Transit Needs Assessment 2017 - SBCAG
Transcript of Transit Needs Assessment 2017 - SBCAG
Transit Needs
Assessment 2017
June 2017
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
Project Staff
Marjie Kirn Executive Director
Peter Imhof Deputy Executive Director, Planning
Michael Becker Senior Transportation Planner
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
260 North San Antonio Road, Suite B
Santa Barbara, CA, 93110
(805) 961-8900
www.sbcag.org
Financial support for the preparation of this report was provided by the State of California.
2017 Membership Roster
SUPERVISORS Member Supervisorial District
DAS WILLIAMS FIRST DISTRICT
JANET WOLF SECOND DISTRICT
JOAN HARTMANN THIRD DISTRICT
PETER ADAM (Vice Chair) FOURTH DISTRICT
STEVE LAVAGNINO FIFTH DISTRICT
CITIES Member Alternate
BUELLTON HOLLY SIERRA ED ANDRISEK
Mayor Councilmember
CARPINTERIA AL CLARK WADE NOMURA
Councilmember Councilmember
GOLETA MICHAEL BENNETT (SBCAG Chair) ROGER ACEVES
Councilmember Councilmember
GUADALUPE JOHN LIZALDE JULIAN ARISTAN
Mayor Councilmember
LOMPOC JAMES MOSBY BOB LINGL
Councilmember Mayor
SANTA BARBARA HELENE SCHNEIDER BENDY WHITE
Mayor Councilmember
SANTA MARIA ALICE PATINO ETTA WATERFIELD
Mayor Councilmember
SOLVANG JIM RICHARDSON ED SKYTT
Mayor Councilmember
EX-OFFICIO (NON-VOTING) MEMBERS
CALTRANS DISTRICT 5 TIM GUBBINS
19th SENATE DISTRICT HANNAH BETH JACKSON
33rd ASSEMBLY DISTRICT JORDAN CUNNINGHAM
35th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT MONIQUE LIMON
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With Special Recognition
Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee
(SBCTAC)
Representative of: Voting Member
LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES
Bleavins, Polly
Children and Families Commission (NC)
LOCAL CTSA - Easy Lift Paredes, Ernesto (SC)
LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS
OF LIMITED MEANS
Diaz, Lee (NC)
POTENTIAL TRANSIT USERS WHO IS 60 YEARS OF
AGE OR OLDER
Fisher, Sherrie (SC)
AGRICULTURAL WORKERS Keller, Fred (NC)
TRANSIT USERS FROM SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA
COUNTY
Kraus, Howard (SC)
LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR SENIORS Löwen, Petra
Independent Living Resource Center (SC)
CITY OF LOMPOC TRANSIT (COLT) Luther, Michael (NC)
SANTA BARBARA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT
DISTRICT (MTD)
Maas, Steve (SC)
LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR SENIORS
Community Partners in Caring Contreras, Vilma (NC)
LOCAL CTSA - SMOOTH Simas, Fil (NC)
COUNTY TRANSIT Dobberteen, Matt (NC)
POTENTIAL TRANSIT USERS WHO HAS A DISABILITY Stotts, Barry (NC)
LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES
Suhr, Victor (SC)
GUADALUPE TRANSIT Talbott, Jim (NC)
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY TRANSIT (SYVT) van der Linden, Matt (NC)
SANTA MARIA AREA TRANSIT (SMAT) Valdez, Eustaquio (NC)
TRANSIT USERS FROM NORTHERN SANTA BARBARA
COUNTY
Zoost, Ed (NC)
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 3
Chapter 2. Consultation ............................................................................................. 5
Chapter 3. Assessment of Population Characteristics .......................................................... 7
General Population ................................................................................................... 7
Vehicle Access ......................................................................................................... 7
Transit Dependency Indicator: Age ................................................................................. 9
Transit Dependency Indicator: Disability ........................................................................ 10
Transit Dependency Indicator: Income .......................................................................... 10
Transit Demand/Needs ............................................................................................. 11
Chapter 4. Transportation Services .............................................................................. 13
Fixed Route, Demand Response, and Commuter Transportation Services ................................. 13
Intercity Transportation Services ................................................................................. 21
Specialized Transportation Services ............................................................................. 22
Analysis of Transportation Services .............................................................................. 25
Chapter 5. Service Expansions & Improvements ............................................................... 27
Chapter 6. Transportation Needs Assessment & Findings .................................................... 29
Public Input .......................................................................................................... 29
Analysis ............................................................................................................... 30
Unmet Transit Needs Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 35
Reasonable to Meet Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 41
Findings ............................................................................................................... 42
Appendix A: Acronyms & Definitions .................................................................................. i
Appendix B: Demographic Tables ..................................................................................... iii
Appendix C: SBCAG Public Outreach Materials ................................................................... xiii
Appendix D: Transit Agency Workshops ............................................................................ xxi
City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) Workshop ....................................................................... xxi
Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) Workshop Comments ..................................................... xxiii
Appendix E: SBCAG Public Hearing Comments .................................................................. xxiv
Appendix F: Other Public Comments ............................................................................. xxvii
Letters ............................................................................................................. xxvii
E-Mail ............................................................................................................... xxix
Appendix G: SBCAG Resolution ................................................................................... xxxiv
Tables
Table 1: Transit Dependency Indicators .............................................................................. 8
Table 2: Transit Systems in Santa Barbara County (does not include CTSAs) ................................ 19
Table 3: Transit Ridership, FY 2011/12 to FY 2015/16........................................................... 20
Table 4: Areas Served by Transit .................................................................................... 26
Table 5: Requests Not Applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment ........................................... 30
Table 6: FY 2015/16 Farebox Recovery Ratios .................................................................... 34
Table 7: Comments that are Unmet Transit Needs ............................................................... 35
Table 8: Comments that are Not Applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment .............................. 36
Table 9: Unmet Transit Needs in Jurisdictions using all TDA for Transit Purposes .......................... 41
Table 10: Population ................................................................................................... iii
Table 11: Race ........................................................................................................... iv
Table 12: Hispanic or Latino Population.............................................................................. v
Table 13: Vehicle Availability by Occupied Housing Unit ......................................................... vi
Table 14: Enrollment in Santa Barbara County Public School Districts, 2015-16 ............................ vii
Table 15: Higher Education Enrollment in Santa Barbara County .............................................. vii
Table 16: Population with a Disability ............................................................................. viii
Table 17: Poverty Status ............................................................................................... ix
Table 18: Labor Market Indicators, 2016 Monthly................................................................... x
Figures
Figure 1: Transit Needs Assessment Flowchart ...................................................................... 4
Figure 2: Santa Barbara County Age Distribution ................................................................... 9
Figure 3: Unemployment Rate, Incorporated Cities .............................................................. 11
Figure 4: Total Transit Ridership, FY 2011/12 to FY 2015/16 .................................................. 21
Figure 5: Definition—Unmet Transit Need .......................................................................... 31
Figure 6: Criteria—Reasonable to Meet ............................................................................. 32
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The California Transportation Development Act
(TDA) provides two major sources of annual
funding for public transportation—the Local
Transportation Fund (LTF) and the State Transit
Assistance fund (STA). SBCAG, as the Regional
Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for
Santa Barbara County, administers TDA funding
within the region. Transit is the priority use for
these funds. If a claimant requests TDA funds
for non-transit (i.e., streets and roads)
purposes, SBCAG must first determine whether
or not there are “unmet transit needs” that are
“reasonable to meet” within the claimant’s
jurisdiction.
The County of Santa Barbara, as the
representative for the unincorporated County
outside of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan
Transit District service area, plans to request
FY 2017-18 TDA funds for non-transit purposes.
Therefore, SBCAG conducted the 2017 transit
needs assessment to determine whether or not
there are unmet transit needs that are
reasonable to meet within the unincorporated
North Santa Barbara County.
By regulation, SBCAG must consult with the
Social Services Transportation Advisory Council
(SSTAC). The Santa Barbara County Transit
Advisory Committee (SBCTAC) is SBCAG’s
SSTAC. SBCAG consulted with SBCTAC
regarding outreach efforts, public outreach
materials, and public input received. This year
the committee received a summary of the
feedback from the SMAT and COLT unmet needs
workshops, which were convened in Santa
Maria and Lompoc in late 2016. SBCAG staff
also provided SBCTAC with a summary of the
comments received at the SBCAG unmet transit
needs hearing in January.
SBCAG must also perform an assessment of the
size and location of identifiable groups likely to
be transit-dependent or transit-disadvantaged
in Santa Barbara County. The young, the
elderly, persons with disabilities, and persons
of limited means are more likely than the
general population to be transit-dependent.
The unincorporated areas of the Santa Maria
and Santa Ynez Valleys have high percentages
of seniors. The unincorporated area of the
Santa Maria Valley has a high percentage of
residents with disabilities. The unincorporated
Cuyama area has high percentages of
population below the poverty level.
SBCAG must also analyze existing
transportation services. There are a variety of
fixed route, demand response, commuter,
intercity, and specialized services providing
transportation in every region in the County.
61% of the County’s population lives within ¼
mile of a bus stop and 81% of the population
lives within ½ mile of a bus stop. 82% of the
County’s jobs are within ¼ mile of a bus stop.
Transit operators in Santa Barbara County
continually evaluate, expand, and improve
service to meet the demands of the population.
Examples of successful new services include the
Breeze Bus, the Wine Country Express, and
Guadalupe Flyer Sunday service.
SBCAG conducted a public hearing to identify
remaining demand for new and expanded
transit service. SBCAG also accepted public
input through transit agency workshops, e-mail,
mail, and telephone. The applicable requests
for new or expanded service this year were for
both regional and interregional transit service.
The regional and interregional transit requests
can be challenging to operate and to fund
because the affected jurisdictions must
negotiate operating and cost-sharing
agreements.
During the May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting
several individuals provided additional
comments regarding unmet transit needs. The
SBCAG Board continued the item to its June
meeting so the late comments and any
resulting changes to the findings could be
incorporated into the 2017 Transit Needs
Assessment.
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Using the definition adopted by the SBCAG
Board, based on several similar public
comments, SBCAG identified several requests
for service expansions qualifying as a potential
“unmet transit need.” However, recent,
voluntary transit service improvements by the
City of Lompoc in coordination with the County
of Santa Barbara have now met one transit
need, and the remaining are located partially
or entirely in jurisdictions using all TDA funding
for transit purposes.
Thus SBCAG finds that there are no unmet
transit needs that are reasonable to meet, per
the SBCAG-adopted definition of unmet transit
needs and the reasonable to meet criteria.
With this finding, the County of Santa Barbara,
as the representative of the unincorporated
County outside of the Santa Barbara
Metropolitan Transit District service area, may
use FY 2017-18 TDA funds for non-transit
purposes as requested. This finding does not,
however, preclude agencies from voluntarily
coordinating to fulfill any of the other requests
for new or expanded service. If implemented
voluntarily, the requests can provide direction
for improving transit service in Santa Barbara
County.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 3
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
The California Transportation Development Act (TDA) provides two major sources of annual funding for
public transportation—the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) and the State Transit Assistance fund (STA).
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), as the Regional Transportation Planning
Agency (RTPA) for Santa Barbara County established by California Public Utilities Code Section 99401,
administers the TDA within the region, allocating TDA funds to eligible claimants (the cities, the County,
and transit operators) within its jurisdiction.
Transit is the priority use for TDA funds. TDA STA funds may only be used for transit. TDA LTF funds may
be used, under TDA Article 8, for transit services, streets and roads, or pedestrian and bicycle projects;
however, LTF funds may be used for streets and roads purposes only if there are no unmet transit needs
that are “reasonable to meet” in the jurisdiction of the claimant proposing to use TDA LTF funds for
streets and roads purposes.
If a claimant requests to use LTF funds for streets and roads purposes, SBCAG must first determine
whether or not there are unmet needs that are reasonable to meet within the claimant’s jurisdiction. To
make this determination, SBCAG must perform an assessment of regional transit needs. The assessment,
as designated by the California Public Utilities Code (PUC) Section 99401.5, requires SBCAG to:
Consult with the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) established pursuant to PUC
Section 99238. Santa Barbara County’s SSTAC is the Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee
(SBCTAC).
Identify the transit needs of the jurisdiction(s) that have been considered as part of the
transportation planning process, including the following:
o An assessment of the size and location of identifiable groups likely to be transit-dependent
or transit-disadvantaged, including but not limited to the elderly and persons with
disabilities, individuals eligible for paratransit and other special transportation services, and
persons of limited means.
o An analysis of the adequacy of existing public transportation and specialized transportation
services, including privately and publicly provided services, to implement the plan to meet
identified transit demand.
o An analysis of potential alternative public transportation and specialized transportation
services and service improvements that would meet all or part of the transit demand.
Identify the unmet transit needs of the jurisdiction and those needs that are reasonable to meet.
o Conduct at least one public hearing for the purpose of soliciting comments on unmet transit
needs that may exist within the jurisdiction and that might be reasonable to meet by
establishing or contracting for new public transportation or specialized transportation
services or by expanding existing services.
Adopt by resolution a finding for the jurisdiction after consideration of all available information that:
o There are no unmet transit needs,
o There are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet, or
o There are unmet transit needs, including needs that are reasonable to meet.
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If SBCAG adopts a finding that there are unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet within a
jurisdiction requesting LTF funds for non-transit purposes, the unmet transit needs shall be funded before
allocating any funds for streets and roads purposes within that jurisdiction. Only upon adoption of a
finding that there are “no unmet transit needs” or that there are “no unmet transit needs that are
reasonable to meet” may SBCAG allocate funds for streets and roads purposes.
The figure below illustrates the transit needs assessment process.
Figure 1: Transit Needs Assessment Flowchart
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 5
CHAPTER 2. CONSULTATION
The first step in the Transit Needs Assessment process is to consult with the SSTAC, which, for SBCAG, is
the Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee (SBCTAC). This chapter describes SBCAG’s
consultation with SBCTAC. It also explains SBCAG’s other consultation efforts. (The public hearing and
other public outreach efforts are discussed in Chapter 6.)
SBCTAC was established as Santa Barbara County’s SSTAC in 2002 in accordance with PUC Section 99238.1
SBCTAC is composed of transit users, representatives from fixed route transit and paratransit agencies,
and representatives from social service agencies that serve seniors, persons with disabilities, and persons
of limited means. SBCTAC meets monthly, as needed, to identify and discuss issues regarding transit
needs, and to review and recommend actions to SBCAG as the RTPA. SBCTAC advises SBCAG on the annual
transit needs assessment and other major transit issues, including the coordination and consolidation of
specialized transportation services.
SBCTAC met to discuss the 2017 Transit Needs Assessment process on September 14, 2016. SBCTAC
discussed options for and provided direction on the public outreach strategy. The committee received a
report on plans for local agency transit workshops and other public input gathering. The committee also
approved the type, design, and distribution of public outreach materials (see Appendix C: Public
Outreach Materials).
SBCTAC received a presentation on input from the SMAT and COLT public workshops on February 8, 2017.
SBCTAC also received a summary of input from the SBCAG January 19 public hearing and input received
by letter and e-mail; and discussed next steps at the same meeting.
1 PUC §99238 states, “Each transportation planning agency shall provide for the establishment of a social services
transportation advisory council for each county, or counties operating under a joint powers agreement, which is not subject to the apportionment restriction established in Section 99232.” Committee members must include representation from potential transit users who are 60 years of age or older; potential transit users who have disabilities; social service providers for seniors, persons with disabilities, and people of low income; and, if applicable, social service transportation providers for seniors and persons with disabilities, and the local consolidated transportation service agency (CTSA).
Consult with the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) established pursuant to PUC
§99238. Santa Barbara County’s SSTAC is the Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee
(SBCTAC).
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 7
CHAPTER 3. ASSESSMENT OF POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
The next step in the Transit Needs Assessment process, described in this Chapter, is to assess the
population of Santa Barbara County to identify and locate groups likely to be transit-dependent or transit-
disadvantaged. Being transit-dependent means having to rely on transit services instead of the private
automobile to meet one's travel needs. Transit-dependent persons generally either do not have access
to a vehicle or are unable to operate a vehicle. The elderly, the young, persons with disabilities, and
low-income individuals are more likely than the general population to be transit-dependent.
GENERAL POPULATION
According to the 2010 Census, the population of Santa Barbara County is 423,895 (see Table 10 in
Appendix B: Demographic Tables). Santa Maria is the largest city in the County. The County’s population
is growing, with the North County growing more quickly than the South Coast. Guadalupe, Buellton, and
Santa Maria are expected to see the most growth between 2010 and 2040, and Santa Maria is expected
to remain the largest city.
Seventy percent of Santa Barbara County’s population is solely white (see Table 11). Two percent is
solely black or African American, one percent is solely American Indian and Alaska Native, five percent
is solely Asian, less than one percent is solely Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and seventeen
percent is other. Five percent of Santa Barbara County’s population identifies as being of two or more
races.
Regarding ethnicity, 43% of people of any race identify as Hispanic or Latino (see Table 12). Guadalupe
has the highest percentage of its residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino—86% (see Table 12). Santa
Maria ranks second at 70%, but has the largest number of Hispanics/Latinos at 70,114. The majority
Hispanic/Latino population in Guadalupe and Santa Maria may be attributed in part to established
communities, employment opportunities, and lower housing costs. In Lompoc, 51% of the population
identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Unincorporated North County is the only jurisdiction in Santa Barbara
County not dedicating all TDA funds to transit in the FY 2017/18 cycle; 26% of the residents of
unincorporated North County identify as Hispanic or Latino.
VEHICLE ACCESS
Nearly 7% of the occupied housing units in the County have no vehicle, according to the American
Community Survey (see Appendix B). Of the incorporated cities, Santa Barbara and Lompoc have the
highest percentage of occupied housing units, both at 9.8%, with no vehicle. 2.5% of occupied housing
units in the unincorporated North County have no vehicle.
Identify the transit needs of the jurisdiction(s) that have been considered as part of the
transportation planning process, including:
An assessment of the size and location of identifiable groups likely to be transit-dependent or
transit-disadvantaged, including but not limited to the elderly and persons with disabilities,
including individuals eligible for paratransit and other special transportation services, and
persons of limited means
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Limited vehicle access may be by choice, or may be due to one or more of the factors mentioned earlier—
age, disability, and poverty. Table 1: Transit Dependency Indicators displays transit dependency
indicators by city.
Table 1: Transit Dependency Indicators
The table indicates the presence of significant populations of young, elderly, disabled, and impoverished
in various areas throughout the region. Each of the transit dependency indicators is discussed in more
detail below.
# %* # %* # %** # %***
City of Buellton 4,924 921 19% 618 13% 297 6% 493 10%
City of Guadalupe 7,160 2,124 30% 587 8% 669 11% 1,468 21%
City of Lompoc 43,045 9,931 23% 4,107 10% 4,526 13% 8,778 22%
City of Santa Maria 101,468 26,707 26% 9,443 9% 10,483 11% 21,298 21%
City of Solvang 5,345 772 14% 1,440 27% 678 14% 743 14%
Total North County Cities 161,942 40,455 25% 16,195 10% 16,653 12% 32,780 21%
Uninc. Cuyama Area 1,071 260 24% 154 14% 98 10% 281 26%
Uninc. Guadalupe Area 222 39 18% 18 8% 14 6% 61 27%
Uninc. Lompoc Valley 15,789 3,542 22% 2,365 15% 1,722 13% 1,041 7%
Uninc. Santa Maria Valley 34,145 6,789 20% 6,152 18% 4,357 14% 2,359 7%
Uninc. Santa Ynez Valley 11,596 1,477 13% 2,053 18% 2,549 23% 1,055 9%
Total Uninc. North County 62,823 12,108 19% 10,742 17% 8,740 15% 4,797 8%
City of Carpinteria 13,323 1,898 14% 2,250 17% 1,516 12% 1,129 8%
City of Goleta 30,333 4,792 16% 4,307 14% 2,657 n/a 2,324 8%
City of Santa Barbara 89,669 14,279 16% 13,701 15% 8,726 10% 13,434 15%
Total South County Cities 133,325 20,969 16% 20,258 15% 12,899 10% 16,887 13%
Total Uninc. South County 73,465 7,964 11% 10,446 14% 5,440 8% 14,489 23%
Total Santa Barbara County 431,555 81,496 19% 57,641 13% 43,732 11% 68,953 17%
*of the total population (431,555 Total)
**of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, age 5+ (396,697 Total)
The institutionalized population is persons residing in institutional group quarters such as adult correctional facilities,
juvenile facilities, skilled-nursing facilities, and other institutional facilities
Poverty Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey
Total PopulationAge 65 & Over
***of the population for whom poverty status is determined (414,198 total)
Age Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 ACS
Disability Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 ACS
Age 14 & Under Disability Poverty
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 9
TRANSIT DEPENDENCY INDICATOR: AGE
As previously mentioned, the elderly and the young are more likely than the general population to be
transit-dependent. Seniors (65 and over) and young people (14 and under) account for approximately
32% of the County’s population.
The areas with the youngest people as a percentage of the population are the Cities of Guadalupe, Santa
Maria, and the unincorporated Cuyama area. The areas with the most seniors as a percentage of the
population are the Cities of Solvang and Carpinteria, and the unincorporated area of the Santa Maria
Valley. Of these areas, the unincorporated North County does not use all TDA funds for transit.
The number of seniors is growing at a faster rate than other age groups. The figure below shows the
forecast change in countywide age distribution from 2010 to 2040.
Figure 2: Santa Barbara County Age Distribution2
Many young people are students (see Table 14). California Vehicle Code Section 12814.6 prohibits most
young drivers (under age 18) from carrying other young passengers, limiting carpooling to school trips
and thereby increasing the need for transit.
2 State of California, Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit, Report P-2 State and County Population
Projections by Race/Ethnicity and Age 2010-2060, Sacramento, California, January 31, 2013.
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TRANSIT DEPENDENCY INDICATOR: DISABILITY
As mentioned above, persons with disabilities are more likely than the general population to be transit-
dependent. For the purposes of the American Community Survey, a person is considered to have a
disability if he or she has difficulty performing certain functions—seeing, hearing, walking, climbing
stairs, reaching, lifting, carrying, learning, remembering, concentrating, dressing, bathing, getting
around the home, leaving the home alone to shop or visit the doctor, or working.3
According to the 2010-2014 American Community Survey, 11% of residents in Santa Barbara County are
living with a disability (see Table 1). The City of Solvang and the unincorporated area around Santa Maria
have the highest percentage of the population having a disability, at 14%. With the exceptions of the
City of Buellton, the unincorporated Guadalupe area, and the unincorporated South Coast, the remainder
of the county has disabled rates of 10% or higher. The North County, as a whole, has a disability rate of
approximately 11%. Of these areas, the unincorporated North County does not use all TDA funds for
transit.
TRANSIT DEPENDENCY INDICATOR: INCOME
As mentioned above, low-income individuals are more likely than the general population to be transit-
dependent. Limited means may prevent people from having access to a personal vehicle.
According to the 2010-2014 American Community Survey, the unincorporated Cuyama and Guadalupe
areas, as well as the South County unincorporated area and the City of Lompoc have the highest
percentages of population below the poverty level (see Table 1).
In November 2016, Santa Barbara County’s unemployment rate was 4.6% (see Table 21). Of the
incorporated cities, Lompoc and Solvang had the highest unemployment rates at 6.1% and 5.7%,
respectively. The City of Goleta had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.7%. Figure 3 shows monthly
unemployment rates for January, June, and November 2016.
3 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, https://www.census.gov/people/disability/methodology/acs.html.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 11
Figure 3: Unemployment Rate, Incorporated Cities4
TRANSIT DEMAND/NEEDS
Transit-dependent persons need transportation for many different reasons. They may need
transportation to get to medical appointments and places of employment, access social service programs
and educational opportunities, or simply run errands.
Transportation for the elderly is important to help them maintain independence and quality of life after
losing the ability to drive. Senior citizens may be unable to access quality of life venues and opportunities
for meaningful social interaction if transportation is insufficient.
Many young people need transportation to before- and after-school activities. Families may be unable
to provide this transportation either because they do not have a vehicle or because they have work or
other obligations.
A survey of social service agencies conducted during the preparation of Transportation Connections:
Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Santa Barbara County found that the
top three transportation needs of social service agency clients, who are likely to be transit-dependent,
are for medical appointments, social service appointments, and education.
4 State of California Employment Development Department. http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
Jan 2016 Jun 2016 Nov 2016
Unemployment Rate
City of Buellton
City of Carpinteria
City of Goleta
City of Guadalupe
City of Lompoc
City of Santa Barbara
City of Santa Maria
City of Solvang
County of Santa Barbara
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 13
CHAPTER 4. TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
The next step in the Transit Needs Assessment process, described in this chapter, is to identify Santa
Barbara County’s existing public transportation and specialized transportation services, including
privately and publicly provided services. The transportation services in Santa Barbara County that serve
transit-dependent individuals and others include fixed route and demand response service, commuter
service, intercity service via Amtrak and Greyhound, and specialized transportation service. This chapter
also analyzes the adequacy of these services to meet the transit demand identified in the previous
chapter.
FIXED ROUTE, DEMAND RESPONSE, AND COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
Breeze
See SMAT.
Clean Air Express—www.cleanairexpress.com
Service Types: Fixed Route, Commuter Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio5
FY 2014/15: 227,770 / 79%
FY 2015/16: 192,375 / 78%
The Clean Air Express operates thirteen, weekday, round trips from North Santa Barbara County to the
South Coast. Seven trips serve Lompoc, five trips serve Santa Maria, and one trip serves Solvang and
Buellton, all leaving between 5:15 and 6:45 AM and returning from the South Coast in the late afternoon.
The routes serve work schedules starting between 6:30 and 8:00 AM and ending between 3:30 and 5:15
PM. Primary areas of service include UCSB, the Hollister corridor in Goleta, both Cottage Hospital
locations, and downtown Santa Barbara. The Clean Air Express is funded solely by Measure A and
passenger fares. The service is currently administered by the City of Lompoc and SBCAG is the Clean Air
Express policy board.
5 The farebox recovery ratio for Clean Air Express does not include local funds.
Identify the transit needs of the jurisdiction(s) that have been considered as part of the
transportation planning process, including:
An analysis of the adequacy of existing public transportation and specialized transportation
services, including privately and publicly provided services, to implement the plan to meet
identified transit demand
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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COLT (City of Lompoc Transit)—www.cityoflompoc.com/Transit/colt.htm &
Wine Country Express—http://www1.cityoflompoc.com/transit/WineCountryExpress_revised.pdf
Service Types: Fixed Route & Demand Response, Local & Regional Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio6
FY 2014/15:
o Local Fixed Route: 131,231 / 34%
o Wine Country Express: 12,086 / 50%
o Demand Response: 8 18,834 / 3%
o System-wide: 162,151 / 20%
FY 2015/16:
o Fixed Route: 119,082 / 35%
o Demand Response: 8 17,891 / 0%
o System-wide: 138,306 / 26%
COLT provides service within Lompoc, Mission Hills, and Vandenberg Village from 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Monday through Friday, and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. COLT also operates a shuttle to Santa
Barbara, via Buellton, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The shuttle makes one round trip per day, leaving
Lompoc at 8:30 AM and departing from Santa Barbara at 3:30 PM.
Lompoc also operates the Wine County Express, which started providing service in August 2008 to
Lompoc, Buellton, and Solvang. Three round trips leave Lompoc each weekday at 7:25 AM, 1:00 PM, and
4:45 PM. The last return trip leaves Solvang at 5:25 PM. In FY 16/17 Saturday service has been
implemented.
County of Santa Barbara Transit – Cuyama Transit
Service Types: Deviated Fixed Route, Regional Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio7
FY 2014/15: 651 / 8%
FY 2015/16: 688 / 11%
Cuyama Transit provides service to Cuyama Valley residents on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8:30
AM and 4:00 PM. Cuyama Transit provides service within the Cuyama Valley in northeast Santa Barbara
County, and to the Orcutt/Santa Maria region. In December 2010, Cuyama Transit received an ADA
6 COLT’s ratios include local funds.
7 County transit services do not receive local funds.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 15
accessible, 12-passenger cutaway bus with room for two wheelchairs, which replaced its non-ADA
accessible 12-passenger van.
Easy Lift—www.easylift.org
Service Types: Demand Response, Local & Regional Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio8
FY 2014/15: 58,971 / 66%
FY 2015/16: 58,645 / 70%
Easy Lift Transportation is the designated Coordinated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA) on the Santa
Barbara South Coast. Easy Lift Transportation provides wheelchair-accessible transportation for senior
citizens and people with disabilities. Easy Lift’s service area includes all of south Santa Barbara County.
Easy Lift is the only public dial-a-ride service in south Santa Barbara County for South County residents
who have a physical or cognitive impairment that excludes them from using fixed route transit (on MTD).
Easy Lift provides service Monday through Friday from 5:25 AM to midnight, Saturday from 6:00 AM to
11:20 PM, and Sunday from 6:20 AM to 10:45 PM.
Guadalupe Transit
Ridership (System-wide) / Farebox Recovery Ratio (System-wide)9
FY 2014/15: 105,572 / 22%
FY 2015/16: 101,423 / 18%
Guadalupe Transit operates three services: the Guadalupe Flyer, the Guadalupe Shuttle, and ADA curb-
to-curb service for disabled residents.
Guadalupe Flyer
Service Types: Fixed Route, Regional Service
Ridership
FY 2014/15: 76,466
FY 2015/16: 72,218
The Flyer operates Monday through Friday from 6:15 AM to 7:15 PM and Saturday from 8:15 AM to 5:15
PM, providing one-hour loops between 13 stops in Guadalupe and three stops in Santa Maria. The service
is ADA accessible.
8 Easy Lift’s ratios include local funds.
9 Guadalupe does not use local funds for transit.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
16
Guadalupe Shuttle—http://smoothinc.org/Shuttle.html
Service Types: Fixed (Deviated) Route, Local Service
Ridership
FY 2014/15: 27,943
FY 2015/16: 27,602
The Shuttle operates as a “deviated route” service within the City of Guadalupe, Monday through Friday
from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The service is ADA accessible.
Guadalupe ADA
Service Type: Demand Response, Regional Service
Ridership
FY 2014/15: 1,163
FY 2015/16: 1,603
The ADA service for eligible residents with disabilities mirrors the Flyer schedule hours and is available
within Guadalupe city limits and into Santa Maria. The service is ADA accessible.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 17
MTD (Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District)—www.sbmtd.gov
Service Types: Fixed Route, Local & Regional Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio10
FY 2014/15: 7,446,869 / 35%
FY 2015/16: 6,884,198 / 32%
MTD, the largest transit service provider in Santa Barbara County, provides fixed route service seven days
a week. It serves approximately 52 square miles in the southern area of Santa Barbara County, between
the Ventura County border to the east and Winchester Canyon at the western edge of Goleta. It
encompasses the communities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland, and Isla
Vista, and serves nearly 800 bus stops. Service on MTD’s 51 transit routes (28 regular routes and 23 school
boosters) begins as early as 5:30 AM and runs as late as midnight. Americans with Disabilities Act
paratransit service is provided by Easy Lift Transportation under a Memorandum of Understanding.
SLORTA (San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority) Route 10
Service Type: Fixed Route, Regional (Inter-County) Service
SLORTA Route 10 connects Santa Maria with stops throughout San Luis Obispo County. It operates Monday
through Friday from 5:45 AM to 9:45 PM, Saturday from 7:15 AM to 8:45 PM, and Sunday from 8:15 AM to
6:45 PM. In Santa Maria, it serves the SMAT Transit Center, the Amtrak station, the Greyhound station,
Allan Hancock College, and Marian Medical Center. It also serves Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State
University) in San Luis Obispo.
SMAT (Santa Maria Area Transit)—www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/3075.html &
Breeze—www.breezebus.com
Service Types: Fixed Route & Demand Response, Local & Regional Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio11
FY 2014/15:
o Local Fixed Route: 813,023 / 26%
o Breeze (100 & 200): 75,270 / 27%
o Demand Response: 32,513 / 13%
o Systemwide: 920,806 / 24%
10 MTD’s figures do not include local funds.
11 SMAT’s ratios include local funds.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
18
FY 2015/16:
o Local Fixed Route: 753,698 / 19%
o Breeze (100 & 200): 61,281 / 24%
o Demand Response: 31,461 / 11%
o Systemwide: 846,440 / 19%
SMAT, the largest transit service provider in North Santa Barbara County, provides fixed route and
demand response service Monday through Friday from 5:30 AM to 10:30 PM, Saturday from 7:30 AM to
7:10 PM, and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 7:10 PM. It operates 8 routes, serving Santa Maria, Orcutt, and
Tanglewood.
Santa Maria also operates the Breeze bus, which serves Santa Maria, Orcutt, Vandenberg Air Force Base
(VAFB), Vandenberg Village, Lompoc, Los Alamos, and Santa Ynez from 5:45 AM to 6:30 PM Monday
through Friday. A pilot service to Los Alamos, Buellton, and Solvang was put into service in January
2013, the Breeze 200. The Breeze 200 runs three times a day in the morning, mid-day, and evening. In
FY 16/17, Saturday service has been implemented.
SMOOTH
See Specialized Transportation Services.
SYVT (Santa Ynez Valley Transit)—www.syvt.com
Service Types: Fixed Route & Demand Response, Local Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio (System-wide)12
FY 2014/15:
o Fixed Route: 38,130
o Demand Response: 6,195
o System-wide: 44,325 / 11%
FY 2015/16:
o Fixed Route: 35,913
o Demand Response: 5,989
o System-wide: 41,902 / 10%
Santa Ynez Valley Transit (SYVT) serves Buellton, Solvang, Ballard, Los Olivos, and Santa Ynez with two
fixed routes and a complementary paratransit service. The service operates Monday through Saturday,
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. SYVT also provides a general public demand-response (Dial-A-Ride) service on
Sundays from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
12 SYVT’s ratios include local funds.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 19
VISTA—www.vistabus.org
Service Types: Fixed Route, Regional (Inter-County) Service
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio
FY 2014/15: 256,990 / 48%
FY 2015/16: 285,625 / 29%
The VISTA service to Santa Barbara is managed and funded jointly by the Ventura County Transportation
Commission (VCTC) and SBCAG, with VCTC acting as the lead agency. VISTA connects the Cities of
Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Oxnard with daily bi-directional service, operating 53
weekday trips between 4:30 AM and 9:45 PM, and 20 daily trips on weekends between 7:00 AM and 7:30
PM. Primary areas of service include UCSB, the Hollister corridor in Goleta, both Cottage Hospital
locations, downtown Santa Barbara, the hotel area along East Beach, and the corporate park and
downtown areas in Carpinteria. Demand on some peak-hour trips exceeds the seating capacity.
Wine Country Express
See COLT.
The table below summarizes the transit systems in the County.
Table 2: Transit Systems in Santa Barbara County (does not include CTSAs)
Transit System Urb
an o
r
Rura
l
Fix
ed R
oute
or
Dem
and
Resp
onse
Local,
Regio
nal,
Inte
rregio
nal,
or
Inte
rcounty
Com
mute
r
Breeze Bus U FR R X
Clean Air Express U FR R X
Coastal Express Limited U FR IC X
COLT U FR, DR L, R
Cuyama Transit R FR (Deviated) L, R
Easy Lift (as MTD paratransit operator) U DR L, R
Guadalupe Flyer R FR R
Guadalupe Shuttle R FR (Deviated) L
Guadalupe Transit ADA R DR R
MTD U FR L, R X
SLORTA Route 10 U FR IC
SMAT U FR, DR L
SYVT R FR, DR L
VISTA Coastal Express U FR IC X
Wine Country Express U FR R X
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
20
The table below provides ridership data for all transit systems. Approximately 81% of transit riders use
MTD.
Table 3: Transit Ridership, FY 2011/12 to FY 2015/16
Transit System FY 11/12 FY 12/13 FY 13/14 FY 14/15 FY 15/16 % Change FY15
to FY16
Breeze 51,462 56,885 61,637 75,270 61,281 -19%
Clean Air Express 222,432 216,932 212,211 227,770 192,375 -16%
Coastal Express
Limited 13,545 39,948 45,707 40,244 n/a
COLT 139,476 134,171 146,702 150,065 138,306 -8%
Cuyama Transit 997 978 1,005 651 688 6%
Easy Lift 51,599 51,484 54,444 58,971 58,645 -1%
Guadalupe Flyer 87,160 78,791 83,017 76,466 72,218 -6%
Guadalupe Shuttle 24,847 16,083 25,127 27,943 27,602 -1%
Guadalupe ADA 852 1,004 881 1,163 1,603 38%
Los Alamos Shuttle 1,776 n/a
MTD 7,948,409 7,774,329 7,623,845 7,446,869 6,884,198 -8%
SMAT (FR & DR)* 866,712 868,437 863,292 845,536 785,159 -7%
SMOOTH CTSA 62,043 65,774 72,662 74,511 77,606 4%
SYVT (FR & DR) 50,936 47436 47,294 44,325 41,902 -5%
VISTA Coastal
Express 311,827 272,913 266,507 256,990 285,625 11%
Wine Country
Express** 11,639 11,443 11,124 12,086 n/a
Total 9,845,712 9,636,608 9,515,455 9,338,860 8,627,208 -8%
Source: Transit providers
FR = Fixed Route, DR = Demand Response
*This figure does not include the Breeze.
**Beginning FY 15/16, included in COLT figures
Total countywide transit ridership declined by approximately eight percent to 8.6 million in FY 2015/16,
compared to the prior fiscal year. The figure below displays the overall ridership trend. The trend has
inversely tracked an improving economy and lower gas prices, and may also be due in part to increased
service efficiencies, such as requiring fewer transfers. The downward trend has been realized across
California and is not limited to the SBCAG region.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 21
Figure 4: Total Transit Ridership, FY 2011/12 to FY 2015/16
INTERCITY TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
Amtrak—www.amtrak.com
Ridership (boardings and alightings):
FY 2014/1513
o Carpinteria: 29,461
o Goleta: 75,677
o Guadalupe: 12,718
o Lompoc-Surf: 8,158
o Santa Barbara: 333,994
FY 2015/1614
o Carpinteria: 30,762
o Goleta: 76,286
o Guadalupe: 12,227
o Lompoc-Surf: 7,921
o Santa Barbara: 338,069
Amtrak provides passenger service in Santa Barbara County through a coordinated system of rail and bus
service. Amtrak has train stations in Carpinteria, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc-Surf, and Santa Barbara,
13 Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2015, State of California,
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/736/509/CALIFORNIA15.pdf
14 Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2016, State of California,
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/609/387/CALIFORNIA16.pdf
8,000,000
8,500,000
9,000,000
9,500,000
10,000,000
FY 11/12 FY 12/13 FY 13/14 FY 14/15 FY 15/16
Annual Transit Ridership in Santa Barbara County
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
22
and bus stops in Buellton, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang. State law requires that trips on Amtrak
include at least one train segment.
Greyhound—www.greyhound.com
Greyhound provides passenger bus service in Santa Barbara County with stations in Santa Barbara and
Santa Maria. There are as many as 10 departures per day, dependent upon the location and destination.
The Santa Barbara station is at 224 Chapala Street, next to the Amtrak train station. The Santa Maria
station was recently relocated to the Santa Maria Transit Center.
SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
SMOOTH (Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers)
Service Types: Specialized Transportation, Regional Service
SMOOTH provides transportation in Northern Santa Barbara County and operates as a private nonprofit
503(c)(3) corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. SMOOTH’s 36-year mission is to serve
seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income residents of the Central Coast.
SMOOTH is composed of two divisions:
Transit
The first division includes Guadalupe Transit and the Santa Barbara County Health Clinic Shuttle.15 All
transit vehicles are ADA accessible.
Ridership
FY 2014/15: 105,990
FY 2015/16: 101,462
CTSA
The other division is the Consolidated Transportation Service Agency (CTSA), a Santa Barbara County
Association of Governments (SBCAG) designation awarded to SMOOTH in 1999. All CTSA vehicles are ADA
accessible. The CTSA service customers include the following:
Santa Maria City Recreation and Parks District provides weekly transportation for developmentally
disabled adults to a peer group activity center as well as transportation for four local school special
education classes.
15 The Santa Barbara Health Clinic Shuttle is a regional service that picks up passengers at home in Buellton,
Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, and Solvang and takes them to medical appointments in Santa Barbara. The service is fully funded by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and passenger fares. The shuttle operates on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 23
Senior Dial-a-Ride is a demand response service for seniors in Santa Maria and Orcutt who do not qualify
for SMAT’s ADA service or choose not to attempt to establish SMAT ADA eligibility. Service is available
Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Two-day advance reservation is requested. The fare
is $3 per one-way trip and $6 per round-trip.
Special Social Service and Senior Activities provides special event shuttles at reduced or no cost to social
service programs and senior centers.
Tri-Counties Regional Center/R&D Transportation provides service to developmentally disabled adults
in Northern Santa Barbara County traveling to work training facilities, work sites, and day care facilities.
Ridership / Farebox Recovery Ratio16
FY 2014/15: 74,511 / 135%
FY 2015/16: 77,606 / 104%
Student Transportation
In Santa Barbara County, there are 21 public school districts with an enrollment of 67,686 (see Table 15)
and four institutions of higher education with an enrollment of 64,401 (see Table 18). Transportation
services for students vary according to educational institution. In general, public elementary and
secondary schools provide transportation service through contract services—the “yellow school bus”—
based upon established geographic boundaries. This service is supplemented by public transit in both
South and North County.
Allan Hancock College is served by COLT Route 4 (Lompoc campus) and SMAT Routes 3 and 7 (Santa Maria
campus). The Lompoc Campus is also served by Breeze Route 100. The Santa Maria campus is also served
by SLORTA Route 10.
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is served by MTD and Easy Lift. SBCC provides a night shuttle to take
students, faculty, or staff to their cars between 5:45 PM and 10:15 PM. SBCC also provides a medical
tram for students with limited mobility.
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is served by MTD, Easy Lift, and commuter services
including the Clean Air Express and VISTA Coastal Express. UCSB’s Transportation Alternatives Program
(TAP) also coordinates carpools and vanpools—UCSB vanpools currently serve commuters from Santa
Maria, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Solvang, Lompoc, Ventura, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. In addition, Bill’s
Bus (http://bills-bus.com/) links Isla Vista with downtown Santa Barbara.
Westmont College operates several fixed route shuttle services between campus and a number of
locations around Santa Barbara, providing service seven days a week. Dial-A-Ride shuttle service is also
available to take students to specifically requested locations between Carpinteria and UCSB, seven days
a week.
16 SMOOTH CTSA farebox ratios include local funds.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
24
Vanpools
Traffic Solutions, the inter-agency Transportation Demand Management program of the SBCAG, assists
employers and individual commuters to form new vanpools. An incentive program is available for
individuals interested in forming a vanpool – a 50% lease discount for the first month and 25% lease
discount on the second month. In addition, Traffic Solutions offers SmartRide, a comprehensive online
commuter match list program that allows commuters to get up-to-date information about people with
similar commutes and work hours, who are interested in carpooling and vanpooling. The program
generates a personalized commuter match list from which participants can send standardized or
personalized emails to other carpool and vanpool commuters or find out more about bus service in their
area. The SmartRide web-based service also includes the Emergency Ride Home program, a commute
calendar, a commute cost calculator, as well as a host of employer tools for managing commuter benefits
programs. Commuters can visit www.smartride.org or call (805) 963-SAVE to find their optimal rideshare
match.
SBCAG is a participant in the CalVans program, a statewide commuter and farm worker vanpool agency
formed with a joint powers agreement (JPA). The JPA is currently between the councils of governments
in Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sutter,
Tulare, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba counties. CalVans provides support for the formation and operation of
both commuter and farm worker vanpools to all member agency counties. CalVans offers several
advantages over private vanpool companies by providing lower cost vanpools, eliminating credit
requirements for vanpool coordinators, allowing for the vehicle to be returned at any time with no
financial consequences, removing the 30-day lease cancelation requirements, and providing vanpools for
farm workers.
Airport Connectors
Central Coast Shuttle Services provides one-way and round-trip transportation from Santa Maria and
Buellton (and Santa Barbara and Ventura as needed) to LAX.17 The Santa Barbara Airbus provides shuttle
service from Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria to LAX. Roadrunner Shuttle serves all major airports
and points of transportation to and from Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, as well
as the entire Southern California region.
Taxis
There are dozens of taxi services through the County.
Transportation Network Companies
Similar to taxis, though dispatched via mobile apps and operated in personal vehicles, transportation
network companies (TNCs) complement traditional taxi service. Examples include Uber and Lyft.
Misc. Specialized Transportation
Community Partners in Caring (CPC) offers free, volunteer-provided, door-to-door transportation to
seniors in the Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Ynez Valleys. Volunteers are trained and screened.
17 LAX = Los Angeles International Airport
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 25
Services are provided 24/7, dependent upon volunteer availability, to seniors who are alert and
ambulatory.
In addition to the transportation provided by SMOOTH and CPC, various non-profit social service agencies
provide transportation services for their clients. SBCAG, in coordination with SBCTAC, completed a
survey of all social service agencies in the Community Resources Directory, or CRIS Directory, in
November 2006.18 79 of 1,200 agencies responded; more than half of the respondents indicated they
provide transportation services. Eleven agencies indicated that a CTSA (Easy Lift or SMOOTH) provided
transportation services to their clients.
ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
Transportation service is available in every region of Santa Barbara County, including even the remote
Cuyama Valley (see Table 4). Service is provided not only within each urbanized area, but also between
urbanized areas. Passengers can get from essentially any area of the County to any other area using
public transit. They can also travel into the neighboring counties of Ventura and San Luis Obispo. Service
is also available for those who are unable to ride traditional fixed-route transit.
According to a survey conducted during the preparation of Transportation Connections, the needs of
most clients of social service agencies, who are likely to be transit-dependent, can be met with service
running between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM on weekdays. Service between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Saturday,
and nighttime service on weekdays is also helpful. Many transit operators in the County already provide
service meeting these criteria.
61% of the County’s population lives within ¼ mile19 of a bus stop and 81% of the population lives within
½ mile20 of a bus stop. In addition, 82% of the County’s jobs are within ¼ mile of a bus stop.21
Although significant transit service is available for the residents of Santa Barbara County, there is always
room for improvement. Service may not be available at all times or on all days. Travel between some
areas may require the use of several different services. The next chapter describes some of the
improvements service providers have made to address transit demand.
18 See SBCAG’s November 2007 report, Transportation Connections: Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services
Transportation Plan for Santa Barbara County, for more information.
19 SBCAG’s Regional Transportation Plan lists “Percent Population within ¼ Mile of Route” as a performance
measure for transit mobility/accessibility.
20 One-half mile is the distance used to identify transit priority projects for California Senate Bill 375.
21 This percentage was computed in Maptitude by creating bands around bus stops and calculating the overlay with
traffic analysis zones (TAZs). Assumptions: bus stops as of 2007, TAZ employment totals from 2000 Census.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
26
Table 4: Areas Served by Transit
Bre
eze B
us
Cle
an A
ir E
xpre
ss
CO
LT
Cuyam
a T
ransi
t
Easy
Lif
t (a
s M
TD
para
transi
t
pro
vid
er)
Guadalu
pe F
lyer
Guadalu
pe S
hutt
le
Guadalu
pe A
DA
MTD
SM
AT
SYVT
VIS
TA C
oast
al Expre
ss
Win
e C
ountr
y E
xpre
ss
SLO
RTA R
oute
10
Ballard X
Buellton X X X X
Carpinteria
X
X
X
Cuyama X
Goleta X
X
X
X
Guadalupe X X X
Isla Vista
X
X
Lompoc X X X X
Los Alamos X
Los Olivos X
Mission Hills
X
Montecito X X
New Cuyama
X
Orcutt X X
Santa Barbara X
X
X
X
Santa Maria X X X X X X X
Santa Ynez
X
Solvang X X X X
Summerland
X
X
VAFB X
Vandenberg Village X X
Ventura X
Allan Hancock (L) X
X
Allan Hancock (SM) X X
SBCC
X
X
UCSB X X X X
Westmont
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 27
CHAPTER 5. SERVICE EXPANSIONS & IMPROVEMENTS
This chapter analyzes the potential of alternative public transportation and specialized transportation
services and service improvements to meet all or part of the transit demand.
Transportation service providers, as well as SBCAG and SBCTAC, continually evaluate changing transit
demand. In addition to information gathered during the Transit Needs Assessment, transit agencies hold
public workshops and update Short Range Transit Plans, and SBCAG develops a coordinated public transit-
human services transportation plan (Transportation Connections) and published the North County Transit
Plan (2016). Over the years, these efforts have generated several requests for service expansions and
improvements. Transit providers fulfilled some of these requests because they were found to be unmet
needs reasonable to meet, while in other cases they made improvements even when the requests were
not—according to the criteria—reasonable to meet. Recent service improvements are identified below.
Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) Evening Service Realignment: SMAT has received requests for
expanded and simplified evening transit service. Currently, two routes provide evening service,
though neither operates during the day. With the soon-to-be-implemented changes, evening service
will be provided on established day-time routes to simplify scheduling and improve the rider
experience.
Saturday North County Intercity Service: Based on previous service requests received during the
Unmet Transit Needs processes of previous years, as well as through other channels, intercity service
in the North County began in FY 16/17. This includes Breeze routes 100 and 200, the Wine County
Express, and the Clean Air Express’ service between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara which
currently operates as a pilot. These service enhancements are being made possible by the State’s
Low-Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP).
Identify the transit needs of the jurisdiction(s) that have been considered as part of the
transportation planning process, including:
An analysis of potential alternative public transportation and specialized transportation
services and service improvements that would meet all or part of the transit demand
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 29
CHAPTER 6. TRANSPORTATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT & FINDINGS
Despite the efforts of the county’s transportation service providers, unmet transit needs may remain.
Identifying these needs is the first, critical step in the Transit Needs Assessment process. This chapter
describes how SBCAG solicits public input, analyzes the input to determine whether or not unmet transit
needs exist and, if any unmet transit needs exist, determines whether or not they are reasonable to
meet. Copies of public notices, flyers, etc., are included in Appendices C and D.
PUBLIC INPUT
SBCAG held its Santa Barbara County Unmet Transit Needs Public Hearings on Thursday, January 19,
2017, in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room in Santa Maria, with remote access from the Santa
Barbara hearing location. An interpreter was available to translate public comments from Spanish to
English.
SBCAG noticed the public hearing using a variety of means:
Newspapers (more than 30 days prior to the January 19 hearing): Santa Barbara News Press, Lompoc
Record, Santa Maria Times, Space Country Times, and the Santa Ynez Valley News. SBCAG also
distributed a press release in English and Spanish to the newspapers in advance of the January hearing.
Websites: SBCAG, City of Goleta website
Posted Flyers: North County libraries, major North County transit stops, COLT and SMAT buses, mobile
home communities, and Allan Hancock College
E-Mailed Flyers: persons who have requested notice, Community Action Commission, Life Options,
Vocational Resource Center, Goodwill Industries, Lompoc Senior Center, Catholic Charities, and the
roughly 300 person SBCTAC email list (the list includes public, transit and social services representatives,
elected officials, and members of SBCTAC).
In addition to SBCAG’s hearing, the public had the opportunity to give input at several other workshops.
North County public transit agencies COLT and SMAT held workshops in late 2016:
City of Lompoc Transit (COLT)
Identify the unmet transit needs of the jurisdiction and those needs that are reasonable to meet.
Conduct at least one public hearing for the purpose of soliciting comments on unmet transit
needs that may exist within the jurisdiction and that might be reasonable to meet by
establishing or contracting for new public transportation or specialized transportation services
or by expanding existing services.
Adopt by resolution a finding for the jurisdiction after consideration of all available information
that:
There are no unmet transit needs,
There are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet, or
There are unmet transit needs, including needs that are reasonable to meet.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
30
Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 6:00 PM, Lompoc City Hall
Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT)
Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 5:30 PM, Santa Maria Public Library
Noticing for these local unmet needs workshops was provided in local newspapers, via flyers posted on
bus stops and on local COLT and SMAT buses and bus stops, and (in the case of the Lompoc workshop) via
local television and radio public service announcements. Notices were provided in both English and
Spanish.
SBCAG also accepted input via mail, e-mail, and telephone up until January 27, 2017. Requests received
through the public input process are analyzed in the following section.
ANALYSIS
Not all requests are applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment. The Assessment applies only to
jurisdictions not dedicating all TDA funds for transit in FY 2016-17. In this cycle, the Transit Needs
Assessment is only applicable to the unincorporated North Santa Barbara County. As the other
jurisdictions already dedicate all TDA funds for transit, they have no additional TDA funds to meet any
unmet needs. Therefore, requests concerning Buellton, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, and
MTD (including Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Barbara, and unincorporated South Santa Barbara County) were
not considered in this analysis. The Clean Air Express does not use TDA funds for its service, and
therefore, requests pertaining to the Clean Air Express are not applicable.
Within the guidelines of TDA, requests concerning operational service issues22 are also inapplicable.
Similarly, requests for changes to the transit system do not apply; such requests are more appropriate
for a Short Range Transit Plan. Table 5 summarizes examples of the types of requests not applicable to
the transit needs assessment.
Table 5: Requests Not Applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment
Type of Request Reason Request Not Applicable to TNA
More bus service on east side of Santa Barbara Already using all TDA funds for transit
Better lighting in bus shelters Operational issue
Reconfigure routes to run east-west and north-south Requires change to transit system configuration best addressed in update of local Short Range Transit Plan
Also, some requests are too general to analyze. Requests for “out of town trips” and “afternoon service,”
for example, do not provide adequate specificity for analysis. However, SBCAG will forward all requests
to the appropriate transit operators for their consideration in service planning and operations.
All comments received are included in Appendix D: Transit Agency Workshops, Appendix E: SBCAG Public
Hearing Comments, and Appendix F: Other Public Comments.
22 Operational issues include, but are not limited to, the adequacy or location of bus stops, minor route
improvements, marketing, and service reliability.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 31
SBCAG evaluated the applicable requests using the Board-adopted definition of “unmet transit need”
and the adopted criteria for “reasonable to meet,” shown below. For the purposes of TDA, each RTPA
determines its own definition of “unmet transit need” and criteria for “reasonable to meet.” Therefore,
an unmet transit need as expressed by the public may not be the same as an unmet transit need as
defined by SBCAG for the purposes of the Transit Needs Assessment.
Figure 5: Definition—Unmet Transit Need
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
32
Figure 6: Criteria—Reasonable to Meet
The reasonable to meet analysis, as is typical, requires estimating several factors related to the new or
expanded service requested, including operating cost, ridership, fare revenue, and other performance
measures. Such estimations can be difficult to make, especially when no comparable service exists.
SBCAG used the following assumptions to make estimations for requests in this cycle.
Operating Cost per Revenue Hour (FY 2015/16):
City of Lompoc Transit $47.69
Santa Maria Area Transit $62.37
Santa Barbara MTD $113.12
Santa Ynez Valley Transit $71.29
Guadalupe Transit $69.32
Passengers per Revenue Hour (FY 2015/16)23:
City of Lompoc Transit 9.09
Santa Maria Area Transit 12.20
23 These figures are averages. It is important to remember that ridership can vary widely by time of day and day
of week, and between different routes on a service.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 33
Santa Barbara MTD 32.62
Santa Ynez Valley Transit 4.26
Guadalupe Transit 16.54
Average Fare per Passenger (FY 2015/16):
City of Lompoc Transit $0.77
Santa Maria Area Transit $0.89
Santa Barbara MTD $1.10
Santa Ynez Valley Transit $1.37
Guadalupe Transit $0.79
Annual Increase:
Operating Cost per Revenue Hour24 3%
Average Fare per Passenger25 0%
Passengers per Revenue Hour 5%
As shown, one of the requirements relates to farebox recovery ratio. One of the best tools for evaluating
a transit system’s performance is through its farebox recovery ratio. This ratio is calculated by dividing
the overall revenue received through rider fares or tickets sold by the total cost to provide the service.
For urban fixed route services, the required farebox recovery ratio under TDA is 20 percent—getting $1
back for every $5 spent on a service. For rural services, the required farebox recovery ratio under TDA
is 10 percent—getting $0.50 back for every $5 spent on service. Farebox recovery ratios vary by area
and by service. Table 6 shows the farebox recovery ratios for transit systems throughout the County
during FY 2015/16.
24 Source: North Santa Barbara County Transit Plan (2006), p. 9-12.
25 Although the North Santa Barbara County Transit Plan assumes a 3% annual increase, fares generally do not
increase linearly, but rather as step functions. For a long-range plan such as the North Santa Barbara County Transit Plan, fare increases may average out to 3% per year, but for a short-range plan such as the Transit Needs Assessment, it is not reasonable to assume fares will increase during the three-year period.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Table 6: FY 2015/16 Farebox Recovery Ratios
Operator Category Required1 Actual Actual w/o Local
Support
Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD)2
Urbanized 20% 32% 32%
City of Santa Maria3 Urbanized 15%4 19% 17%
City of Lompoc5 Urbanized 15%/20%6 26% 16%
Santa Ynez Valley Transit (SYVT)7 Non-
Urbanized 10% 10%
8%
City of Guadalupe8 Non-
Urbanized 10% 18%
18%
County of Santa Barbara9 Non-
Urbanized 10% 11%
8%
Easy Lift10 Specialized 10% 70% 47%
Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH)11
Specialized 10% 104% 100%
1) Systemwide/fixed route requirements. Operators that provide specialized demand response service may calculate demand response ratio separately, which must meet 10% on its own.
2) MTD ratio does not include local funds.
3) Santa Maria ratio includes SMAT local fixed route and demand response, and Breeze. Includes local funds.
4) SBCAG has set the required farebox recovery ratio for Santa Maria at 15% for FY 2015/16. See SBCAG Resolution 14-35.
5) Lompoc ratio includes COLT local fixed route (including Santa Barbara Shuttle) and demand response, and Wine Country Express. Includes local funds.
6) SBCAG has set the required farebox recovery ratio for Lompoc at 15% for one year and three years thereafter (FY 2014/15 and FYs 2015/16 through 2017/18). See SBCAG Resolutions 14-01 and 14-34.
7) SYVT ratio includes fixed route and demand response. Includes local funds.
8) Guadalupe ratio includes Guadalupe Flyer, Guadalupe Shuttle, and Guadalupe ADA. Does not include local funds.
9) County ratio reflects Cuyama Transit. Does include local funds.
10) Easy Lift ratio includes local funds.
11) SMOOTH ratio includes local funds.
All farebox statistics are self reported.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 35
UNMET TRANSIT NEEDS ANALYSIS
This section shows the analysis of individual requests for “unmet transit need” status. The table below lists requests that are unmet transit
needs.
Table 8 lists requests that are not unmet transit needs. The requests are either already met by existing service, or they do not meet the definition
of unmet transit need because they are either general comments or focused on operational issues.
Many of the requests identified do not meet the Board’s adopted definition of an unmet transit need that is reasonable to meet through new or
expanded service. In areas where the transit operator is expending all available TDA funding on transit, SBCAG is not required to make findings
regarding the existence of unmet transit needs. In addition, operational issues not requiring new or expanded services (e.g., adding benches,
screening passengers on boarding, changes in fare structure, etc.) do not require findings by the SBCAG Board. It should be noted, however,
that all requests are forwarded to the transit operators for use in service planning.
Table 7: Comments that are Unmet Transit Needs
Comment Identifying an Unmet Transit Need Source
CITY OF SANTA MARIA
Santa Maria High School students feel there is inadequate service and it does not stay on schedule
Abraham Melendez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
SANTA BARBARA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT DISTRICT
Route 7 does not provide enough service for the mobile home community Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL
Increased frequency of service between the Good Samaritan Bridge House Shelter and Lompoc (unmet need met as of April 15, 2017)
Jack Boysen, Tom Jenkins, Sylvia Bernard (SBCAG Hearing)
Regular 60 or 90-minute all day service between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Jacob Lesner-Buxton (Email), Myrna Heldfond (Email)
Earlier Clean Air Express Service between Lompoc and Goleta, arriving by 6:00 AM Arlene Torres-Dombrowski (Email), Daniel Gonzales (Email)
Later Clean Air Express service from Buellton to Santa Barbara, arriving around 8:30 AM and departing after 5:00 PM
Angie Robuck (Email)
Service between Lompoc and Santa Barbara on Saturdays and Sundays Tony (Email)
There is no convenient service for traveling from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria, including the Clean Air Express
Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Comment on when she was a UCSB student she wanted better Santa Barbara to Santa Maria service
Joana Barrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Comment Identifying an Unmet Transit Need Source
My brother has difficulty traveling between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Abraham Melendez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Table 8: Comments that are Not Applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment
Comment Source Reason Not Applicable Notes
Region-wide (Not directed at a particular service)
Transit service should not be subsidized, particularly for choice riders
Tom Becker (SBCAG Hearing) General comment
The Transportation Development Act is outdated and designed for a more rural State
Director Das Williams (SBCAG Hearing)
General comment
The County should stop spending TDA on streets and roads
Director Das Williams (SBCAG Hearing)
General comment
Provide service on holidays Mary Foster (Email) General comment This comment is not directed at a particular service or geographic area.
The Transportation Development Act is a civil rights statute
Marc Chytilo (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Transportation Development Act funds are to be used exclusively for transit
Marc Chytilo (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
SBCAG fails to reach out populations in the outreach process
Marc Chytilo (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
The SBCAG Board should not approve the Transit Needs Assessment findings and should consider other ways to use the available funding.
Marc Chytilo (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
The reasonable to meet criteria make it virtually impossible to find improvements.
Marc Chytilo (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Comments recapping the January public hearing
Ken Hough (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Agree with Director Williams that the TDA is outdated and applicable only to rural areas
Ken Hough (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 37
Comment Source Reason Not Applicable Notes
Requests available TDA funds are held in reserve (instead of allocated to streets and roads)
Ken Hough (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
There are other sources of funding for streets and roads available
Ken Hough (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Transit service is a right Hilario Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
The community needs shade and benches at transit stops, crosswalks, and better opportunities for transportation, and also transit is necessary for some people
Hilario Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Operational issue, General comment
Would like to see better parks and more funding for public improvements
Hilario Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Would like to see more buses and more morning and evening service
Blanca Ortiz (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment This comment is not directed at a particular service or geographic area.
Requests more weekend and evening service
Joana Barrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment This comment is not directed at a particular service or geographic area.
(TDA) funding should be directed to public transit
Joana Barrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Some people rely on public transportation Joana Barrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Noted he is a former transit user Abraham Melendez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Transit service is an issue for service sector workers
Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Requests more money is spent on transit Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Comment notes support for north to south buses (presumably the Clean Air Express)
Zoila Cabrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Cars are Basic wants everyone to be prosperous
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Cars are Basis is a multicultural group Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Comment Source Reason Not Applicable Notes
Cars are basic wants every human being legally in this country to have good paying jobs so they are not dependent on government for anything
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Former SBCAG Board member Carbajal said Lompoc is an armpit and he said it about other communities too
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Former SBCAG Board member Carbajal was talking about the people of Lompoc being armpits
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Lompoc is rough around the edges, but its people are mostly good
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
John Podesta said the Democratic Party needs needy Hispanics to win elections
Tom Becker (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Requests the SBCAG Board reconsider allocating TDA funding to streets and roads and SB 1 may negate the need to use TDA funding for streets and roads
Cameron Gray (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
This (Transit Needs Assessment) is a transportation equity issue
Cameron Gray (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Revisit the definitions when new services are proposed for the purpose of equity
Cameron Gray (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Lompoc (including the Wine Country Express and applicable Clean Air Express service)
The Good Samaritan Shelter is in the unincorporated County
Director James Mosby (SBCAG Hearing)
General comment
SBCAG should find the money to implement service to the Good Samaritan Shelter
Director Steve Lavignino (SBCAG Hearing)
General comment
COLT buses should operate on demand, like Uber
Justin Ruhge (Email) General comment
Add a Clean Air Express stop at the Albertson’s Shopping Center on North H. Street
Cary Rosson (Email) Operational Issue
Provide more clear Clean Air Express schedules
Manuel (Email) General comment
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 39
Comment Source Reason Not Applicable Notes
Add a bus stop across the street from the Filmore School.
Mrs. Byrd (Lompoc workshop) Operational issue COLT will re-align routes when the transit center is completed
Santa Maria (including Breeze Routes and applicable Clean Air Express service)
Provide safe transportation options for kids
Teresa Rayburn (SBCAG Hearing) General comment
Expand transit service to the North County Branch Jail when it opens
Tom Jenkins (SBCAG Hearing) Future need
Enforce rules at the Santa Maria Transit Center
Kerry Hall (SBCAG Hearing) General comment
Better maintain buses Kerry Hall (SBCAG Hearing) General comment
Better serve customers that have been passed by a bus
Kerry Hall (SBCAG Hearing) General comment
Incorporate the unused bus stop on Miller Street between San Ysidro Street and Santa Maria Way into a regular bus route
Nelly Emerson (Letter), Ken Hough (Email)
Operational issue
Re-time the Breeze 100 to better align with COLT’s service in Lompoc
Linda (Letter) Operational issue
Provide more direct service between Preisker Park and Betteravia/Miller
Bobbi Thompson (Email) Operational issue
Bus service between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara is poor compared to the VISTA service
Steve Johnson (Email) General comment
The Santa Maria YMCA and Boys and Girls Club are conducting a survey regarding teen transit
Jeremy Deming (Email) General comment
New buses are needed on the Breeze 100 route
L. Berber (Email), Suzanne de st. Jean (Email)
Operational issue Santa Maria is expecting delivery of new buses in the coming months
Add a Clean Air Express stop in Los Alamos Mary Snow (Email) Operational issue
Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Comment Source Reason Not Applicable Notes
Shelters and shade are needed in Santa Barbara and lighting is needed in Isla Vista
Ana Rico (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Operational issue
Route 3 sometimes runs late Ana Rico (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Operational issue
Route 7 timing is not convenient for accessing social services
Ana Rico (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Operational issue
Comment notes support for Route 5 and mentions that many people transport kids on the route
Zoila Cabrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
Shelter is needed at bus stops, particularly for mothers with children
Zoila Cabrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Operational issue
Routes 23 and 25 are popular with seniors and should be made more convenient for that population
Zoila Cabrera (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
General comment
When possible, SBCAG works with transit providers to address requests that are not applicable to the Transit Needs Assessment process. For
example, over the last several years SBCAG received requests for Saturday service on the North County’s intercity bus routes. This request did
not meet the definition of an unmet transit need or the reasonable to meet criteria due to the operators of the services already spending all of
their TDA funding on transit. However, when new funding became available from other sources, SBCAG staff worked with the North County’s
transit providers to fund the requested service.
SBCAG forwards all requests and comments to the appropriate transit operators.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • 41
REASONABLE TO MEET ANALYSIS
Requests for new or improved transit services, meeting the adopted “Unmet Transit Need” definition,
are analyzed to determine if they meet the adopted “Reasonable to Meet” criteria. SBCAG has identified
the expressed unmet transit needs for all jurisdictions. However, only the County of Santa Barbara, as
a representative of the unincorporated County outside of the MTD service area, has proposed spending
TDA funding on non-transit purposes. All of the region’s other TDA claimants spend all TDA for transit
purposes. Therefore, unmet transit needs identified for those jurisdictions are not reasonable to meet
per Criterion #4: The proposed service would not cause a claimant to incur expenses in excess of the
maximum allocation of TDA funds. For each of these unmet transit needs, presented in the following
table, improvements would cause other TDA claimants to incur expenses in excess of their maximum
allocation of TDA funds.
Table 9: Unmet Transit Needs in Jurisdictions using all TDA for Transit Purposes
Unmet Transit Need Source
CITY OF SANTA MARIA
Enhanced service serving the Santa Maria High School Abraham Melendez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
SANTA BARBARA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT DISTRICT
Additional service to the mobile home community along MTD Route 7 Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL
Improved service between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria26 Joanna Barrera, Abraham Melendez, Frank Rodriguez (May 18, 2017 SBCAG Board meeting)
Regular all day service between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria27 Jacob Lesner-Buxton (Email), Myrna Heldfond (Email)
Earlier Clean Air Express Service between Lompoc and Goleta28 Arlene Torres-Dombrowski (Email), Daniel Gonzales (Email)
Later Clean Air Express service from Buellton to Santa Barbara Angie Robuck (Email)
Service between Lompoc and Santa Barbara on Saturdays and Sundays
Tony (Email)
There was one additional unmet transit need identified through the Transit Needs Assessment process
that required further analysis. However, this unmet transit need was met through voluntary transit
service improvements implemented by the City of Lompoc in coordination with the County of Santa
Barbara. This unmet transit need and the resulting improvements are described in the following section.
26 This unmet transit need summarizes three similar requests.
27 This unmet transit need summarizes two similar requests.
28 This unmet transit need summarizes two similar requests.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Increased Frequency of Service between the Good Samaritan Bridge House Shelter and Lompoc
The Bridge House Shelter is located in the unincorporated County a short distance west of the City of
Lompoc. CA 246 connects the shelter to the City and includes the Robinson Bridge over the Santa Ynez
River. The Robinson Bridge has no bicycle or pedestrian accommodation and has a posted speed limit
of 50 miles per hour. The City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) had offered one AM and one PM trip to the
shelter on weekdays. Shelter representatives requested additional transit service between the City
and the shelter. The City of Lompoc staff, working collaboratively with staff from the County of Santa
Barbara worked to voluntarily improve the transit service to the shelter. The improvements include
two additional weekday and two new Saturday trips to the shelter provided by COLT, scheduled with
the input of shelter staff, and the County providing transit passes to shelter residents. SBCAG staff
checked with shelter staff to confirm that the improvements satisfy the unmet need and shelter staff
confirmed that they do. There, however, remains the long-term issue of improving the bicycle and
pedestrian connection between the shelter and the City.
FINDINGS
As explained in Chapter 1, SBCAG must find that either
There are no unmet transit needs,
There are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet, or
There are unmet transit needs, including needs that are reasonable to meet.
After conducting the transit needs assessment for the FY 2017/18 TDA cycle, for the reasons discussed above, SBCAG's analysis concludes that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • i
APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS & DEFINITIONS
A
ACS American Community Survey
C
COLT City of Lompoc Transit
CTSA Consolidated Transportation Service Agency
F
FY Fiscal Year
L
LTF Local Transportation Fund
M
MTD Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
P
PUC Public Utilities Code
R
RTPA Regional Transportation Planning Agency
S
SBCAG Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
SBCTAC Santa Barbara County Transit Advisory Committee
SLORTA San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
ii
SMAT Santa Maria Area Transit
SMOOTH Santa Maria Organization of Transit Helpers
SSTAC Social Services Transportation Advisory Council
STA State Transit Assistance
SYVT Santa Ynez Valley Transit
T
TDA Transportation Development Act
TNC Transportation Network Company
TTAC Technical Transportation Advisory Committee
V
VAFB Vandenberg Air Force Base
VISTA Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • iii
APPENDIX B: DEMOGRAPHIC TABLES
Table 10: Population
2000 2010 2040
City of Buellton 3,828 4,828 7,400
City of Guadalupe 5,659 7,080 9,660
City of Lompoc 41,103 42,434 47,720
City of Santa Maria 77,423 99,553 141,530
City of Solvang 5,332 5,245 5,960
Total North County Cities 133,345 159,140 212,270
Uninc. Cuyama Area 1,349 1,245 1,510
Uninc. Guadalupe Area 404 265 390
Uninc. Lompoc Valley 17,198 15,308 18,950
Uninc. Santa Maria Valley 33,350 33,173 39,830
Uninc. Santa Ynez Valley 12,699 12,597 15,430
Total Uninc. North County 65,000 62,588 76,110
City of Carpinteria 14,194 13,040 13,890
City of Goleta n/a* 29,888 34,590
City of Santa Barbara 92,325 88,410 96,000
Total South County Cities 106,519 131,338 144,480
Uninc. South County 94,483 70,829 87,157
Total Santa Barbara County 399,347 423,895 520,017
2000 Source: U.S. Census, Census 2000 Summary File 1, DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics.
*The City of Goleta was not yet incorporated in 2000.
2010 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.
2040 Source: SBCAG, Regional Growth Forecast 2010-2040, December 2012.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
iv
Table 11: Race
White* Black or African American*
American Indian/ Alaska Native*
Asian* Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander*
Some other race*
Two or More Races
# % # % # % # % # % # % # %
City of Buellton 3,912 81% 37 1% 76 2% 137 3% 5 0% 42 9% 237 5%
City of Guadalupe 3,395 48% 74 1% 103 1% 279 4% 5 0% 2,783 39% 441 6%
City of Lompoc 25,950 61% 2,432 6% 750 2% 1,615 4% 186 0% 9,020 21% 2,481 6%
City of Santa Maria 55,983 56% 1,656 2% 1,818 2% 5,054 5% 161 0% 29,841 30% 5,040 5%
City of Solvang 4,326 82% 38 1% 59 1% 72 1% 1 0% 611 12% 138 3%
Total North County Cities 93,566 59% 4,237 3% 2,806 2% 7,157 4% 358 0% 42,679 27% 8,337 5%
Uninc. Cuyama Area 1,032 83% 8 1% 19 2% 13 1% - 0% 135 11% 38 3%
Uninc. Guadalupe Area 142 54% 4 2% 3 1% 7 3% 1 0% 88 33% 20 8%
Uninc. Lompoc Valley 11,597 76% 698 5% 181 1% 686 4% 94 1% 1,133 7% 919 6%
Uninc. Santa Maria Valley 26,547 80% 460 1% 452 1% 1,190 4% 61 0% 2,969 9% 1,494 5%
Uninc. Santa Ynez Valley 10,948 87% 67 1% 289 2% 194 2% 18 0% 737 6% 344 3%
Total Uninc. North County 50,266 80% 1,237 2% 944 2% 2,090 3% 174 0% 5,062 8% 2,815 4%
City of Carpinteria 9,348 72% 109 1% 144 1% 296 2% 15 0% 2,599 20% 529 4%
City of Goleta 20,833 70% 469 2% 283 1% 2,728 9% 26 0% 4,182 14% 1,367 5%
City of Santa Barbara 66,411 75% 1,420 2% 892 1% 3,062 3% 116 0% 13,032 15% 3,477 4%
Total South County Cities 96,592 74% 1,998 2% 1,319 1% 6,086 5% 157 0% 19,813 15% 5,373 4%
Uninc. South County 54,700 77% 1,041 1% 416 1% 5,332 8% 117 0% 6,306 9% 2,917 4%
Total Santa Barbara County 295,124 70% 8,513 2% 5,485 1% 20,665 5% 806 0% 73,860 17% 19,442 5%
*Includes only those who identify with only one race.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • v
Table 12: Hispanic or Latino Population
Hispanic or Latino
(of any race)
# %
City of Buellton 1,451 30%
City of Guadalupe 6,103 86%
City of Lompoc 21,557 51%
City of Santa Maria 70,114 70%
City of Solvang 1,530 29%
Total North County Cities 100,755 63%
Unincorporated Cuyama Area 555 45%
Unincorporated Guadalupe Area 148 56%
Unincorporated Lompoc Valley 3,376 22%
Unincorporated Santa Maria Valley 9,377 28%
Unincorporated Santa Ynez Valley 2,725 22%
Total Unincorporated North County 16,181 26%
City of Carpinteria 6,351 49%
City of Goleta 9,824 33%
City of Santa Barbara 33,591 38%
Total South County Cities 49,766 38%
Unincorporated South County 14,985 21%
Total Santa Barbara County 181,687 43%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Table 13: Vehicle Availability by Occupied Housing Unit
# %* # %* # %* # %* # %*
City of Buellton 1,566 24 1.5% 504 32.2% 599 38.3% 240 15.3% 199 12.7%
City of Guadalupe 1,805 138 7.6% 382 21.2% 830 46.0% 260 14.4% 195 10.8%
City of Lompoc 13,170 1,295 9.8% 4,614 35.0% 4,215 32.0% 1,962 14.9% 1,084 8.2%
City of Santa Maria 26,991 2,058 7.6% 8,324 30.8% 10,211 37.8% 4,232 15.7% 2,166 8.0%
City of Solvang 2,350 79 3.4% 811 34.5% 1,067 45.4% 258 11.0% 135 5.7%
Total North County Cities 45,882 3,594 7.8% 14,635 31.9% 16,922 36.9% 6,952 15.2% 3,779 8.2%
Unincorporated Cuyama Area 371 3 0.8% 103 27.8% 141 38.0% 79 21.3% 45 12.1%
Unincorporated Guadalupe Area 73 - 0.0% 40 54.8% 11 15.1% 10 13.7% 12 16.4%
Unincorporated Lompoc Valley 5,487 129 2.4% 1,409 25.7% 2,277 41.5% 1,177 21.5% 495 9.0%
Unincorporated Santa Maria Valley 11,903 379 3.2% 3,065 25.7% 4,744 39.9% 2,452 20.6% 1,263 10.6%
Unincorporated Santa Ynez Valley 4,546 58 1.3% 898 19.8% 1,923 42.3% 1,012 22.3% 655 14.4%
Total Unincorporated North County 22,380 569 2.5% 5,515 24.6% 9,096 40.6% 4,730 21.1% 2,470 11.0%
City of Carpinteria 4,946 328 6.6% 1,863 37.7% 1,748 35.3% 691 14.0% 316 6.4%
City of Goleta 11,091 599 5.4% 3,842 34.6% 4,237 38.2% 1,587 14.3% 826 7.4%
City of Santa Barbara 34,900 3,420 9.8% 14,023 40.2% 11,550 33.1% 4,312 12.4% 1,595 4.6%
Total South County Cities 50,937 4,347 8.5% 19,728 38.7% 17,535 34.4% 6,590 12.9% 2,737 5.4%
Unincorporated South County 22,048 1,051 4.8% 6,174 28.0% 8,724 39.6% 3,715 16.8% 2,384 10.8%
Total Santa Barbara County 141,247 9,561 6.8% 46,052 32.6% 52,277 37.0% 21,987 15.6% 11,370 8.0%
4+ Vehicles2 Vehicles 3 Vehicles
*Percent of households in jurisdiction
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey
Occupied
Housing Units
No Vehicle 1 Vehicle
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • vii
Table 14: Enrollment in Santa Barbara County Public School Districts,
2015-16
District Enrollment
Ballard Elementary 124
Blochman Union Elementary 1,242
Buellton Union Elementary 612
Carpinteria Unified 2,227
Cold Spring Elementary 151
College Elementary 408
Cuyama Joint Unified 234
Goleta Union Elementary 3,684
Guadalupe Union Elementary 1,269
Hope Elementary 998
Lompoc Unified 10,215
Los Olivos Elementary 172
Montecito Union Elementary 438
Orcutt Union Elementary 5,266
Santa Barbara County Office of Education 276
Santa Barbara Unified 15,453
Santa Maria Joint Union High 7,900
Santa Maria-Bonita 16,584
Santa Ynez Valley Union High 997
Solvang Elementary 570
Vista del Mar Union 124
Total 69,069
Source: California Department of Education. Educational Demographics Unit. http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/
Table 15: Higher Education Enrollment in Santa Barbara County
Institution Location Enrollment
Allan Hancock College (Credit, Fall
2015)
Lompoc, Santa
Maria
10,956
Santa Barbara City College (Total
Students, Fall 2016)
Santa Barbara 17,608
University of California, Santa
Barbara (Fall 2016)
Santa Barbara 24,346
Westmont College (Fall 2015) Santa Barbara 1,304
Total 54,214
Sources (accessed 2/6/17):
Allan Hancock College. Office of Public Affairs & Publications.
Statistical Picture 2015-16. Feb. 2017.
Santa Barbara City College Quick Facts 2014/2015
UCSB Registrar’s Third-Week Registration Reports, Fall 2016
http://www.westmont.edu/_about/index.html
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Table 16: Population with a Disability
Disability Total % Disability Total % Disability Total % Disability Total % Disability Total %
City of Buellton 0 297 0.0% 0 803 0.0% 118 3,192 3.7% 179 618 29.0% 297 4,910 6.0%
City of Guadalupe 0 903 0.0% 96 1,511 6.4% 323 4,159 7.8% 250 587 42.6% 669 7,160 9.3%
City of Lompoc 0 3,803 0.0% 251 8,242 3.0% 323 4,159 7.8% 1,636 3,831 42.7% 2,210 20,035 11.0%
City of Santa Maria 40 8,957 0.4% 1,089 22,257 4.9% 5,478 60,514 9.1% 3,876 9,141 42.4% 10,483 100,869 10.4%
City of Solvang 0 282 0.0% 17 616 2.8% 142 3,007 4.7% 519 1,365 38.0% 678 5,270 12.9%
Total N. County Cities 40 14,242 0.3% 1,453 33,429 4.3% 6,384 75,031 8.5% 6,460 15,542 41.6% 14,337 138,244 10.4%
Uninc. Cuyama Area 0 86 0.0% 11 213 5.2% 53 618 8.6% 34 154 22.1% 98 1,071 9.2%
Uninc. Guadalupe Area 0 0 #DIV/0! 7 44 15.9% 0 160 0.0% 7 18 38.9% 14 222 6.3%
Uninc. Lompoc Valley 0 1,235 0.0% 158 2,837 5.6% 3,070 27,884 11.0% 810 2,382 34.0% 4,038 34,338 11.8%
Uninc. SM Valley 0 2,020 0.0% 349 6,240 5.6% 1,675 19,579 8.6% 2,333 6,163 37.9% 4,357 34,002 12.8%
Uninc. SY Valley 0 321 0.0% 48 1,752 2.7% 429 7,398 5.8% 716 2,055 34.8% 1,193 11,526 10.4%
Total Uninc. N. County 0 3,662 0.0% 573 11,086 5.2% 5,227 55,639 9.4% 3,900 10,772 36.2% 9,700 81,159 12.0%
City of Carpinteria 0 689 0.0% 83 1,710 4.9% 752 8,673 8.7% 681 2,250 30.3% 1,516 13,322 11.4%
City of Goleta 4 1,503 0.3% 139 4,528 3.1% 1,054 19,927 5.3% 1,460 4,144 35.2% 2,657 30,102 8.8%
City of Santa Barbara 62 5,572 1.1% 322 11,514 2.8% 4,115 58,779 7.0% 4,227 13,314 31.7% 8,726 89,179 9.8%
Total S. County Cities 66 7,764 0.9% 544 17,752 3.1% 5,921 87,379 6.8% 6,368 19,708 32.3% 12,899 132,603 9.7%
Uninc. South County 0 2,200 0.0% 275 7,760 3.5% 2,358 52,140 4.5% 2,744 10,459 26.2% 5,377 72,559 7.4%
Total County 106 27,868 0.4% 2,845 70,027 4.1% 19,890 270,189 7.4% 19,472 56,481 34.5% 42,313 424,565 10.0%
Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey, S1810 Disability Characteristics.
Ages 5-17 Age 18-64 Age 65+ Total
Includes only the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population.
Ages 5 and Under
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • ix
Table 17: Poverty Status
# %*
City of Buellton 0 440 53 493 10%
City of Guadalupe 716 696 56 1,468 21%
City of Lompoc 4,044 4,465 269 8,778 22%
City of Santa Maria 9,292 11,120 886 21,298 21%
City of Solvang 224 444 75 743 14%
Total North County Cities 14,276 17,165 1,339 32,780 21%
Uninc. Cuyama Area 114 152 15 281 26%
Uninc. Guadalupe Area 28 33 - 61 27%
Uninc. Lompoc Valley 362 600 79 1,041 7%
Uninc. Santa Maria Valley 787 1,114 458 2,359 7%
Uninc. Santa Ynez Valley 178 707 170 1,055 9%
Total Uninc. North County 1,469 2,606 722 4,797 8%
City of Carpinteria 225 845 59 1,129 8%
City of Goleta 342 1,721 261 2,324 8%
City of Santa Barbara 3,530 8,782 1,122 13,434 15%
Total South County Cities 4,097 11,348 1,442 16,887 13%
Total Uninc. South County 633 13,464 392 14,489 23%
Total Santa Barbara County 20,475 44,583 3,895 68,953 17%
18 to 64 65 and OverTotal
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey
*of the population for whom poverty status is determined
Under 18
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Table 18: Labor Market Indicators, 2016 Monthly
Labor Force Employment Unemployment Unemployment Rate
Jan 2016
Jun 2016
Nov 2016*
Jan 2016
Jun 2016
Nov 2016*
Jan 2016
Jun 2016
Nov 2016*
Jan 2016
Jun 2016
Nov 2016*
City of Buellton 3,100 3,200 3,200 3,000 3,100 3,100 100 100 100 3.7 3.1 3.0
City of Carpinteria 7,800 8,000 8,000 7,400 7,600 7,700 400 300 300 5.0 4.3 4.1
City of Goleta 17,200 17,700 17,800 16,600 17,200 17,300 600 500 500 3.4 2.9 2.7
City of Guadalupe 3,300 3,400 3,400 3,100 3,200 3,200 200 200 100 5.4 4.6 4.4
City of Lompoc 18,200 18,600 18,600 16,800 17,400 17,500 1,400 1,200 1,100 7.5 6.4 6.1
City of Santa Barbara
51,300 52,600 52,900 48,900 50,600 50,900 2,400 2,100 2,000 4.6 3.6 3.7
City of Santa Maria 48,000 49,100 49,300 44,700 46,100 46,500 3,300 2,900 2,800 7.0 6.0 5.6
City of Solvang 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,600 2,700 2,700 200 200 200 7.1 6.1 5.7
County of Santa Barbara
218,200 223,500 224,500 205,700 212,500 214,100 12,500 11,000 10,400 5.7 4.9 4.6
Not Seasonally Adjusted*
Source: State of California Employment Development Department. http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/cgi/dataanalysis/labForceReport.asp?menuchoice=LABFORCE
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xi
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xiii
APPENDIX C: SBCAG PUBLIC OUTREACH MATERIALS
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xv
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xvii
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xix
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Contact: Gregg Hart (805) 961-8905
How can the bus better serve your needs?
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments would like to hear what new bus routes or service
schedules are needed in north Santa Barbara County to get local residents where they need to go. The
public is invited to attend an Unmet Transit Needs public hearing on January 19th at 10:00 am to let our
local government leaders hear your ideas on ways to improve local and regional community bus
service. The hearing will be held in the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at 511
East Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria. If you cannot attend the meeting, you may call the Santa Barbara
County Association of Governments at 961-8900 or e-mail [email protected] to add your comments to
the record.
¿Cómo puede servir mejor el autobús a sus necesidades?
La Asociación del Condado de Santa Barbara de Gobiernos quiere oír cuales servicios o recorridos nuevos
del autobús se necesitan en el Condado del norte de Santa Barbara para ayudarle llegar a donde usted
necesita ir. Favor de asistir una audiencia pública que se oye en el 19 de Enero a las 10:00 AM paraque
los líderes de administración municipal oigan sus ideas en maneras de mejorar el servicio de autobus de
la communidad. La audiencia estará en el quarto de audiencia del Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors en
Santa Maria, en el 511 East Lakeside Parkway. Si usted no puede asistir la audiencia, usted puede llamar
al Santa Barbara County Association of Governments al 961-8900 o manda su correo electrónico a
[email protected] para dar sus comentarios al registro.
PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxi
APPENDIX D: TRANSIT AGENCY WORKSHOPS
CITY OF LOMPOC TRANSIT (COLT) WORKSHOP
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxiii
SANTA MARIA AREA TRANSIT (SMAT) WORKSHOP COMMENTS
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APPENDIX E: SBCAG PUBLIC HEARING COMMENTS
From the Approved Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the SBCAG Board of Directors
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Tom Becker, Cars Are Basic
Transit service should not be subsidized, particularly for choice riders.
Jack Boysen, Good Samaritan Shelter
Mr. Boysen desires a permanent solution for improving the pedestrian crossing on the Robinson Bridge. As a short-term solution, he would like to implement the improvements discussed over the last year. He mentioned COLT offered the service for $60k/year and the County offered to pay $25k/year.
Tom Jenkins, Good Samaritan Shelter
He stated his appreciation for Caltrans lowering the speed limit on the Robinson Bridge. He also noted that there is no other alternative for pedestrians.
He noted the need to expand transit services to serve the new North County Branch Jail when it opens.
Kerry Hall, SMAT Rider
Ms. Hall noted that she relies on transit services. Since Greyhound moved into the transit center, there have been many cars in the bus loop and she would like the rules better enforced.
She also said that the buses need to be better maintained, noting a defroster issue during a ride.
Finally, she noted a time when a bus passed her while waiting at a bus stop and the dispatcher not being sympathetic.
Sylvia Bernard, Good Samaritan Shelter
She noted the shelter offered to open earlier as part of the deal to get transit service. She wants to work with all parties involved to find a solution.
James Mosby, SBCAG Director
Mr. Mosby noted the Good Samaritan Shelter is in the unincorporated county.
Steve Lavagnino, SBCAG Director
Mr. Lavagnino wants SBCAG to find the money needed to implement service to the shelter
Teresa Rayburn, Santa Maria Recreation Services Manager
Ms. Rayburn noted the City has been working on programs to combat youth violence and the participating youth need transportation to parks. She asks that kids have safe transportation options.
Das Williams, SBCAG Director
Mr. Williams noted the TDA process is outdated and designed for a more rural state.
He would like the county to stop spending TDA on streets and roads.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxv
Public Comment Received during the May 18, 2017 SBCAG Meeting
Marc Chytilo, Committee of Land, Air, Water, and Species
Noted the TDA is a civil rights statute
Noted that TDA funds are to be used exclusively for public transit
Noted that SBCAG fails to reach all populations
Noted that the criteria are not applied correctly
Requested the SBCAG Board not approve the finding and consider other ways to use available funding
Ken Hough, Santa Barbara County Action Network
Discussed the January public hearing and the success of addressing the one identified unmet transit need
Agrees with Director Williams that the TDA is outdated and applicable only to rural areas
Requests available TDA funding is held in reserve
Noted that there are other sources of funding for streets and roads improvements
Hilario Rodriguez
Noted that transit service is a right
Noted that the community needs shade and benches at transit stops, crosswalks, better transportation options, and that transit is necessary for some people
Would like to see better parks and more funding for public improvements
Blanca Ortiz
Would like to see more buses and more morning and evening service
Joana Barrera, CAUSE
Advocated for funding to be directed to public transit
Noted that when she was a UCSB student she wanted better Santa Barbara to Santa Maria service
Requested more weekend service and more evening service
Noted that some people rely on public transportation
Abraham Melendez
Noted that he is a former transit user
Noted that Santa Maria High School students feel there is inadequate service and that it does not stay on schedule
Noted that his brother has difficulty traveling between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria
Ana Rico, COAST
Noted that shelters and shade are needed in Santa Barbara and lighting is needed in Isla Vista
Noted that the MTD Route 3 sometimes runs late
Noted that the MTD Route 7 timing is not convenient for accessing social services
Frank Rodriguez, CAUSE
Noted that transit service is an issue for service sector workers
Noted that there is no convenient service for traveling from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria, including the Clean Air Express
Noted that the MTD Route 7 does not provide enough service to the mobile home community
Requested more money be spent on transit
Zoila Cabrera, CAUSE
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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Noted support for North County to South Coast buses
Noted support for MTD Route 5 and mentioned that a lot of people transport kids on the route
Noted the need for shelter at bus stops, particularly for mothers with children
Noted that the MTD Routes 23 and 25 are popular for seniors and should be made more convenient for them
Tom Becker, Cars are Basic
Noted that Cars are Basic (CAB) wants everyone to be prosperous
Noted that CAB is a multicultural group
Noted that CAB wants every human being legally in this country to have good paying jobs so they are not dependent on government for anything
Noted that former SBCAG member Carbajal said Lompoc is an armpit and that he said it about other communities too
Noted that he believes former SBCAG member Carbajal was talking about the people of Lompoc being armpits
Claimed that Lompoc is rough around its edges but its people are mostly good
Noted that John Podesta said the Democratic Party needs needy Hispanics to win election
Cameron Gray, Community Environmental Council
Requested the SBCAG Board reconsider allocating the funding to transit and that SB 1 may negate the need to use TDA funding for streets and roads
Noted that transportation is an equity issue
Requested SBCAG revisit the definitions when new services are proposed for the purpose of equity
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxvii
APPENDIX F: OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS
LETTERS
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Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxix
From: Jacob Lesner-Buxton
Sent: January 20, 2017
My name is Jacob Lesner-Buxton and I am the Community Organizer at the Independent Living Resource
Center. We are a Santa Barbara based non-profit that assists people with disabilities to
live independently.
I believe there needs to be regular bus service between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Currently there
is only one bus per day between these two urban centers in our county. The Clean Air Express travels
from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara in the mornings and then returns in the evening. For people like
myself who don't drive but need to do business in Santa Maria, often our only option is to take Greyhound
and pay $32 for a one day return ticket.
Another issue with the Clean Air Express is that some seniors and people with disabilities who have to
travel to Santa Barbara for doctors appointments have to spend 11 hours in transit. Even though some
hospitals have shuttles from North County to Santa Barbara their services do not run daily.
SBCAG should consider expanding the Clean Air Express so it runs between Santa Barbara and
Santa Maria every hour or 90 minutes. The VISTA bus between here and Ventura runsseven days a
week and offers consumers a reliable service at a low cost. SBCAG should learn from VISTA
and figure out a way to provide intra-county bus service that is frequent and affordable.
From: Arlene Torres-Dombrowski
Sent: January 17, 2017
Will you consider a earlier bus from Lompoc to Goleta here at our company and the one next door are in
need of your service we all report to work before or at 6:00 am. Many of us are tired with the commute or
trying to find carpools.
From: Mary Snow
Sent: January 17, 2017
I currently reside in Los Alamos & I do not drive. There's been many times I've needed to go to Santa
Barbara , does your commuter bus from Santa Maria have a pickup stop for people like myself who live
in Los Alamos? If so, where? If not, why not?
From: Bobbi Thompson
Sent: January 17, 2017
I live near Preisker Park (north side of Santa Maria). I work at the government center on Betteravia &
Miller. If I use SMAT, it would take at least one hour of travel time. When I drive, it takes approx. 12
minutes, factoring in traffic.
I would definitely take the bus if there was a more direct route and much less than a one hour drive.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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From: Mary Foster
Sent: January 12, 2017
Please provide public transportation on holidays! Folks want to be with friends and family during the
holidays and others need to get to their jobs.
From: Daniel Gonzales
Sent: December 7, 2016
We have 16 people that currently carpool from Lompoc and arrive to work at 175 Cremona Drive, Goleta
California that would like to take the bus if it arrives in Goleta before 6am. I have been told that there are
additional folks at surrounding companies that are in the same situation in that they need to be in Goleta
by 6am. I would say roughly 16 additional carpoolers.
Preferred pickup (5am) location in Lompoc would be near Ocean and H Street.
Our new address will be 1 South Los Corneros in Goleta California. Need to be here before 6am.
Thanks for your consideration for an earlier bus route.
From: Ken Hough
Sent: January 11, 2017
A friend of mine who works at Department of Rehabilitation sent me this letter and says there has been
no reply. My friend is not the person who signed the letter, and if it has been replied to, that's good and I'd
like it if you could send me a copy of the repiy.
If it has not been replied to, obviously, it should be.
There are several turnouts in Santa Maria that appear to be designed as bus turnouts, but are not used
as such. In this case, there is no bus route that runs on Miller between McCoy and Santa Maria Way.
Route 7 had stops on Santa Maria Way at Sunrise Drive. Routes 5 and 6 stop on Broadway south of
McCoy according to SMAT's map. None of these stops are as convenient as the turnout near the DOR
office, but to serve the turnout near that office, bus routes would need to be rerouted.
We will discuss this request, and any others that may come up, at SBCAN's North County Roundtable
this Thursday at 6 in Santa Maria. the topic is also on the agenda of our South County Roundtable Friday
at noon in Santa Barbara. Although we recognize Unmet Transit Needs is less of an issue in South
County, it is not irrelevant for sure.
From: Steve Johnson
Sent: January 8, 2017
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxxi
Bus transit service from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria is poor compared to service from Santa Barbara to
Ventura (VISTA).
The only feasible option is Greyhound, with a standard 1-way fare of $25, and only two trips per day (9 AM and 4:30 PM).
From: Myrna Heldfond
Sent: January 6, 2017
I have recently moved from Santa Ynez to Orcutt. Public Transportation in the Santa Ynez valley is
abysmal. Santa Maria is somewhat better, I believe, but have not done thorough enough research. The
biggest problem with both places is no regular, affordable public transportation to and from Santa Barbara
during the work week. Especially needed is a way to access the Santa Barbara Airport and the Santa
Barbara Amtrak station.
I will make every effort to attend the upcoming meeting especially since I now reside just a few miles from
the government center.
From: Jermey Deming
Sent: January 6, 2017
I wanted to give you a heads up regarding a collaborative survey process we are undergoing that is
relevant to this matter. The City of Santa Maria, YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley are
conducting a multi-organizational teen transit needs assessment through January 17th. The
survey/assessment went live today. I am including a link to the survey below for your use in distributing it
to teens in the community. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping us get the word out.
Thanks!
From: Angie Robuck
Sent: January 5, 2017
I wish to provide a comment regarding my “Unmet Transit Needs” to the SBCAG. I cannot attend the
meeting on 1/19/17.
I live in Buellton and work in downtown Santa Barbara. Like many downtown professional businesses, my
working hours are consistently 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. If a bus were available for my commute, I would
happily take the bus, especially since my employer subsidizes the bus fare.
Currently, the only bus from Buellton to downtown Santa Barbara in the morning picks up in Buellton at
6:15 am and delivers riders downtown at 7:09 am. That doesn’t work for my schedule as I don’t start This
existing schedule seems to cater to three distinct groups – UCSB employees, County employees, and
Cottage employees. The downtown professional businesses are left out even though many of them do
subsidize their employees use of public transportation. This seems unfair.
It would be nice to have a bus leave Buellton at 7:15 am and arrive downtown Santa Barbara at 8:15
am. I’m almost positive more people would ride the bus if it were available.
Transit Needs Assessment 2017
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From: L. Berber
Sent: December 17, 2016
Regarding the Breeze Bus service between Lompoc and Santa Maria:
There is a tremendous need for one or two new buses. The old ones break down quite often and then
they use the smaller buses that are meant for the Santa Ynez/Solvang route. When the smaller buses
are used, several passengers have to stand for the 45 minute to one hour ride. This is ridiculous. There
is always a rumor going around that they are getting new buses, but still we wait.
From: Justin Ruhge
Sent: December 11, 2016
The bus service in Lompoc should be redesigned to serve the peak hours and then be an 'on call' door to
door service like UBER, or a city taxi type service. The buses are empty 75% of the time. A waste of road
funds from OUR gas taxes.
From: Cary Rosson
Sent: August 30, 2016
What is the possibility of adding a stop at the Albertson’s Shopping Center on North H. St. since the
buses are coming from the Lompoc Airport anyway and they have to pass it? They could turn in at the
first driveway by Yogurt Creations and make the loop through the parking lot to pick up at the COLT stop
there and proceed to the light at H. St. It would be nice for people that commute but live in the North part
of town or in Vandenberg Village to hop on there in the morning say at 0550 for the 0600 busses that
depart from the Transit stop on Cypress and I?
From: Tony
Sent: June 1, 2016
Hello I was wondering is there service on Saturdays and Sundays to and from Santa Barbara-Lompoc
From: Manuel
Sent: May 22, 2016
Hello I was wondering watts the earliest bus to Lompoc from Santa Barbara cause I saw the schedule
and it just showed the pm bus routes so I'm wondering if there is a am bus route hope I hear from you
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxxiii
APPENDIX G: SBCAG RESOLUTION
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxxv
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxxvii