Santa Cruz Metro & UCSC Shuttle Service

Nabinut · June 9, 2010

In-Between stopping over at Monterey-Salinas Transit, I visited Santa Cruz Metro, a quiet but interesting system that serves Santa Cruz County with 34 bus lines including eight lines that operate between Santa Cruz Metro Center & the University of California at Santa Cruz Campus. The majority of SC Metro’s fleet are New Flyer C40LFs with a mixture of Orion V & New Flyer CNG suburbans as well as Diesel Gillig Phantoms and New Flyer D40LFs.

Outside the Santa Cruz Metro Center is #2208, a 2002 New Flyer C40LF on an unknown route:

Returning from a nearly 90 minute trip between Watsonville & Santa Cruz is #2601 complete with bike on rack:

Another school only route, Route 70 operates between Santa Cruz & Cabrillo College on weekdays only. Holding down this line this day was Gillig Phantom #9839, whose driver is waiting for a green light out of the Metro center:

Among the newest in service are a batch of New Flyer C40LFs numbered in the 2800 series. This series is a split order with a mix of standard and suburban coaches used for the Highway 17 Express. Here is #2810 arriving at the Watsonville Transit Center:

Note: I didn’t see any flyer higher that 2810 as far as standard buses go so I believe the last batch are suburbans.

Santa Cruz Metro also operates two batch of 35 foot New Flyers, one set of diesels, another of CNG, here is #2222 on layover at Watsonville Transit Center:

Gillig Phantom #9833, my ride to the University of California at Santa Cruz at the Metro Center shortly before departure:

New Flyer #9819 is seen pulling away from the first westbound stop at UCSC with a rack full of bikes:

Too full of bikes to identify, a New Flyer C40LF navigates the tree lined road to Laurel West campus on Route 15, one of four school term only lines:

Returning to San Jose via Highway 17 express, here is Orion V Suburban #2308 at the San Jose Diridon Transit Center where Amtrak, Caltrain and several VTA bus lines converge:

Now for the real fun. UCSC operates a shuttle service under Loop East & Loop West. The college uses a mixture of mini buses and oddballs including five Ex-Santa Clara VTA Flxible Metros. Believing the numbers correspond with their former VTA existence, here is a few photographs taken of the two in service while I was there:

UCSC Flxible Metro #35 (Ex-VTA #9235) leaving the shuttle layover at the edge of the campus:

Here is #65 (Ex-VTA #9265) being operated by a student with the sign flipping between Go Sharks!!:

Lastly is #16 (Ex-VTA #9216) in need of a bath and new bumper:

Videos:

Santa Cruz Metro New Flyer C40LF #2238: Cummins C Gas Plus/Allison B400R: