Santa Barbara MTD to add one 24x rush-hour trip, launch 'Wave' microtransit and raise fares Aug. 18

Miss Blackabee, representing the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), told the Hialeah Community Services District Board that several service and fare changes will take effect Aug. 18, including a single additional PM inbound trip on express Line 24x, the start of a pilot microtransit service called the Wave and an increase in the cash fare.

MTD described the changes as a limited, targeted service increase and an effort to shore up revenue as federal COVID-relief funding wanes. "August 18 is when these go into effect," Miss Blackabee said, and she emphasized the Line 24x addition is “a very tiny service increase, but we think it'll be impactful.”

The Line 24x change is an added weekday PM inbound trip to close a late‑afternoon gap between North Hall/UC Santa Barbara and downtown: MTD described the new run as starting near Hollister at about 4:56 p.m., reaching the North Hall bus loop about 5:10 p.m. and arriving at the Transit Center around 5:32 p.m. The agency said the incremental trip responds to rider reports of a post‑5 p.m. gap created by pandemic-era reductions.

MTD also described the Wave microtransit pilot, a smartphone‑or‑call on‑demand…