Monterey-Salinas Transit

Founded	1981
Headquarters	One Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, CA
Service area	Monterey County and parts of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties
Service type	bus service, DRT, paratransit
Routes	58
Stops	1,322
Stations	Monterey Transit Plaza Salinas Transit Center Edgewater Transit Exchange Marina Transit Exchange Watsonville Transit Center
Fleet	133
Operator	Monterey-Salinas Transit District
Web site	mst.org

Monterey-Salinas Transit, (MST), provides bus service within Monterey County in California. Service is primarily to the greater Monterey and Salinas areas, but extends as far south as Paso Robles and Big Sur and as far north as Watsonville and San Jose. Most lines follow a hub-and-spoke system, originating at the Monterey Transit Plaza or the Salinas Transit Center, though some service also originates from the Edgewater Transit Exchange (in Sand City) and the Marina Transit Exchange. MST serves many local shopping areas, places of employment, tourist sites, government buildings, and residential neighborhoods.

Fare Structure

Fares are by route length. For passenger convenience, day passes, 7-day passes and 31-day passes are available for purchase.

• $1 local - Includes 3 CHOMP-Monterey, 4 Carmel Rancho-Carmel, 8 Ryan Ranch-Edgewater via Seaside & Del Rey Oaks, 13 Ryan Ranch-Monterey, 14 NPS-Monterey via La Mesa, 46 Natividad, 48 Salinas-Airport Business Center, 70 Presidio-La Mesa, 78 Presidio-Pacific Grove, MST On Call Marina and MST On Call South County.
• $2 primary - Includes 1 Monterey-Pacific Grove, 1x Asilomar-Lovers Point Express, 2 Monterey-Pacific Grove via Forest Hill, 5 Carmel-Monterey, 7 Carmel-Monterey via CHOMP, 9 Fremont-Hilby, 10 Fremont-Ord Grove, 11 Carmel-Edgewater, 12 Monterey-Dunes via NPS, 16 Marina-Monterey, 19 Marina-Monterey, 24 Carmel Valley Grapevine Express, 25 CSUMB Otter Trolley, 26 Watsonville-Aromas, 27 Watsonville-Marina, 36 Laguna Seca-Carmel, 37 Laguna Seca-Seaside, 38 Laguna Seca-Monterey, 39 Laguna Seca-Salinas, 41 East Alisal-Northridge, 42 East Alisal-Westridge, 43 Memorial Hospital, 44 Northridge via Westridge, 45 East Market-Creekbridge, 49 Northridge via North Main St, 69 Presidio-The Dunes, 71 Presidio-Marina Express, 74 Presidio-Preston Park 75 Presidio-Marshall Park Express, 76 Presidio-Stilwell Park Express via Hayes Park, 77 Presidio-Seaside.
• $3 regional - Includes 2x Pebble Beach-Salinas Express, 20 Salinas-Monterey via Marina, 21 Salinas-Monterey via Hwy 68, 22 Big Sur, 23 Salinas-King City, 38 Watsonville-Salinas via Castroville, 29 Watsonville-Salinas via Prunedale, 72 Presidio-North Salinas Express, 73 Presidio-Prunedale Express.
• $10 commuter - Includes 55 Monterey-San Jose Express, 79 Presidio-San Jose Express via Gilroy, 82 Salinas-Ft. Hunter Liggett Express, 83 Ft. Hunter Liggett-Paso Robles Express.

Discounted fares (approximately half-price) are available to individuals age 18 or under, individuals age 65 or over, individuals with disabilities, Medicare cardholders, and active-duty military. Children 46" and under ride free. Daily and monthly passes (for one zone or all zones) are available at various locations throughout the county, as are prepaid ticket books.

CSUMB is a fare-free zone; passengers boarding on campus ride free.

MST Service

Main article: List of Monterey-Salinas Transit lines

MST currently operates 58 fixed-route lines, two demand-responsive transit services, free seasonal shuttles, and paratransit service. Supplemental service is offered on relevant lines during major events and is usually free for event ticketholders.

During the summer and select holidays, the MST Trolley (formerly the Waterfront Area Visitor Express, or WAVE), a free shuttle, serves Old Town Monterey, Cannery Row, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Trolleys also serve Carmel-by-the-Sea during summer and select holiday periods, as well as downtown Salinas during the off season.

MST's demand-responsive transit service, MST On Call, covers areas away from MST's standard routes. MST On Call Marina provides timed transfers at Marina Transit Exchange, while MST On Call South County connects to Line 23 in Gonzales.

MST RIDES is a paratransit service available to persons who have a disability preventing them from using MST's regular fixed-route service. It operates under its own fare and zone structures.

Technological Initiatives

Free onboard Wi-Fi service is offered on Lines 23 Salinas—King City, 55 Monterey—San Jose Express (Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach), and 79 Presidio—San Jose Express, as well as at the Marina and Edgewater Transit Exchanges. MST provides online trip planning on Google Transit and sends live service alerts via Twitter. All buses are tracked by GPS, allowing real-time arrival and departure times to be displayed at major hubs, and MST has introduced smart card fare payment and other technologies to attract new riders.

Transit Connections

Lines 27, 28, and 29 connect to Santa Cruz Metro, which serves Santa Cruz County, at Watsonville Transit Center.

Salinas's Amtrak and Greyhound stations are located near the Salinas Transit Center; lines 29 and 49 and the Salinas Trolley will also stop at the Amtrak station upon request.

Lines 55 and 79 connect to both Caltrain and VTA buses at the Gilroy and San Jose Diridon Caltrain Stations. Diridon Station is also a station for ACE, Amtrak, and VTA light rail. Further, line 55 includes a stop at the San Jose Greyhound station. These connections link the Monterey Bay to Bay Area, state, and national transit networks. (Line 55 also serves as an Amtrak Thruway bus.)

Airport Connections

Monterey Peninsula Airport is served by both Lines 3 and 21.

Marina Municipal Airport is served by MST On Call.

San Jose International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are served by transferring to VTA light rail and Caltrain, respectively, from Lines 55 or 79 at Diridon Station.

Bus Names

The MST busses have a variety of names that refer to patriotic, California, and local themes. These names include:

• China Rock
• Valley Forge
• Golden State
• Red, White & Blue
• Of Mice and Men

External links

• Monterey-Salinas Transit Official Site
• Routes and Descriptions
• Fare Structure