Bus Ridership Is Up in Monterey County, Bucks the National Trend

After five years of steady growth, Monterey-Salinas Transit has recorded its highest year of ridership since 2008.

This stands in contrast to the national trend. According to the American Public Transportation Association, bus ridership in California and across the country has been declining incrementally in recent years. Possible reasons fewer people are riding public transit may be cheap gas prices, extraordinarily affordable car loans, and new ride-hailing apps like Lyft and Uber.

So what has MST done differently to grow its ridership in the current transportation climate?

According to General Manager/CEO Carl Sedoryk, MST’s ridership gains are, “a direct result of fare reductions for veterans, seniors, and persons with disabilities; free fare weekend promotions, supported by special grant funds from the State of California; and growing partnerships with local military bases.” Hartnell College, California State University Monterey Bay, the city of Monterey, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are additional partners which collaborate to promote free or deeply discounted transit services like the MST Trolley.

MST partners with the military (U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey Bay, Naval Postgraduate School, Fort Hunter Liggett, and Camp Roberts) to provide transit service from off-base housing communities to military installations. This partnership also funds routes that are open to the public throughout Monterey County. In addition, these partnerships fund bus passes to eligible Department of Defense employees and active duty personnel.