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.

http://www.sbcag.org/

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

This page is intentionally left blank.

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)


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)


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)

This page is intentionally left blank.

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.


2

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.


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.


4

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


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).


6


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.


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


8

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


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.


10

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.


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

http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/cgi/dataanalysis/AreaSelection.asp?tableName=Labforce


12


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.



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

http://www.cleanairexpress.com/


14

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


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


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.

http://www.cityoflompoc.com/Transit/colt.htm

http://www1.cityoflompoc.com/transit/WineCountryExpress_revised.pdf


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


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.

http://www.easylift.org/


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.


MTD (Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District)—www.sbmtd.gov

Service Types: Fixed Route, Local & Regional Service


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


FY 2014/15:


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.

http://www.sbmtd.gov/

http://www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/3075.html

http://www.breezebus.com/


18

FY 2015/16:


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.

http://www.cityofsolvang.com/syvtindex.html


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

http://www.goventura.org/?q=travel-ventura


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.


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

http://www.amtrak.com/


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.

http://www.greyhound.com/


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.


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.

http://bills-bus.com/


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

http://www.smartride.org/


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.


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


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).



An analysis of potential alternative public transportation and specialized transportation

services and service improvements that would meet all or part of the transit demand


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.


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.


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


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 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.


34

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.


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)


36

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


General comment

SBCAG fails to reach out populations in the outreach process


General comment

The SBCAG Board should not approve the Transit Needs Assessment findings and should consider other ways to use the available funding.


General comment

The reasonable to meet criteria make it virtually impossible to find improvements.


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


General comment



Requests available TDA funds are held in reserve (instead of allocated to streets and roads)


General comment

There are other sources of funding for streets and roads available


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


General comment This comment is not directed at a particular service or geographic area.

(TDA) funding should be directed to public transit


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


38


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


General comment

Former SBCAG Board member Carbajal said Lompoc is an armpit and he said it about other communities too


General comment

Former SBCAG Board member Carbajal was talking about the people of Lompoc being armpits


General comment

Lompoc is rough around the edges, but its people are mostly good


General comment

John Podesta said the Democratic Party needs needy Hispanics to win elections


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


General comment

Revisit the definitions when new services are proposed for the purpose of equity


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



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


40


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


General comment

Shelter is needed at bus stops, particularly for mothers with children


Operational issue

Routes 23 and 25 are popular with seniors and should be made more convenient for that population


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.


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.


42

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


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.


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.


vi

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


viii

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


x

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


xiv

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xv


xvi

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xvii


xviii

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xix


xx

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

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxi

APPENDIX D: TRANSIT AGENCY WORKSHOPS

CITY OF LOMPOC TRANSIT (COLT) WORKSHOP


xxii

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxiii

SANTA MARIA AREA TRANSIT (SMAT) WORKSHOP COMMENTS


xxiv

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


xxvi

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


xxviii

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments • xxix

E-MAIL

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


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


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


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.


xxx

From: Mary Foster


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


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


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


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


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


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.


xxxii

From: L. Berber


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


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

Documents

Transit Needs Assessment 2017 - SBCAG