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Routes 72 & 74S & 75:
Green Valley Closure June 2025
- Start: June 1, 2025, 6:00 PM
- End: June 7, 2025, 12:30 AM
2025 Independence Day
- Start: June 30, 2025, 4:00 PM
- End: July 5, 2025, 6:59 AM
Routes 41:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 41
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 2:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 2
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 1:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 1
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 40:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 40
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 73:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 73
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 17:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 17
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 3A & 3B & 4W & 18 & 19 & 20 & 40 & 41 & 55 & 73:
2025 AIDS LifeCycle Bicycle Event
- Start: May 30, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: June 2, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 73:
Route 73 Park Ave Detour
- Start: April 17, 2025, 7:00 AM
- End: June 19, 2025, 6:59 AM
Routes 3A:
Murray St IB(West) Closure, March 2025
- Start: March 12, 2025, 4:15 PM
Routes 18:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 18
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 19:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 19
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
Routes 3A:
FY25 Summer Service Change, Route 3A
- Start: June 5, 2025, 7:00 PM
- End: July 3, 2025, 7:00 PM
METRO’s Impact
Whether we’re connecting people to work and school, creating affordable housing, supporting local wildlife conservation, or helping address climate change, we’re invested in the quality of life for everyone in Santa Cruz County.
Zero-Emissions Plan
Since 1968, we have focused on reducing harmful carbon emissions in the Monterey Bay by providing fast, frequent, and reliable public transportation for Santa Cruz County with the goal of offering 100%, zero-emission bus service by 2037.
At METRO, we strive to make the choice to use transit safe, convenient, and meaningful. Our planet depends on it.
Conservation
We strive to protect our extraordinary, local natural resources by donating our time – and a percentage of our contributions from vendors and customers – to help conservation organizations in the Monterey Bay. Our donations help these organizations to protect the incomparable ecosystem we call home; and they further our mission to defend the environment and increase ridership.
Affordable Housing
In Santa Cruz and Watsonville, we are redeveloping our transit centers into vibrant community hubs. Each redevelopment project will contain housing, retail, office space, and onsite transit service. Not only will these redevelopment projects provide much-needed affordable housing, but they will help revitalize downtown Santa Cruz and Watsonville and reduce our region’s carbon emissions thanks to easy and robust public transit access. Our goal is to provide 175 new affordable housing units in Santa Cruz and Watsonville by 2033.
Zero-Emission Bus Master Plan
In February 2023, METRO adopted a Zero-Emission Bus Master Plan, an aggressive strategy to convert the entire METRO bus fleet to zero-emissions vehicles by 2037, three years ahead of the of the deadline set by the State of California.
We’re already well on our way!
Learn more about METRO’s Zero-Emission Bus Master Plan
Meet the Clean Fleet
Currently, METRO operates nine zero-emission battery-electric buses (BEBs). In 2025, we will begin accepting delivery of 53 hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses (FCEBs). When this procurement is complete, the METRO fleet will jump to over 50% ZEBs. The new ZEBs will replace aging vehicles that run on fossil fuels, ushering in a green future for transit in our region.
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Electric Buses
METRO started receiving the first handful of its historic order of 53 FCEBs. At the time METRO placed the order of these buses in December 2023, it was the largest acquisition of FCEBs in North American history. The order consists of 44 40-foot FCEBs and nine 60-foot articulated FCEBs.
As of spring 2025, METRO has received 14 buses, which are undergoing rigorous testing before being put into service. Most of the FCEBs will be deployed in the Watsonville service area, which the agency has committed to fully serving with zero-emissions vehicles from this historic purchase.
Learn more about our highly anticipated FCEB’s
Battery Electric Buses
METRO’s nine BEBs currently cruise the streets of Santa Cruz County, serving passengers on intercity routes within the region. You’ll see many of them wrapped in iconic Monterey Bay photography as part of our One Ride at a Time program.
Learn more about our BEBs
Clean Fuels
In 2025, METRO will begin constructing a hydrogen fueling station (HFS) at its main operations facility in the Harvey West area of Santa Cruz. We expect to open the HFS in 2026 to support the FCEB fleet transition. METRO will utilize a portable hydrogen fuel solution in 2025 as it constructs the permanent facility.
After METRO removes existing diesel and liquified natural gas (LNG) storage tanks from its lot, it is possible that future upgrades of the HFS could allow capacity to support the zero-emissions fueling needs of local partner agencies and community organizations.
The HFS and portable fuel solution are made possible by grants from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and Energy Commission (CEC).
One Ride at a Time
One Ride at a Time is a campaign that gives everyone in Santa Cruz County an opportunity to protect our extraordinary natural resources by simply riding the bus.
Our home, the Monterey Bay region, is the hottest hotspot for biodiversity in North America, according to a study conducted by The Nature Conservancy. Its dynamic confluence of land and sea creates unique ecosystems and supports iconic wildlife from secretive mountain lions to majestic blue whales.
Since January 2023, every ride on a METRO bus donates to our partners in protecting the environment. All you have to do is hop on board, log your rides, and GO Santa Cruz will make a financial contribution to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund as part of GO Santa Cruz’s ridesharing incentive program run by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC).

Our Buses
METRO has gradually released pairs of buses wrapped with iconic photos of the Monterey Bay taken by renowned photographers like Frans Lanting and Jodi Frediani. By the end of 2024, METRO had 30 wrapped buses traveling throughout Santa Cruz County and featuring inspiring images of whales, sea otters, mountain lions, redwoods and more.
The beautifully wrapped One Ride at a Time buses remind us of the positive impact we make every time we choose transit over a personal vehicle. Inside the vehicles, interior advertising highlights the conservation efforts of local nonprofit organizations so riders can learn more about the programs, habitats, and species that One Ride at a Time supports.
Our Partners
One Ride at a Time is made possible by a partnership between METRO, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC), the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Bay of Life Fund, and renowned photographer-writer team Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom.
Other One Ride at a Time contributing photographers include Jodi Frediani and Kevin Lohman.
The Foundation is the local non-profit partner and chief advocate for NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is the local chapter of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Its mission is to leave a thriving sanctuary to future generations by protecting wildlife and habitats, raising sanctuary visibility, and inspiring the public to be its stewards.
The Foundation’s vision is a healthy Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary recognized as a national treasure for its unique and abundant biodiversity and widespread community support. Investments support wildlife protection programs like rescuing whales entangled in fishing gear, endangered black abalone rescue and recovery, protecting kelp habitats, marine debris cleanup efforts, and fishing gear innovations. The Foundation seeks to inspire the public to learn about the sanctuary through K-12 programming and college internships to show why the sanctuary is vital to our region’s economy, way of life, and health of the planet.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is part of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary System, a network of nationally significant protected areas comprised of 15 national marine sanctuaries and 2 marine national monuments that span more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters.
For more information, visit montereybayfoundation.org.
Secretary Leon Panetta leads the Foundation as Co-Chairperson and has had a fifty-year career in public service at the highest levels of Government. He served in the Obama Administration first as CIA Director and then as Secretary of Defense from 2009-2013. He also served in the Clinton Administration as director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and later was appointed White House chief of staff. Elected to Congress in 1976, Secretary Panetta represented the California Central Coast district for 16 years and led in the creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 1992.
Secretary Panetta is joined on the board of directors by three other individuals who have been working to protect the Monterey Bay for the past 40 years: Former US Congressman Sam Farr, Community Activist Dan Haifley and Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley were all involved in the fight to ban offshore oil in the Monterey Bay in the 1980’s and are still working tirelessly to protect and support it today.
The illustrious and dedicated board also includes Co-Chairperson: Hilary Bryant, former Santa Cruz City Mayor; Martine Watkins, Santa Cruz City Councilmember; Yvette Lopez Brooks, former Capitola Mayor, Ted Balestreri, Gordon Eubanks, Nova Covington, Christina Sandera, and Dr. Lisa Wooninck (ex officio).
Bay of Life Fund
The Bay of Life Fund supports nonprofit environmental organizations with their educational and conservation programs in the Monterey Bay region, in the context of the Bay of Life Project launched by Frans Lanting and Christine Eckstrom. Initial partners include the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, the Sempervirens Fund, and others.
Bay of Life Project
The Bay of Life Project connects land and sea and people with nature to promote a unified view of the Monterey Bay region through publications, exhibitions, events, and partnerships. The Project aims to stimulate engagement that contributes to a sustainable future for the Bay of Life.
Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom have documented our living planet on assignment for National Geographic for more than 30 years. But the place they know best is California’s Monterey Bay, where they have lived for decades. “To us, Monterey Bay is one of Earth’s crown jewels,” they write. “We know of no other place in the world where land and sea connect in such an extraordinary way.”
The book, Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales, is the centerpiece of the Bay of Life Project. It is available as a hardcover book and as an oversized, slipcased Collector’s Edition. A Spanish-language edition is planned for 2024.
Bay of Life chronicles a remarkable recovery, which shows that damaged ecosystems can be restored when people care and take action together. Such stories of hope are needed as we face new challenges of habitat connectivity, climate change, and the need for more inclusive opportunities for our diverse communities.
The BayofLife.net website is the portal to images, stories, videos, and other content from the project along with a calendar of events and links to partner organizations.
For more information, visit bayoflife.net.
Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County is the parent non-profit of the Bay of Life Fund and will distribute donations collected through this program to local environmental nonprofits, as described above. Its mission is to bring together people, ideas, and resources to inspire philanthropy and accomplish great things. Its vision is to make Santa Cruz County thrive for all those who call it home, now and in the future. The Community Foundation supports effective programs that address community issues and enrich the lives of Santa Cruz County residents. It earns trust through integrity, accountability, discretion, transparency, prudence, and extraordinary service. It leverages its resources toward a future that is just, equitable, and inclusive of a diverse community.
For more information, visit cfscc.org.
Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom are partners in life and work. They promote knowledge and understanding about the Earth through images and stories that convey a sense of wonder and concern about our living planet. Through their work and alliances, they create leverage for conservation efforts ranging from local initiatives to global campaigns. Lanting and Eckstrom have brought their vast experience to the One Ride at a Time Campaign by providing imagery, written content, and partnerships.
Frans Lanting
Frans Lanting has been hailed as one of the great photographers of our time. His influential work appears in books, magazines, and exhibitions around the world. Lanting’s books include Into Africa, LIFE, Jungles, Eye to Eye, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, and Okavango. Lanting is an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund and has received numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. HRH Prince Bernhard inducted him as a Knight in the Royal Order of the Golden Ark, the Netherlands’ highest conservation honor.
For more information, visit lanting.com.
Chris Eckstrom
Chis Eckstrom is a writer, editor, and videographer. She is the author of Forgotten Edens, and as a staff writer, she contributed to many books published by the National Geographic Society. She earned a Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award for Best Magazine Article on Foreign Travel for her National Geographic Traveler story “The Last Real Africa.” The editor of Lanting’s books, she has also produced stories for the National Geographic Channel.
For more information, visit lanting.com.
GO Santa Cruz County is the ridesharing incentive program run by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC). Its online commute management tool, available to all who live or work in Santa Cruz County, is a key part of SCCRTC’s ongoing effort to reduce drive-alone trips and greenhouse gas emissions and play an active role in addressing climate change. GO Santa Cruz County is partially funded by voter-approved Measure D, which provides a balanced vision to improve, operate, and maintain Santa Cruz County’s transportation network.
For more information, visit sccrtc.org
Jodi Frediani is a Santa Cruz-based, award-winning photographer and humpback whale researcher whose photographic exploits and field research activities have taken her on adventures to Africa, Alaska, Argentina, Antarctica, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Franz Josef Land, Mongolia, Norway, Siberia, South Georgia, Thailand, and Tonga. Her images have won numerous international accolades, have been recognized for excellence in multiple national and international competitions and juried exhibits, and have been widely published, including by the BBC, National Geographic, the Atlantic, and Wired. As a researcher, she collaborates with organizations including SETI, Alaska Whale Foundation, College of the Atlantic, CEBSE, Happywhale, Cascadia Research, California Whale Rescue, California Academy of Sciences, and California Killer Whale Project.
For more information, visit jodifrediani.com
Kevin Lohman is a nature photographer living in Santa Cruz, California, with an educational background in marine science. He travels worldwide for photography but spends most of his time along the coastal areas of Central and Northern California. Kevin has had images recognized in many photo contests, including Audubon Photography Awards, North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Showcase, the International Share the View Nature Photography contest, and the international Comedy Wildlife competition. Locally, Kevin has been featured on covers of the annual Elkhorn Slough Foundation calendar. His years studying marine science and the beautiful coastal areas of California inspire his photography.
More information: kevinlohman.com
Donations to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation support efforts to rescue whales entangled in fishing gear and other marine debris. The Foundation helps train rescuers, provides equipment and access to rescue vessels, as well as, supports entanglement prevention efforts like developing fishing gear innovations and marine debris cleanups.
The Whale Rescue Program is one of many ways the Foundation realizes its vision of a healthy Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary recognized as a national treasure for its unique and abundant biodiversity, and widespread community support.
To learn more, visit montereybayfoundation.org/our-work/
The Bay of Life Fund supports the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County with their work to ensure a future for mountain lions by establishing habitat corridors including highway underpasses and overpasses at critical spots where these big cats need to be able to cross our busy roads without getting killed.
The Land Trust of Santa Cruz is dedicated to protecting, caring for, and connecting people to the extraordinary lands and species that make the Monterey Bay region special. To date, the Land Trust has preserved more than 14,000 acres of land in Santa Cruz County, thus protecting water supplies, wildlife habitats, and open space.
To learn more, visit landtrustsantacruz.org
Donations to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation support efforts to protect marine life, including endangered sea otters. The Foundation helps to fund trained volunteer naturalists to educate humans about getting too close to sensitive wildlife, works to protect coastal habitats, and removes marine debris from the ocean.
Marine mammal protection is one of many ways the Foundation realizes its vision of a healthy Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary recognized as a national treasure for its unique and abundant biodiversity, and widespread community support.
To learn more, visit montereybay.noaa.gov/educate/to/welcome.html
The Bay of Life Fund supports the work of the Sempervirens Fund, whose efforts safeguard redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, ensuring they will never be developed, degraded, or destroyed.
Sempervirens Fund, California’s first land trust, has protected more than 56 square miles of redwood-forested land in the Santa Cruz mountains and helped establish three state and two regional parks since it was established in 1900. Today, it owns and cares for 11,000 acres of critical redwood habitat.
To learn more, visit sempervirens.org/protect/santa-cruz-mountains/
Donations to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation sponsor Team OCEAN, a dedicated group of trained naturalists who position themselves at harbor seal pupping beaches, kindly reminding visitors to maintain a safe distance from harbor seal mothers and their adorable pups.
To learn more, visit montereybay.noaa.gov/educate/to/
Donations to the Bay of Life Fund support the incredible work of the Predatory Bird Research Group. Their work has helped bring Peregrine Falcons back from endangered status, and they continue to monitor Peregrine Falcon populations, as well as, work with many other important predatory bird species. Their successful outreach and education programs inspire hope for all environmentalists.
To learn more, visit pbrg.pbsci.ucsc.edu/
Donations to the Bay of Life Fund support the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people with nature and science to foster stewardship of the natural world. Established in 1904, it is the first museum in Santa Cruz and houses the founding collection of Laura Hecox, a lighthouse keeper and naturalist. The museum offers hands-on exhibits for children, families, and adults interested in the natural history of the scenic California coast. Its core goals include building a community focused on environmental stewardship, providing dynamic learning and exploration opportunities, offering interactive education for all ages, celebrating species, people, and cultures, promoting global environmental awareness and local action, and collaborating with others to bring about positive change. The museum upholds ethics, integrity, and mutual respect in all its endeavors.
To learn more, visit santacruzmuseum.org.
The Bay of Life Fund donates to Save Our Shores, a nonprofit that ensures ocean conservation throughout the community. Their programs and projects are designed to support the foundations of a thriving Monterey Bay: clean shores, healthy habitats, and living waters. They host beach cleanups, offer education, and empower the local community to take ownership of the vision for a healthy, vibrant Monterey Bay.
To learn more, visit saveourshores.org/
Donations to the Bay of Life Fund protect the Elkhorn Slough, a picturesque and biologically diverse estuary located in Monterey Bay. It is home to a remarkable variety of birds, plants, marine mammals, and fish. With over 340 identified bird species, it has been recognized as a Globally Important Bird Area. The slough also supports a large population of Southern sea otters, harbor seals, and California sea lions. This vibrant ecosystem encompasses wetlands, marshes, oak woodlands, and maritime chaparral. Aside from its beauty, the wetlands serve as natural filters, purifying water before it reaches streams and oceans, and they play a crucial role in carbon sequestration. However, unsustainable practices and environmental stressors threaten the slough’s health and habitats. The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and Elkhorn Slough Foundation, in collaboration with partners like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, work to conserve and restore this unique environment.
To learn more, visit: elkhornslough.org
Programs We Support
Donations made through One Ride at a Time support programs that protect Monterey Bay’s most iconic and beloved species.
Transit Center Redevelopment Projects
Our goal is to provide 175 new affordable housing units in Santa Cruz and Watsonville by 2033 by redeveloping METRO Pacific Station and the Watsonville Transit Center.
Learn more about METRO’s redevelopment projects.