After outreach in the Spring and a Board of Directors decision in May 2026, Santa Barbara MTD bus service changes will go into effect at the beginning of the day on Monday, August 17, 2026.
With a growing budget deficit and a fiscal cliff drawing nearer, this reflects a 3.6 percent reduction in service. The deficit is largely due to changes from the 2020 Census which caused a loss of 30% of the agency’s federal operating funds. Even with these reductions, MTD is facing a $4.9 million shortfall in Fiscal Year 2026-27. While there are currently still funds from federal pandemic assistance to cover that gap, those funds are shrinking as the deficit grows in future years. Below is a table with a description of these changes:
| Lines | Description of Changes |
| Lines 1 (West SB) & 2 (East SB) | Reduced weekday headways from 15 to 20 minutes |
| Line 3 (Oak Park) | Reduced service on Saturday to match Sunday service schedule |
| Lines 4 (Mesa/SBCC) & 17 (Lower West SB/SBCC) | Reduced service on Saturday to match Sunday service schedule |
| Line 5 (Mesa/La Cumbre) | Reduced service on Saturday to match Sunday service schedule |
| Line 7 (Goleta Old Town) | Eliminate last weekday outbound trip |
| Line 14 (Montecito) | Eliminate one weekday AM roundtrip, bringing all day headways to 1 hour |
| Line 14 (Montecito) | Eliminate one Saturday AM roundtrip |
| Lines 11 (UCSB), 23 (El Encanto Heights), & 25 (Ellwood/Winchester Canyon) | Eliminate last weekday: outbound 23 trip, inbound 25 trip, and inbound 11 trip |
| Line 2730 (Dos Pueblos HS) | Minor adjustment to Tuesday and Thursday morning schedules |
The details of the service changes can be found at www.sbmtd.gov/servicechanges and the complete new schedule guide can be found online here.
For questions on the changes, the public may contact Santa Barbara MTD at (805) 963-
3366 or email info1@sbmtd.gov.
