Dear Channels,

I am writing in response to the “Dear MTD” editorial that ran on Monday, April 21.

MTD wants to sincerely thank Santa Barbara City College students, faculty, and staff for its continued commitment in using the bus system as reflected in its high ridership and is thankful for receiving feedback.  Feedback is essential in assisting MTD toward continually improving the system for its riders.  Also, by choosing to use the bus, SBCC riders are having a direct effect in reducing local traffic congestion and in turn reducing green house gas emissions.

Last year, when Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) was discussing a student fee increase with SBCC students and staff, it was clearly indicated that increasing the fee to $30 per semester would only enable MTD to maintain the level of service already being provided to campus. Without the fee increase, MTD would have been forced to end the pass program and reduce service to the College. Students would have had to pay the same amount to ride the bus that non-students do – closer to $200 per semester. MTD did not promise additional service in exchange for the fee increase.

Nonetheless, the more-reliable future income from the increased student fee has enabled MTD to plan several service enhancements that will primarily benefit SBCC students:

• Three articulated buses have been ordered and are currently being built for MTD.  The new buses are expected to arrive in time to be deployed on Line 15x near the beginning of the Fall 2014 semester.  On weekends, the articulated buses will be operated on Line 24x.  These 60-foot buses have a 40 percent greater capacity than the standard 40-foot buses, so it is anticipated that there will be fewer incidences of overcrowding and of passengers being left behind.
• MTD’s service plan for the 2014-2015 fiscal year includes additional evening service on Line 15x, beginning in August when school starts. MTD deployed additional ‘booster’ buses on Line 15x in the Fall of 2013 to increase capacity. This additional service has contributed toward a 16 percent decrease in ‘Too Full to Board’ occurrences for the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter last year.
• Also planned for August 2014 are enhancements to Line 16, which runs between the downtown Transit Center and SBCC. An additional bus on the route during afternoon hours will improve the frequency from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes. Over the past several years, traffic congestion and large passenger loads on Line 16 have negatively impacted schedule adherence on the route. It is anticipated that the new schedule will enable Line 16 to better meet its published timetable while providing more frequent service.  Additional service on Line 16 may also reduce passenger loads on Lines 4, 5, & 17, enabling improved performance on those routes as well.
• Other service changes approved for this Fall include improving schedule adherence on Lines 1 and 2 and restoring some service on the Crosstown Shuttle. All three of these routes connect the Santa Barbara Westside and Eastside neighborhoods with downtown. Also, Line 22 will be eliminated due to ongoing very low ridership. Line 22 serves the Old Mission, the Museum of Natural History, and the Botanic Garden.

MTD is indeed in the process of procuring a long-awaited Automatic Vehicle Location system, funded by Proposition 1B. Approved by California voters in 2006, Proposition 1B funds are restricted to capital projects and may not be used to fund additional service.  Global Positioning System (GPS) devices on the buses will allow passengers and MTD staff to monitor the real-time location of buses from either a computer or from a handheld device such as a smart phone. In addition, the GPS data will enable MTD planning staff to create more-efficient and more-accurate bus schedules. Other efficiency-improving and passenger comfort-enhancing features of the system are still under consideration. Together, the savings from utilizing these technological advances could potentially fund future service increases. The procurement will also include video cameras onboard all MTD buses to enhance the security and safety of both drivers and passengers. Overall, public feedback about this project has been very positive.

Consistently ranked among the top 5% of transit agencies for comparably-sized communities nationwide, MTD takes its mission of providing excellent transit service to the entire South Coast very seriously. SBCC student ridership has grown phenomenally in recent years and, while students are to be commended for their commitment to using alternative transportation, demand sometimes outstrips MTD’s capacity to provide service.  MTD allocates its limited resources as fairly and efficiently as possible and must attempt to balance meeting the transportation needs of students with those of the community at large.

Thank you for this opportunity to share news of some of the coming service improvements, and thanks for taking the bus!

Sincerely,

Sherrie Fisher
General Manager