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Monterey Salinas Transit outlines service area, ridership and plans for Salinas transit center
Summary
Monterey Salinas Transit told the Salinas commission it serves roughly 430,000 people across 163 square miles, carries about 3,000 riders a day in Salinas (which MST estimates removes about 2,266 cars daily), offers free student rides with participating colleges, and is studying options—including relocation—for the over-capacity Salinas Transit Center.
Monterey Salinas Transit (MST) presented an overview of its services and planning work to the Salinas commission, saying the agency serves about 430,000 people across 163 square miles and operates routes as far north as Gilroy and south to Paso Robles. "We carry over 3,000 people a day," MST planning director Michelle Obermeyer said, adding that MST estimates that ridership is equivalent to removing about 2,266 cars from Salinas roads each day.
Obermeyer described MST as a special district and a unit of government, funded through a mix of federal and state grants, local Measure Q sales tax revenue and occasional project-specific grants. She said MST provides free transit for college students during fall and spring semesters if they have a valid ID from Hartnell College, Cal State Monterey Bay or Monterey Peninsula College, and noted a variety of supplemental services such as paratransit, same-day taxi vouchers and travel training.
Regarding facilities, MST staff said the Salinas Transit Center — MST-owned and operating 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. — is aging and over capacity. "We have nine bus bays or gates and those are at capacity several times each hour," Obermeyer said, describing the hub as a pulse point where multiple routes converge. MST is assessing facility needs; Obermeyer said the agency does not currently own replacement property and is evaluating siting requirements, customer service needs (including the only public restroom downtown), and operational features before identifying relocation options.
MST also outlined regional projects and planning work. It described an express trip to Rancho Cielo, partnerships to establish vanpools, a planned update to its 'Designing for Transit' guidebook funded by a grant, and larger corridor projects: the Surf project (a dedicated bus lane paralleling Highway 1 intended to reduce congestion between Salinas and Monterey) and an Alisal Corridor study funded by Caltrans and local contributions (city and Taylor Farms) that will examine travel-time reliability and feasibility of relocating the transit center.
Commissioners and members of the public asked how MST will serve tight streets and roundabouts; Obermeyer said the guidebook contains turning templates and that some roundabouts already in the county cannot be served. She described MST's mobility department as an outreach resource that provides travel training at senior centers and other community locations. On scheduling, MST said it will coordinate with local partners and that outreach — including a rider survey — was open for comments.
The presentation concluded with a mention that MST received national recognition from the American Public Transportation Association as the outstanding operator for its agency size.
