Santa Maria asking bus riders for input on a new route to San Luis Obispo

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) is asking bus riders for their input to help create a new round trip route to San Luis Obispo.

A new public survey is now open and is gathering rider suggestions and preferences for a route that originates in the Santa Maria Valley and travels north to San Luis Obispo.

"The new route is similar to the RTA Route 10," said Mark Sarri, Santa Maria Transit Planner. "The idea is to have a supplemental service that better serves the local community and Santa Marians who need to go up north to San Luis Obispo, whether it's for work or to go to Cal Poly or whatever."

Input from the online survey will assist SMRT design the destinations and stops of the new route.

"The survey is there so we can give the people what they want," said Sarri, who added the route will be first for SMRT to go outside Santa Barbara County. "The whole point of a service like this is to serve the people of Santa Maria and if they want to have their voices heard and have input on this process, they are more than welcome to with this survey."

The survey is available in both English and Spanish and asks riders a series of 13 multiple-choice questions.

"The things that we're asking are the purpose of their trip?" said Sarri. "Are you going for work or school or some other reason? We're also looking for where you'd like to get picked up and dropped off at.  This is going to be a commuter style service, so there will be park-and-rides. Some of the options we're looking at are the Hagerman Softball Complex, Crossroads Center transit center, and then in San Luis Obispo, to be dropped off at the park-and-ride at the hotel by Los Osos Valley Road. We're also looking at Cal Poly."

Users are able to check their answers and should be able complete the survey within a couple of minutes.

"It's a short survey, but the information is invaluable," said Sarri.

SMRT is planning to debut the new San Luis Obispo route by July 2025.

To view or complete the SMRT survey, click here.