CITY UNVEILS DOWNTOWN ELECTRIC SHUTTLE SERVICE
Routes launch Memorial Day weekend
SANTA CRUZ >> Heavy traffic and endless parking pursuits — the twin-headed dragon plaguing Santa Cruz transit — has a new adversary.
City leaders unveiled a pair of electric buses that will soon be used to shuttle travelers back and forth from downtown to the Main Beach area in an effort to fight against the relentless traffic experienced in the region during the summer season.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to … tie together our meandering, longish downtown narrow corridor, help folks get rides around town in a way that is so efficient, makes good sense environmentally, is inexpensive, helps support our business and tourism community and does it in a way that is really fun and enjoyable for both locals and visitors,” said Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley at the Monday announcement ceremony.
The shuttle system, aptly titled “The Santa Cruzer Beach and Downtown Shuttle,” will operate noon to 8 p.m. and officially launches Saturday for Memorial Day weekend. It will remain available weekends and holidays through Labor Day and includes three stops: the Del Mar Theatre, 1123 Pacific Ave. #4414; the Locust Street Garage, 124 Locust St.; and the Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, 35 Pacific Ave.
Buses are expected to arrive in 15-minute intervals and each ride will cost $1. Only cash will be accepted, according to the city's website.
The 16-seat buses, accessible to those with disabilities, were purchased thanks to a $171,510 grant won by the city in 2019 from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District Clean Air Management Program. They were meant to be a seamless environmentally friendly replacement for the city's trolley bus program that had been offering a similar shuttle service since 2011 but was rolled back in 2019 after parts began to fail and maintenance costs mounted.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit a few months later and the transition was put on hold.
“The trolley has probably been the No. 1 thing we have been asked about at the downtown information kiosk,” said Jorian Wilkins, executive director of the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz. “You can make a whole day of your experience when you get to take this fun, easy transportation. And knowing that it is now electric and green is actually great.”
According to Santa Cruz Economic Development Manager Rebecca Unitt, the trolley served about 40,000 riders annually and moved
an estimated 200,000 total riders in the roughly eight years it was operating.
But the sun-kissed orange and yellow buses with dash of ocean blue on the side won't be the only zero-emission vehicles quietly cruising across the city. Santa Cruz Metro recently released a series of zeroemission buses wrapped in breathtaking imagery of the region's natural environment and plans to expand to 30 wrapped buses by the end of 2024.
The city added an emission-free garbage truck to its 27-truck fleet in March, once again courtesy of the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, and it plans to decarbonize or electrify its entire fleet of vehicles by 2035.
The city will also boost its marine safety services after Hyundai Motor America donated four new vehicles that will be used by lifeguards and city staff to keep visiting beachgoers safe. The vehicles, worth about $164,000 in value and featuring open beds and all-wheel drive, will be unveiled at noon Thursday at Santa Cruz City Hall, 809 Center St., in celebration of National Public Works and Beach Safety weeks.
Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sonja Brunner, who played a key role in securing the new electric shuttle buses, said she was excited to see them hit the streets in time for the city's peak season.
“It just creates another option,” said Brunner. “This really hits all of the needs and I'm just so excited. It's just great.”