Santa Barbara’s Clean Air Express helps out with Free Rides in the month of April

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Clean Air Express bus connecting northern and southern Santa Barbara county has added a new mid-day schedule and it's starting off free.

Lauren Bianchi Klemann with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments says, "our riders were looking for a mid-day option and we were excited to offer this mid day route as a test to see what the demand is."

The mid-day bus runs the route twice. It has two stops in Santa Maria, one in Buellton, two in Goleta and three in Santa Barbara. It's mainly been a morning and evening service until now.

One of the riders on board for free is a regular user from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara with a monthly pass at $160 dollars. Chris Smith is a downtown Santa Barbara worker who lives in Orcutt. He saves 126 miles of driving, gas costs, and wear-and-tear on his vehicle every day.

"I love it. It's convenient. It saves gas and money," he said after getting off from his trip Wednesday morning.

Some employers have offered incentives to cut the costs even more and reduce the number of cars  overall on the road.

Smith said for his day-to-day use, "in the morning – if I start early – I start at about 7:00 am. I get here about 6:40 am. In the afternoon, I get off about 4:00 pm so I catch the bus at 4:10 pm."

The Clean Air Express also has another level of convenience with all the major locations it connects to at the transit centers, for those who need to go somewhere else on their route.

It's not just for workers, anyone can ride. 

Bianchi Klemann said, "this mid-day connector route gives you more flexibility to travel on your own schedule instead of just the early morning options."

Information on the Clean Air Express and other transit options can be found on the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments web page with a link to the Clean Air Express.

That agency is coordinating these transit systems with the help of taxpayer money specifically for this purpose.

Bianchi Klemann said, "the launch is made possible by state dollars but also measure A which funds Clean Air Express in general. That's the half cent sales tax measure that we passed in 2008 with over 80% of the voters."

The free rides are only through the end of the month.

For more information go to : The Clean Air Express or SBCAG