# Santa Maria Regional Transit

Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT), formerly Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT), is a bus service local to Santa Maria, California, providing both intracity service within Santa Maria and intercity service within Santa Barbara County, including routes to Lompoc, Buellton, and Solvang.

## History

Public transit service has been operated by the city of Santa Maria since 1978. That year, Santa Maria contracted the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH) to operate a single fixed route along Broadway. A second fixed route was added in 1981, and Saturday operations began in 1982. SMOOTH operated Santa Maria's local service until 2004, when the contract was awarded to MV Public Transportation, Inc.$^{:2–1}$ That year, Sunday service was added, along with a fare increase.
First Transit was awarded the operations and maintenance contract in 2009. The Santa Maria Transit Center, which is the origin point for many intracity and all intercity lines, was opened in 2011, at 400 East Boone Street.$^{:2–1}$ Santa Maria awarded the operating contract to RATP Dev in 2018.
In December 2021, the Santa Maria City Council approved service changes to commence in January, including route consolidation, two new transfer sites, and the addition of timed transfers at the primary Transit Center hub. Amtrak Thruway buses, however, board across the freeway at 205 South Nicholson Avenue. With the update to the services, the agency was rebranded from Santa Maria Area Transit to Santa Maria Regional Transit.

## Routes
### Local routes

| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Via | Notes |
| 1 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Hidden Pines Wy & Preisker Ln | Broadway | |
| 2 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Western Av, Donovan Rd | |
| 2 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | Western Av, Donovan Rd | |
| 3 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Main St, Suey Rd | |
| 3 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | Main St, Suey Rd | |
| 4 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria A St & McCoy Ln | Thornburg St, Betteravia Rd | Serves Santa Maria Airport |
| 5 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Lakeview Rd & Orcutt Expy | Miller St, Santa Maria Wy | Serves Allan Hancock College |
| 6 | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Santa Maria Blosser Rd & Terrazzo Wy | Bradley Rd | |
| 7 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria McCoy Ln & Broadway | Bradley Rd | Serves Allan Hancock College |
| 8 | Santa Maria Sandalwood & Black Rd | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Mahoney Rd, McCoy Ln | |
| 9 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Alvin Av | |
| 9 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | Alvin Av | |
| 11 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Bradley Rd & Crossroads Ln | Broadway | |
| 20 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Ynez Chumash Casino Resort | Hwy 101, SR 246 | Former Breeze 200 Serves Allan Hancock College |
| 30 | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Lompoc Lompoc Transit Hub | SR 1 | Former Breeze 100 Serves Santa Maria Airport |

### Express routes

| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Via |
| 12X | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Clark Av & Orcutt Rd | Broadway |
| 13X | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Suey Crossing Rd & Donovan Rd | Broadway, Donovan Rd |
| 13X | Santa Maria Santa Maria Transit Center | Santa Maria Pioneer Valley High School (academic year only) | Broadway, Donovan Rd |

### Fares

| Fare type | SMRT | SMRT | SMRT | SMRT | Regional Routes |
| Fare type | One-way | Passes | Passes | Passes | One-way |
| Fare type | One-way | 1-day | 7-day | 31-day | One-way |
| Regular | $1.50 | $3.00 | $12.00 | $31.00 | $2.00 |
| Student | $1.25 | $3.00 | $12.00 | $31.00 | $2.00 |
| Qualified discount | $0.75 | $1.50 | $6.00 | $15.00 | $1.00 |
| Children | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |

### Dial-a-ride

SMRT operates on-demand dial-a-ride paratransit services, covering the same area as the fixed-route local services.$^{:2–8}$

## Bus fleet and facilities
### Active fleet

| Make/Model | Fleet Numbers | Year | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 3018-186 | 2018 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig Low Floor 29' | 3020-177 | 2020 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig Low Floor 35' | 3518-178 to 3518-179, 3518-184 | 2018 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig Low Floor 35' | 3521-202 to 3521-203 | 2021 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | |
| Proterra ZX5 | 3522-200E to 3522-201E | 2022 | Parker GVM310-200 240 kW permanent magnet motor | Eaton 4-speed auto-shift EV transmission | |
| New Flyer XE35 | 3524-208E | 2024 | Siemens ELFA3 | XALT Energy | SMRT has one of the four New Flyer XE35 buses already at its yard and is awaiting the arrival of the other three in the near future |
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4010-195 | 2010 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig Low Floor 40' | 4011-160, 4011-168 | 2011 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig Low Floor 40' | 4014-160 to 4014-162, 4014-165, 4014-167 to 4014-168, 4014-174, 4014-176, 4014-180, | 2014 | Cummins ISL9 | Allison B400R | |
| Gillig BRT 40' | 4014-194, 4017-198 to 4017-199 | 2017 | Cummins L9 | Allison B400R | |

### Facilities

The SMRT Transit Center is at 400 E Boone Street, and has multiple bus bays. There are eight bus bays on the island, serving intercity routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11. The four northernmost bus bays (on the curb side, next to the transit center) serve longer-distance routes (Such as the 20 to Chumash, 30 to Lompoc, Guadalupe Flyer to Guadalupe, and RTA Route 10 to San Luis Obispo).$^{:50}$ The four southernmost bus bays are not allocated..
The SMRT fleet for local services is 17 mid- and full-size diesel-powered buses manufactured by Gillig, 35' and 40' long.$^{:2–5}$ Breeze 100, (SMRT 30) operates exclusively with Gillig BRT 40" busses.$^{:2–7}$