New Bus to Travel Trail of 2 Cities

The commute between Ventura and Santa Barbara may be getting a little easier.

Starting Aug. 6, a government-subsidized bus line will make up to 10 round trips a day between the two seaside communities.

The new service will target commuting workers, as well as tourists who just want to spend the day in Santa Barbara, said Vic Kamhi, director of transit services for the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The new buses will be equipped with wheelchair lifts, bike racks and luggage compartments, Kamhi said.

“A standard surfboard should fit in there pretty nicely,” he said.

The bus service is sponsored by the commission and the Santa Barbara County Assn. of Governments, which will pay most of the first-year cost of $474,000 with federal transportation funds. The Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District will contribute about $60,000.

Currently, just one public bus, the Clean Air Express, operates between Ventura and Santa Barbara, taking riders north in the early mornings and south in the evenings. The service, which caters to commuting workers, has 47 subscribers and a waiting list of 30 to 90 people, Kamhi said.

The waiting list, combined with feedback from annual transit hearings and city officials, persuaded the commission that the need existed for the expanded bus service, Kamhi said.

“It was pretty clear that there was enough demand,” he said. The Coastal Express will make three stops in Ventura: the County Government Center, the Pacific View Mall and the downtown visitor center. During peak hours on weekdays, it will head as far north as UC Santa Barbara, with stops in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Goleta.

Visitors in Ventura frequently ask how they can get to Santa Barbara for the day, said Anastasia Davidson, the front-office manager at the Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau.

“Especially international visitors,” Davidson said. In the past, the only options were Amtrak or Greyhound, she said. Now the Coastal Express will stop in front of the bureau’s offices 10 times a day.

“It’s going to be big,” she said.

The Coastal Express has enough money to operate for three years, and officials will evaluate and make adjustments to the schedule every six months, Kamhi said.

“We get a lot of requests for service,” he said. “We’ll find out how many [riders] actually materialize. We’ll add and subtract stops based on what’s going on with ridership.”

Depending on how many people take advantage of the service, the Coastal Express could help relieve some of the frequent northbound traffic congestion between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, Kamhi said.

From Aug. 6 to Aug. 11, rides on the bus will be free.

Starting Aug. 12, the cost of the service will be $2 each way or $75 for a monthly pass. Seniors pay $1 each way, and children under 5 ride free. Because of the free week, the monthly pass for August will cost $50.

For complete schedule and fare information for the Coastal Express, log onto https://www.goventura.org or call (800) 438-1112 Monday through Friday.