MTD outlines Terminal 2 recommissioning, zero‑emission goals and soft launch of on‑demand service; staffing and funding are constraints

Representatives of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) updated the Goleta City Council on March 28 about ridership recovery since the pandemic, progress on zero‑emission buses, recommissioning of Terminal 2 on Overpass Road and plans to pilot a Wave on‑demand microtransit service in April.

“Today, what I'd like to provide you an update on is, 1, our ridership,” MTD General Manager Jerry Estrada told the council. He summarized long‑term ridership figures: pre‑pandemic South Coast ridership was about 6,400,000 annual rides; in 2021 ridership fell to about 2,300,000; by last June it had recovered to about 4,600,000 rides.

Estrada and MTD staff stressed two constraints on service restoration: workforce availability and funding. MTD reported a net loss of bus operators compared with pre‑pandemic levels (staff said the agency remains down roughly 24% in operator FTEs versus the baseline) despite recent hiring; the agency has retained about 87% of hires in recent years but still needs more operators to restore service. MTD also said federal and state COVID‑era funding and other sources are covering operations through 2028 but projected a…