Goleta, CA
Home MenuNews List
MTD Public Meetings on Proposed Changes
Service Reductions Proposed Due to Budget Deficit
The City of Goleta is sharing this information on behalf of Santa Barbara MTD.
Santa Barbara MTD is hosting a set of public outreach meetings this April and is inviting the public to take a brief survey giving feedback on proposed service changes to local bus service. These meetings are held annually in the spring to receive input on the proposed changes that would go into effect on August 17, 2026.
Service reductions are proposed on the following routes:
- Line 1 (West Santa Barbara)
- Line 2 (East Santa Barbara)
- Line 3 (Oak Park)
- Line 4 (Mesa/SBCC)
- Line 5 (Mesa/La Cumbre)
- Line 7 (Goleta Old Town)
- Line 11 (UCSB)
- Line 14 (Montecito)
- Line 17 (Lower West SB/SBCC)
- Line 23 (El Encanto Heights)
- Line 25 (Ellwood/Winchester Canyon)
With a growing budget deficit and a fiscal cliff drawing nearer, MTD is proposing a service reduction of around 3 percent. This deficit is largely due to changes from the 2020 Census which caused a loss of 30% of the agency's federal operating funds. While there are currently still funds from federal pandemic assistance to cover that gap, those funds are shrinking as the deficit grows in future years.
MTD also plans to begin a pilot of on-demand microtransit service known as The Wave in Carpinteria in mid-September this year. This service, and existing on-demand service in an area of Goleta and Isla Vista are funded by temporary grant funding from the State of California’s Low-Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP). The Goleta/Isla Vista service is budgeted to continue until June 2027.
MTD invites the public to learn more and to give feedback via an online survey that explains all the proposed changes at www.sbmtd.gov/servicechanges. The survey is available in English and Spanish.
Community meetings will be held at the following locations and times, and Spanish/English interpretation will be provided:
Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Carpinteria Veterans Memorial Building
941 Walnut Ave, Carpinteria
Tuesday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m.
Goleta Community Center, Room 6
5679 Hollister Avenue, Goleta
Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 p.m.
Virtual Meeting- Zoom Webinar
Click here to register.
Monday, April 20 at 6:00 p.m.
Central Library, Faulkner Gallery
40 E Anapamu St, Santa Barbara
In addition to the four meetings listed above, a presentation on the proposed changes will be given at the April 28 meeting of the Isla Vista Community Services District Board of Directors. The meeting begins at 6:00pm.
For questions on proposed service changes, the public may contact Santa Barbara MTD at 805-963-3364 or email info1@sbmtd.gov.