Santa Cruz Metro pilots on-demand service

Cruz On-Demand, the first on-demand service for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Metro), launched as part of a pilot project on April 19, 2021. Santa Cruz Metro explains the new on-demand service option will allow it to increase service coverage in Santa Cruz County.

The pilot program is estimated to last one year, with promotional fares in place through mid-September 2021. Cruz On-Demand will use four- to five-passenger vans that will be operated by Santa Cruz Metro’s trained ParaCruz operators. The service reach is within three-quarters of a mile from any Santa Cruz Metro fixed-route bus route, but excludes Highway 17 and the UCSC campus.

“We are excited to launch our Cruz on-Demand pilot project that will allow Metro to increase our service coverage throughout the county, expanding convenient affordable access to addresses within three-quarters of a mile of Metro’s fixed-route service area and dropping them off at their nearby requested location or connecting them to one of our transit centers for longer trips. Cruz On-Demand is a great add-on to the services Metro already provides to our community,” said Santa Cruz Metro CEO and General Manager Alex Clifford.

Trips can be booked up to 24 hours in advance using the Ecolane app or by calling the district’s ParaCruz customer service phone number. Pick-up locations can be any address within the agency’s service area and drop-off locations can be anywhere within a three-mile radius of the pick-up address. Trips can be booked up to 24 hours in advance.

“Whether running a neighborhood errand or connecting to the nearest Metro Transit Center for longer journeys, Cruz On-Demand will provide Metro customers with affordable, accessible, on-demand public transportation from any address within Metro’s service area,” said Metro Planning and Development Director John Urgo.

Santa Cruz Metro will gather customer feedback and make adjustments to this service during the entire pilot program as needed to increase efficiency and streamline the Cruz On-Demand transit service model.