Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT), formerly Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT), is a bus service local to Santa Maria, California, providing both intracity service within Santa Maria and intercity service within Santa Barbara County, including routes to Lompoc, Buellton, and Solvang.
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| Parent | City of Santa Maria |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1303 Fairway Drive |
| Locale | Santa Maria, California |
| Service type | Transit bus, paratransit |
| Routes | 14 |
| Fleet | 24 buses |
| Fuel type | CNG, battery electric |
| Operator | RATP Dev[1] |
| Website | SMRT |
History
Public transit service has been operated by the city of Santa Maria since 1978. That year, Santa Maria contracted the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH) to operate a single fixed route along Broadway. A second fixed route was added in 1981, and Saturday operations began in 1982. SMOOTH operated Santa Maria's local service until 2004, when the contract was awarded to MV Public Transportation, Inc.[2]: 2–1 That year, Sunday service was added, along with a fare increase.[3]
First Transit was awarded the operations and maintenance contract in 2009.[4] The Santa Maria Transit Center, which is the origin point for many intracity and all intercity lines, was opened in 2011, at 400 East Boone Street.[2]: 2–1 [5] Santa Maria awarded the operating contract to RATP Dev in 2018.[6]
In December 2021, the Santa Maria City Council approved service changes to commence in January,[7] including route consolidation, two new transfer sites, and the addition of timed transfers at the primary Transit Center hub. Amtrak Thruway buses, however, board across the freeway at 205 South Nicholson Avenue. With the update to the services, the agency was rebranded from Santa Maria Area Transit to Santa Maria Regional Transit.[8]
Routes
Local routes
| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Hidden Pines Wy & Preisker Ln | Broadway | |
| 2 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Western Av, Donovan Rd | |
| Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | ||||
| 3 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Main St, Suey Rd | |
| Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | ||||
| 4 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria A St & McCoy Ln | Thornburg St, Betteravia Rd |
|
| 5 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Lakeview Rd & Orcutt Expy | Miller St, Santa Maria Wy |
|
| 6 | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Santa Maria Blosser Rd & Terrazzo Wy | Bradley Rd | |
| 7 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria McCoy Ln & Broadway | Bradley Rd |
|
| 8 | Santa Maria Sandalwood & Black Rd | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Mahoney Rd, McCoy Ln | |
| 9 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Alvin Av | |
| Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | ||||
| 11 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Broadway | |
| 20 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Ynez | Hwy 101, SR 246 |
|
| 30 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Lompoc Lompoc Transit Hub | SR 1 |
|
Express routes
| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12X | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Clark Av & Orcutt Rd | Broadway | |
| 13X | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Broadway, Donovan Rd | |
| Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | ||||
Fares
| Fare type | SMRT | Regional Routes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-way | Passes | One-way | |||
| 1-day | 7-day | 31-day | |||
| Regular | $1.50 | $3.00 | $12.00 | $31.00 | $2.00 |
| Student[a] | $1.25 | ||||
| Qualified discount[b] | $0.75 | $1.50 | $6.00 | $15.00 | $1.00 |
| Children | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Dial-a-ride
SMRT operates on-demand dial-a-ride paratransit services, covering the same area as the fixed-route local services.[2]: 2–8
Bus fleet and facilities
Active fleet
| Make/Model | Fleet Numbers | Thumbnail | Year | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 3018-186 | 2018 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 3020-177 | 2020 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig Low Floor 35' | 3518-178 to 3518-179, 3518-184 | 2018 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig Low Floor 35' | 3521-202 to 3521-203 | 2021 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Proterra ZX5 | 3522-200E to 3522-201E | 2022 | Parker GVM310-200 240 kW permanent magnet motor | Eaton 4-speed auto-shift EV transmission | ||
| New Flyer XE35 | 3524-208E | 2024 | Siemens ELFA3 | XALT Energy |
| |
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4010-195 | 2010 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig Low Floor 40' | 4011-160, 4011-168 | 2011 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig Low Floor 40' | 4014-160 to 4014-162, 4014-165, 4014-167 to 4014-168, 4014-174, 4014-176, 4014-180, 4014-194 | 2014 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | ||
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4017-198 to 4017-199 | 2017 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R |
Facilities
The SMRT Transit Center is at 400 E Boone Street, and has multiple bus bays. There are eight bus bays on the island, serving intercity routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11. The four northernmost bus bays (on the curb side, next to the transit center) serve longer-distance routes (Breeze 100, Breeze 200, Guadalupe Flyer to Guadalupe, and RTA Route 10 to San Luis Obispo).[9]: 50 The four southernmost bus bays are not allocated.[7]
The SMRT fleet for local services is 17 mid- and full-size diesel-powered buses manufactured by Gillig, 35' and 40' long.[2]: 2–5 Breeze operates with six buses: four Optima cutaways 29' feet long, and two Gillig diesels, 40' long.[2]: 2–7