City_of_Santa_Clarita_Transit

City of Santa Clarita Transit

City of Santa Clarita Transit

Public transit agency serving the Santa Clarita Valley

City of Santa Clarita Transit is a local bus service, administered by the City's transit division, that serves the City of Santa Clarita, California and nearby surrounding unincorporated areas. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,111,800, or about 9,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023. Daily operations and maintenance of the fleet are under contract with MV Transportation.[3] City of Santa Clarita Transit routes connect with services operated by Metro and Metrolink.

Quick Facts Parent, Founded ...

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works contracts with City of Santa Clarita Transit to provide fixed route and Dial-A-Ride services in some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County that are near the city limits of Santa Clarita. These areas include the communities of Castaic, Forest Park, Stevenson Ranch, Sunset Pointe, and Val Verde.

History

Santa Clarita Transit bus in the original 1991 livery

The City of Santa Clarita assumed responsibility for local transit in 1991 from Los Angeles County, which had developed an embryonic transit network. A small City staff provides supervision over a contract operator. Over time, the local fixed route network and dial-a-ride service was expanded. Under City management, a number of new regional express services to various points in the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, Antelope Valley, and downtown Los Angeles were added or improved.[4]

MV Transportation

In mid-2007 Santa Clarita Transit entered into a contract with MV Transportation and underwent a branding overhaul. The agency was renamed "City of Santa Clarita Transit" and buses received a new green and blue livery which reflect the colors of the city logo.[5] The livery debuted in August 2007 on 2 brand new 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses. Also receiving an overhaul are the city's bus stops through a $2-million dollar Bus Stop Improvement Program. This included replacing 51 Clear Channel advertising shelters, benches, and trash cans. In addition, 40 additional stops will receive new non-advertising shelters, as well as a number of stops receiving new non-advertisement benches. An element of public art will be added to approximately 15 bus stops. The program's purpose is threefold, bus stops will become more uniform in look and features, the advertisement on benches will be eliminated, and public art will have a large expansion.[6] The overhauls are major parts of the city's efforts to make transit more attractive to citizens.

Starting in 2010, City of Santa Clarita Transit began Summer Beach bus service to Santa Monica State Beach, from Canyon Country, and Newhall. They were separated into two routes servicing each destination to Santa Monica State Beach. However, the 2023 Summer Beach Bus is no longer serving Santa Monica State Beach, it instead is serving Ventura Harbor at Spinnaker Drive. The service stops at Via Princessa Metrolink Station & McBean Regional Transit Center. This service is only operated during the summer.

2023 Transit Service Workers Strike

On September 15, 2023, after over a year of negotiations with MV Transportation, transit service workers represented by Teamsters Local 572 voted to go on strike until a fair contract is reached. MV Transportation was notified of the decision to strike on September 28.[7]

The strike officially began on October 9, halting all bus and paratransit services across the city. The strike forced Santa Clarita Transit and William S. Hart High School District to negotiate an emergency contract with charter bus company Transit Systems in order to provide limited school tripper services to select schools and infrequent bus services along routes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 12.[7] Santa Clarita City Council has declined to enter into contract negotiations as a third party.[8]

The strike ended on December 3rd, 2023. Teamsters Local 572 reached an agreement with MV Transportation. Buses returned to operation on December 4th, the strike lasted 55 days.

Transfer Stations

Transit Maintenance Facility

City of Santa Clarita Transit is housed in the City's Transit Maintenance Facility. The facility has been gold LEED certified.

Fixed-route Service

Local Routes [9]

More information Route, Terminals ...

Station Link service provides service from the Santa Clarita station to local places of employment within the Santa Clarita Valley. Station Link service operates on weekdays peak periods (6-9am, 4-6pm) only except route 501, which as of February 2023, makes morning and afternoon trips excluding midday even on Saturdays and Sundays, select holidays included.

More information Route, Terminals ...

School Supplementary Routes

Supplemental School Day Service routes (also known as Tripper Service), provide service to and from local Junior High and High Schools from residential areas. Supplemental School Day Service routes are numbered in the 600's. This service is only operated on weekdays when schools are in session. Trips are timed with school bell schedule.[10]

Routes include:

  • Route 620 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
  • Route 621 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
  • Route 622 – Rio Norte Jr. High School
  • Route 623 – Rio Norte Jr. High School
  • Route 624 – Valencia High School
  • Route 626 – La Mesa Jr. High School
  • Route 627 – La Mesa Jr. High School
  • Route 628 – Golden Valley High School
  • Route 629 – Golden Valley High School
  • Route 632 – Canyon High School
  • Route 633 – Saugus High School
  • Route 634 – Rancho Pico Jr. High School & West Ranch High School
  • Route 635 - Ranch Pico Jr. High School & West Ranch High School
  • Route 636 – Valencia High School & West Ranch High School
  • Route 637 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School
  • Route 638 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
  • Route 640 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
  • Route 641 – Placerita Jr. High School & Hart High School
  • Route 643 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
  • Route 644 – La Mesa Jr. High School

Commuter Express Routes

Commuter Express provides service to and from to major places of employment outside of the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 796-799), and also provides service from areas outside of the Santa Clarita Valley to major places of employment inside the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 791-794). All Commuter Express Routes run on weekdays only, except for Route 757, which runs seven days a week.[11]

More information Route, Terminals ...

Fares

Exact cash fare is required. Under 5, up to 3 per fare-paying rider, ride for free. Passes are stored on reusable Transit Access Pass (TAP) cards that cost $2 each. Customers can also store cash-value on their TAP card that can be used with any Los Angeles county transit agency that accepts TAP. Since February 2018 fares are available for purchase on the Token Transit mobile ticketing app.[12]

The following table shows City of Santa Clarita Transit fares,[13] effective January 1, 2020:

More information Fare Type, Regular ...

Notes:

  1. TAP card required.
  2. The EZ transit pass is a monthly pass good for local travel on 21 different public transit carriers throughout the Greater Los Angeles region.
  3. Senior discount eligibility starts at age 62 for EZ transit pass.

Bus fleet

Active fleet [14]

More information Make/Model, Fleet Numbers ...

References

  1. [1]
    "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. [3]
    Santa Clarita Signal- New Contractor on Board for Buses
  4. [4]
    "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. [5]
    City of Santa Clarita, CA – Purchasing: Solicitations Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. [6]
    City of Santa Clarita, CA – CITY BUS SHELTERS GET A FACE LIFT Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. [7]
    "Transit Service Workers On Strike In Santa Clarita. What This Means For Riders". LAist. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  8. [8]
    Service, City News (2023-10-10). "Bus driver strike enters second day in Santa Clarita". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  9. [9]
    "Santa Clarita Transit Routes" (PDF).
  10. [10]
    "Supplemental School Day Schedules". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  11. [11]
    "Santa Clarita Transit Commuter Express routes" (PDF).
  12. [12]
    "Santa Clarita Transit Unveils New Token Transit App". City of Santa Clarita. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. [13]
    "Fares & Passes". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  14. [14]
    "Our Fleet". City of Santa Clarita Transit. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  15. [15]
    "Canyon Country woman killed in Santa Clarita crash is identified". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
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