplePay and GPay. Santa Barbara MTD is one of three regional transit agencies in California to use the payment system, which was also recently implemented in Sacramento and Ventura counties.
The Tap2Ride payment system allows riders to pay for single fares, while capping the total amount at the cost of a 30-day pass each month, to ensure riders are not charged for additional fares.
For more information on the fare changes, sbmtd.gov/farechange/.
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