Santa Cruz Metro

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD), or simply the Santa Cruz Metro, provides bus service throughout Santa Cruz County, California.

Santa Cruz Metro also operates the Highway 17 Express bus service between Santa Cruz (city) and San Jose, thanks to a partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Amtrak California.

Complete transit itineraries between Santa Cruz and San Francisco Bay Area cities and major airports are available from [http://www.iridethebus.org iridethebus.org] .

History

Santa Cruz Metro was created in 1968 as a special district within Santa Cruz County with taxing authority [cite web
url= http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/trans/scmtd.shtml
title= History of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District
accessdate=2008-06-24
publisher= Santa Cruz Public Libraries] . Service was initially to the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Live Oak. Metro extended service to Watsonville, Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley in 1974.

In 1979, voters approved a measure to change the financing of Metro from a property tax to a 1/2 cent sales tax.

The Highway 17 Express bus service between Santa Cruz and San Jose started as an emergency bus service after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed Highway 17.

A strike in September 2005 lasted for 35 days and stranded up to 23,000 riders. [cite news
url=http://www.local23.org/2005strike/sacbee.htm
title=Strikes halts Santa Cruz bus service, strands 23,000 riders
accessdate=2008-06-24
publisher=Associated Press]

External links

* [http://www.scmtd.com Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District]
* [http://www.local23.org/ United Transportation Union Local 23] represents SCMTD bus operators.

References