History
Mule-powered street railways were implemented in 1875 and were gradually replaced by electric streetcars in 1896. The streetcars made their last run on July 1, 1929; about a month later, the Santa Barbara Transit Corporation company started providing local bus service (H.A. Spreitz, its owner, already operated another bus company that served the suburban areas of Goleta and Carpinteria. In the late 1950s and 60s, Santa Barbara Transit was losing revenue, and repeatedly threatened to go out of business. Strikes were also a problem, as the company could not afford to pay its employees.
At first, the City of Santa Barbara considered subsidizing the transit company, but since service was needed to Carpinteria and Goleta as well, a transit district was thought to be a better choice, because it would also be able to levy taxes on separately. Voters approved the formation of the MTD in 1966. However, since the new district had no funds, bus service didn't start until 1967.
Over the years, service has expanded, particularly on routes serving the University of California, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College. Bus schedules were being distributed from 1983 onwards.
In August 2012 MTD implemented peak-hour commuter service (Coastal Express Limited) between Ventura and the Santa Barbara/Goleta area.
Read more about this topic: Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
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