Passengers of the Guadalupe Flyer can take advantage of free rides for a limited time this summer thanks to a consolidation of two previously separate bus fare systems.
During its June 3 meeting, the Santa Maria City Council agreed to allow Guadalupe’s public transit service to integrate into Santa Maria’s network. Starting on July 1, buses carrying the banner of Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) will absorb Guadalupe’s fixed routes.
“I think this is a great opportunity for residents,” Guadalupe City Councilmember Christina Hernandez said during her council’s review of Santa Maria staff’s consolidation proposal on May 27.
Hernandez cited Santa Maria’s use of electric buses as a personal draw. Santa Maria Transit Services Manager Gamaliel Anguiano outlined some amenities tied to the city’s electric fleet, such as smartphone charging ports and Wi-Fi access, during the Guadalupe City Council’s May 27 meeting.
Another benefit of unifying with Santa Maria’s bus system is gaining access to certain state and federal grants reserved for regional transit services that serve more than one city, Anguiano said.
For example, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments provides long-term funding to Santa Maria transit through California’s low carbon transit operations program.
Administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Air Resources Board, and State Controller’s Office, the low carbon transit operations program was designed to assist transit agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emission and serve disadvantaged communities, according to Caltrans’ website.
The initiative is one of several inclusions of California’s transit, affordable housing, and sustainable communities program, established by state Legislature in 2014 through state Senate Bill 862.
Partly thanks to state funds from the low carbon transit operations program, SMRT will offer temporary free admission to bus riders who use its consolidated Guadalupe routes between July 1 and 11.
“There are no reasons why this consolidation wouldn’t be a success,” Anguiano told Guadalupe officials and staff at the council’s May 27 hearing. “As the city of Santa Maria, we already provide public transit service to other communities that are not in Santa Maria.”
Orcutt, Tanglewood, Los Alamos, and New Cuyama were among the areas Anguiano listed as examples of areas with current SMRT routes.
“Adding Guadalupe to the fold is well within our wheelhouse,” Anguiano said. “And it probably makes just as much sense, if not more sense, than some of those other communities—as [Santa Maria and Guadalupe] are very much socially and economically intertwined.”
The Guadalupe City Council ultimately approved Santa Maria staff’s bus consolidation proposal with a 5-0 vote at its May 27 meeting. On June 3, the Santa Maria City Council followed suit with a 4-0 vote. Santa Maria Councilmember Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez was absent.
This article appears in Jun 12-22, 2025.
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