More Buses For Added UCSC Ridership

SANTA CRUZ — More buses are coming to the campus of University of California, Santa Cruz to help with a surge in ridership thanks to the acquisition of 10 extra-long buses by the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, known as Santa Cruz METRO.

Campus bus ridership has increased by 30 percent in fall of this year compared to fall 2022.
The 60-foot-long articulated buses can accommodate up to 90 people, with 60-65 people seated and 20-25 standing. That's compared to traditional 40-foot-long buses that can only carry about 50 people.

The 10 additional buses were purchased from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. They will bolster two that were already put into service on campus in September that will act as reserves for the fleet.

"UCSC students, faculty, and staff are our largest population of riders and we appreciate their commitment to environmentally friendly transportation," said METRO board chair Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson. "That's why it was so important for METRO to act quickly to secure more fleet capacity and ensure everyone who wants to ride the bus has a chance to do so."

UCSC riders account for 70 percent of overall METRO use, with an average of about 13,400 riders per day at the start of the fall 2023 semester, up from about 10,350 in fall 2022.

Four of the buses are already running and the rest are expected to be running on campus by the end of the year.

They will be wrapped in images of Monterey Bay wildlife such as kelp forests, sea lions and sea jellies as part of a partnership with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund that helps fund conservation programs.

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