Santa Maria Regional Transit
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 SMRT Gillig electric bus at the Santa Maria Transit Center | |
| Parent | City of Santa Maria |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1303 Fairway Drive |
| Locale | Santa Maria, California |
| Service type | Transit bus, paratransit, microtransit |
| Routes | 19 |
| Fleet | 24 buses |
Daily ridership | 1,970 per weekday (2024)[1] |
Annual ridership | 554,759 (2024) [1] |
| Fuel type | CNG, battery electric |
| Operator | RATP Dev[2] |
| Website | SMRT |
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 and San Luis Obispo County, including routes to Guadalupe, Lompoc, Buellton, Solvang, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and San Luis Obispo.
History
[edit]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.[3]: 2–1 That year, Sunday service was added, along with a fare increase.[4]
First Transit was awarded the operations and maintenance contract in 2009.[5] 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.[3]: 2–1 [6] Santa Maria awarded the operating contract to RATP Dev in 2018.[7]
In December 2021, the Santa Maria City Council approved service changes to commence in January,[8] 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.[9]
Regional Expansion and Consolidation
[edit]In July 2023, the regional Breeze 100, 200, and New Cuyama routes were consolidated into Santa Maria Regional Transit and rebranded to SMRT routes 30, 20, and 50 respectively. This expanded SMRT service to the Santa Ynez Valley, Lompoc, and Vandenberg Space Force Base. [10]
In June 2025, the city of Guadalupe consolidated its transit network into Santa Maria Regional Transit. [11]
In October 2025, the creation of the Route 210 established an express commuter connection to downtown San Luis Obispo from the Santa Maria Crossroads Center.[12]
Fleet Electrification
[edit]In 2025, Santa Maria Regional Transit completed a four-year fleet electrification initiative, making Santa Maria among the first cities in the United States to achieve full transit fleet electrification. This was a factor in SMRT receiving the Community Transportation Association of America's Large Transportation System of the Year Award in 2025. [13]
Routes
[edit]Local routes
[edit]| 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
Crossroads |
Cook St, 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 | |
| 12X | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
Santa Maria
Clark Ave & 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) | ||||
| 14 | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
Santa Maria
Fairway Dr |
Main St, S Blosser Rd |
|
Regional Routes
[edit]| Route | Terminals | Via | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
Santa Ynez | US 101, SR 246 |
|
| 30 | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
Lompoc
Lompoc Transit Hub |
SR 1 |
|
| 40 | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
Guadalupe | Main St, SR 166 |
|
| 41 | Guadalupe
Guadalupe Local |
Guadalupe
Guadalupe Local |
| |
| 50 | Santa Maria
Santa Maria Transit Center |
New Cuyama
Recreation District |
SR 166 |
|
| 210 Express | Santa Maria
Crossroads Shopping Center |
San Luis Obispo
Downtown Transit Center |
US 101 |
|
Fares
[edit]| 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
[edit]SMRT operates on-demand dial-a-ride paratransit services, covering the same area as the fixed-route local services. [15]
SMRT Micro
[edit]SMRT operates a nighttime on-demand microtransit service. Weekday operating hours are 8:30PM to 10:30PM; weekend hours are 6:30PM to 8:30PM. [16]
Bus fleet and facilities
[edit]
Active fleet
[edit]| Make/Model | Fleet numbers | Year | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 3018-186 | 2018 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R |
| 3020-177 | 2020 | |||
| Gillig Low Floor 35' | 3518-178 to 3518-179, 3518-184 | 2018 | ||
| 3521-202 to 3521-203 | 2021 | |||
| 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 | 3524-202e to 3524-210e | 2024 | Siemens ELFA3 | XALT Energy |
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4010-195 | 2010 | 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 | 2013 | Allison B500R | |
| 4014-194 | 2014 | |||
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4017-198 to 4017-199 | 2017 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R |
| Gillig Low Floor Plus EV 35' | 24-211e to 24-215e | 2024 | Cummins Battery Electric System | Direct drive |
| 25-215e to 25-220e | 2025 | |||
| Karsan eJest | M23-1 to M23-14 | 2023 | BMW i-Traction electric motor |
Facilities
[edit]The SMRT Transit Center at 400 E Boone Street has multiple bus bays. The eight bus bays on the center island and four southernmost bus bays, serve intercity routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12X, 13X, and 14. The four northernmost bus bays (on the curb side, next to the transit center) serve longer-distance regional routes (Such as the 20 to Chumash, 30 to Lompoc, 40 to Guadalupe, and RTA Route 10 to San Luis Obispo).[17]: 50
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 2024 Annual Agency Profile: City of Santa Maria (NTD ID 90087) (PDF). United States Department of Transportation (Report). Federal Transit Administration. 2024. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- ↑ Cole, Spencer. "Spotlight on: RATP Dev USA | Biz Spotlight | Santa Maria Sun, CA". Retrieved 2018-11-24.
- 1 2 Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. (2015). Short Range Transit Plan Update (Report). City of Santa Maria. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. (August 2, 2016). Short Range Transit Plan Update (PDF) (Report). City of Santa Maria. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ "Resolution No. 2009-25" (PDF). City of Santa Maria. February 17, 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ "Preview Opening of Santa Maria Intermodal Transit Center" (Press release). City of Santa Maria. April 22, 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ "Award of a new operations and maintenance contract for the City of Santa Maria Transit fixed route and demand response services and bus stop janitorial and maintenance" (PDF). City of Santa Maria. April 17, 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ Moore & Associates (October 2021). "Short Range Transit Plan – 2021 Addendum: Post-COVID Route and Schedule Revisions" (PDF). City of Santa Maria. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ "From SMAT to SMRT: Santa Maria transit changes approved to begin in January". Santa Maria Times. December 8, 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ↑ https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/santa-maria-regional-transit-s-consolidation-of-breeze-line-goes-into-effect-july-1/article_4f533e77-73b0-593a-a18f-f3bf46751c78.html/
- ↑ https://www.cityofsantamaria.org/Home/Components/News/News/17884/
- ↑ https://www.slocity.org/Home/Components/News/News/11624/2359/
- ↑ https://www.gillig.com/2025/10/31/santa-maria-regional-transit-earns-national-award-and-achieves-100-electric-fleet/
- ↑ https://online.fliphtml5.com/ridesmrt/SMRT---Ride-Guide---July-2026---Update/#p=1/
- ↑ https://www.cityofsantamaria.org/services/departments/department-of-public-works/santa-maria-regional-transit/ada-service/
- ↑ https://www.cityofsantamaria.org/services/departments/department-of-public-works/santa-maria-regional-transit/microtransit/
- ↑ "SMRT July 2026 Ride Guide". City of Santa Maria. July 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.