The all-electric Downtown-Waterfront Shuttle service to Santa Barbara’s Downtown and Waterfront areas is being reinstated temporarily for the summer, the Santa Barbara MTD has announced.

After a four-year hiatus, electric shuttles will again carry riders around town on a zero-emission ride as they had for 30 years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Service will operate on 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday between May 31 and Sept. 2, with service on July 4 and Labor Day Monday.

The shuttle will operate on a circulatory route with 20-minute headways. Riders can catch the shuttle at any MTD stop along the route.
 
Because several blocks of downtown State Street arae closed to motor vehicles and open to pedestrians, the downtown portion of the route will operate on Chapala and Anacapa streets.
 
The returned service will provide transit connections to the harbor and waterfront, Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Train Depot, County Courthouse, hotels, and downtown shopping and dining destinations.

Fares will be 50 cents (standard one-way); 25 cents for seniors 62 and older and people with disabilities.

A $1 day pass will also be available, providing for unlimited shuttle rides in one calendar day. Additionally, riders with a valid Amtrak ticket ride free on the shuttle or any MTD bus service by showing their train ticket for that day.

The temporary shuttle service operation will be funded with limited, one-time grant funds from the state of California’s Low-Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) fund.

The previous Downtown-Waterfront Shuttle service was funded through an agreement between MTD and the city of Santa Barbara. The service was suspended at the start of the pandemic, and the agreement for funding from the city expired in June 2022 and was not renewed.

There will be a community event on Friday, May 31 to celebrate the renewed service.