Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), or simply Santa Cruz METRO , provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California . In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,650,300, or about 9,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
8-687: Santa Cruz METRO also operates the Highway 17 Express service for Amtrak Thruway between the city of Santa Cruz and San Jose Diridon station , in partnership with Amtrak California and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . Santa Cruz METRO was created in 1968 as a special district within Santa Cruz County with taxing authority. Service was initially to the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Live Oak. Santa Cruz METRO extended service to Watsonville, Scotts Valley and
16-691: A new transit center underneath. Highway 17 Express The Highway 17 Express is an Amtrak Thruway route provided by a consortium of entities that provides regional service between San Jose and Santa Cruz County in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area . The service is so called because it travels on California State Route 17 . It is operated by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District . A temporary commuter express bus service started after landslides from
24-492: A year. Caltrans anticipated a ridership of 7,000 riders per month at the end of 2004. In December 2007, free wifi service was added to all Highway 17 Express buses. In February 2015, Santa Cruz Metro reported 31,102 total riders, 1,239 on the average weekday, for Highway 17 Express. The bus service is a consolidation of corridor-based commuter service between Santa Cruz and job centers in the Silicon Valley . It passes through
32-447: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed Highway 17. At this time the route spanned from Scotts Valley to Santa Clara . In response to the needs of a loyal group of riders, as well as UC Santa Cruz students, Santa Cruz Metro continued the service after Highway 17 reopened. When service was consolidated with Amtrak Thruway in 2004, the route was extended to the metro center in downtown Santa Cruz and service expanded to 365 days
40-666: The State Route 17 communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains including Scotts Valley , Redwood Estates , Summit , and Pasatiempo and is combined with feeder and delivery service for several Amtrak lines serving the Diridon Station in San Jose , a regional intermodal hub where passengers may transfer to VTA buses or light rail in addition to ACE , Capitol Corridor , Caltrain , and also many regional Amtrak routes. During
48-561: The San Lorenzo Valley in 1974. In 1979, voters approved a measure to change the financing of Santa Cruz METRO from a property tax to a 1/2 cent sales tax. The Amtrak Thruway Highway 17 Express service between Santa Cruz and San Jose started as an emergency bus service after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed Highway 17. A strike in September 2005 lasted for 35 days and stranded up to 23,000 riders. In 2011 fixed route service
56-574: The week the service extends beyond the Diridon Station with direct service to downtown San Jose ; on weekends it terminates at the station. One-way fare is $ 7.00, with half-price fare available for seniors and disabled riders. A day pass that is also good for all VTA bus and light rail as well as Santa Cruz Metro buses is available for $ 14.00. The VTA EcoPass Express is good for travel on the Highway 17 Express service. Support for purchasing tickets using
64-519: Was severely cut then restored mere months later. In 2012 Santa Cruz METRO received grant funding to construct the Judy K. Souza Operations Facility. On February 12, 2024, METRO has relocated from the Pacific Metro Center to the new Riverfront Transit Center, which is serving as a temporary transit center until 2026. The existing transit center will be demolished and redeveloped into housing units with
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