Responding to residents’ requests for public transportation to work, school, and other activities, the Lompoc City Council approved on July 1 the establishment of a bus route between Lompoc and Solvang, with a stop in Buellton.
Run by the City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) system, the 20-passenger bus could begin making trips between the two cities as soon as mid-July, pending approval from Santa Barbara County, Solvang, and Buellton officials.
The project’s annual cost is estimated to be around $80,000, and would be shared by the three cities and the county. If a larger bus is needed, however, the price tag could increase to about $120,000, project officials said.
Recently, Lompoc city staffers applied for a state grant that, if awarded, could pay for half of the operating costs and 80 percent of the cost of a new bus. The grant would require the county and cities to only pay $10,000 each for maintenance, and $6,000 each for a new bus. Results of the grant will be announced in September.
The service, which has yet to be named, would make three daily round trips—morning, mid-day, and afternoon—from the Mervyn’s department store in Lompoc to the main transportation parking lot in Solvang, with a stop at the Albertsons grocery store in Buellton.
Passengers would also be able to connect with the Breeze Intercommunity Service in Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley Transit system in Solvang.
Fare costs are estimated at $2 each way for passengers, and $1 for handicapped passengers. However, a potential price increase is already being considered because of rising operating costs.
This article appears in Jul 10-17, 2008.
