A UCSB student’s guide to public transit

Due to the recent policy from UC Santa Barbara prohibiting on-campus parking permits for first-year students, many incoming students may be left puzzled about how to commute to campus, stores or any other places their hearts may desire. But, within all students’ access cards hides the ability to go many places around UCSB for free and without contributing to Uber’s exceedingly high revenue. We’ll take a look at all the buses, Uber-like microtransit (The Wave) and more options for long-distance travel.

Short-distance travel

Tips on riding the bus for newcomers

Most of us are familiar with driving before coming to UCSB. But once you ride the bus for the first time, the process gets substantially easier from there and you’ll eventually have a very convenient way to get around everywhere around UCSB.

To begin, you’ll want to arrive at a bus stop, which usually has an ocean blue sign with the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (SBMTD) logo printed on it. Aim to arrive some time earlier than the time stated on your app or schedule. Make sure that the bus travels in the correct direction. After the bus arrives, you can board at the front door and tap your access card on the contactless indicator on the top of the farebox and wait for it to turn green.

Right after passing the bus stop that comes before your destination stop, make a firm pull of the yellow cord to give drivers adequate time to prepare for a stop. Exit the bus toward the rear door(s) and go from there!

There’s a couple bus stops that will be helpful to most UCSB students and can be reached via all bus lines running through UCSB (unless otherwise noted):

1. UCSB North Hall: Commonly known as the “bus loop,” this is the central transportation hub of UCSB. This connects to all of the local buses mentioned in this article and includes many options for long-distance commuters as well. This is the best stop for access to nearly all of UCSB. The bus loop is split into two main sections: the portion with the wooden bus shelter is the westbound stop (towards Downtown Santa Barbara) and the portion that has no shelter and is closest to the Old Gymnasium is the eastbound stop (towards I.V, Santa Catalina Residence Hall and Goleta shopping district).

2. Seville & Embarcadero Del Mar (27 only): A favorite for visiting I.V while on campus, this stop brings access to many local businesses in I.V. Between getting groceries at the I.V Food Cooperative and I.V Market to eating at the dozen food places spread around there, it’s a quick ride to getting familiar with I.V.!

3. Storke & Hollister / Storke & Marketplace: If you’re seeking creature comforts of visiting Target or McDonald’s, going to Slodoco for refuge from the often-crowded library or even more, this is the stop for you. If you are interested in going to Costco, try to board the 27 and 28 on your way there and go to the next item on this list:

4. Santa Felicia & Marketplace (24X (select), 27 and 28 only): For better access to Albertsons, Costco, and other nearby locations, this stop allows you to get there without requiring the treacherous trek across Camino Real Market that would otherwise be required if exiting at Storke & Hollister.

5. Ocean & Sabado Tarde (27 only): Not only just an option for San Rafael and Manzanita residents to get to Campbell hall in style, this stop provides access to both the Student Resource Building (SRB) and Carrillo in case you want a brief relief from all the other UCSB dining commons.

6. UCSB Elings Hall (11 and 24X only): On the (hopefully) rare chance that you need to visit one of the engineering buildings, going to this stop might help shorten your walk. It’s great for accessing the Santa Cruz beach and a nearby coastline trail too.

7. Santa Catalina Hall: Aside from its namesake, if you find yourself dismayed at the offerings of all the other UCSB dining halls, going to Portola is a brief bus ride away.

The paradox of choice: How to utilize each individual bus line

If you’re curious to learn about how to utilize each individual bus line as an UCSB student, here’s my rough outline for how to use them:

• Line 11: Although the eastbound 11 may have Downtown SB as its final destination, it takes Line 11 buses ~55 minutes to get to the downtown transit center from the bus loop, more than enough time to turn you into a heap of bones (as opposed to ~24 minutes via busses running on the 24X). UCSB students should use it for traveling to the engineering side of campus (Elings Hall), the airport, Old Town Goleta or the cluster of medical facilities on Hollister Ave (in case you did become a heap of bones from riding Line 11 all the way to/from downtown).
  

• Line 15X: While Line 15X primarily serves students studying at Santa Barbara City College (hence the nickname “SBCC shuttle”), there are also some useful cases for UCSB students.The 15X provides access to Santa Barbara Amtrak station, the Harbor (plus the rest of waterfront) and SBCC itself in case you find yourself fulfilling GEs there.
  

• Line 24X: If you’re heading east towards Downtown Santa Barbara, the 24X is your best bet as it travels down the highway to arrive downtown — saving around 30 minutes compared to riding on Line 11. Additionally, the 24X skips certain stops along the route — notably El Colegio & Stadium, in case you want to attend annual events nearby (such as the Extravaganza music festival). This line can change its route depending on the bus you’re on, so check your navigation app or the SBMTD website to avoid any last-minute surprises if you’re traveling towards Target or the Marketplace.
  

• Line 27: Also known as the I.V Shuttle, this shuttle (and the 28) runs exclusively between the bus loop, the Santa Catalina resident hall, and the shopping district. It will take a detour through I.V first — perfect for quickly hopping to I.V. for grabbing a bite with a friend. It can also be helpful to quickly get to Carrillo and Manzanita/San Rafael — if you are close by a bus stop and can time these buses well. Since this line loops around Camino Real Marketplace (like the 28 and evening 24X service), it’s well-suited for visiting the west side of the shopping area, especially helpful for accessing Costco and Albertson’s.
  
• Line 28: Nicknamed as the UCSB Shuttle, the 28’s primary purpose is to provide additional high frequency and high capacity service between the bus loop, Santa Catalina and the surrounding apartments. During the crowded school year, you’ll usually have better chances at boarding on the 28 to/from UCSB compared to other lines since they usually run high capacity articulated buses. Like the 27 and evening 24X service, this route can drop you off directly at Costco, Best Buy and the strip mall containing Albertsons and Planet Fitness (if you want to experience the Lunk Alarm that is unfortunately missing from the Rec Cen). 

Commuting from the bus loop to Santa Catalina Residence Hall and visiting the Goleta shopping district 

All buses that are running towards Camino Real Marketplace (buses stopped at the unsheltered segment of the bus loop) will head towards both Santa Catalina and the cluster of retailers located in Goleta, including Target, Costco, Best Buy and Home Depot (for the meager amounts of renovations one can make to their dorm or apartment). All except the 27 will get you there most quickly, since the 27 usually adds more than 2 minutes to the journey as it navigates around I.V. The 24X also skips some stops in this direction as explained above.

A special word to the (potentially) tortured souls living at Santa Catalina this upcoming year (and anyone else utilizing the bus for commuting to campus)

For those living in Santa Catalina, the bus is an excellent option for getting to campus — with a large asterisk. Bus stops there tend to be highly crowded during peak hours, and especially during the beginning of the school year. Be prepared to leave for class ~20 minutes earlier for your first day of lecture and be prepared to queue on the trip back because these buses will absolutely get full (even “too full to board,” as denoted by SBMTD) and where there’s a nonzero chance of the driver closing the door on you right as you start stepping on their bus. 

Catching … The Wave?

While at the bus loop, you may catch sight of brightly painted vans as part of “The Wave.” They operate as a microtransit service, similar to a rideshare or taxi that might pick up more people along the way and for which only $3 is needed per ride (in contrast to the exorbitant costs required for an Uber). There are limited pickup/dropoff points, but it is very well suited for UCSB students who are seeking to go to Goleta for the Trader Joe’s, the Amtrak train station and many other places above the 101 freeway that are otherwise difficult to access directly via bus. To learn more and find out how to use The Wave, read my review of The Wave here.

Long-distance travel

Already homesick or seeking more places to visit? With some planning, a trip can be easily in reach. We’ll talk about the Pacific Surfliner and other options for going outside of Santa Barbara.

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and SBMTD Line 91 

The best (and least expensive) way to get to Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Luis Obispo, these trains can help connect you to stations over all three regions (where you can get picked up from there). They also allow you to transfer to other transportation options to get you even closer to home, including Metrolink for other stations in Antelope Valley, San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles. While The Wave and Line 15X are the best way to Goleta and Santa Barbara station respectively (outside of calling an Uber), SBMTD does offer a once-daily shuttle departing the bus loop at 3:50 p.m. to Goleta station if you are catching the 4:25 p.m. southbound train. There’s also a bus operating in conjunction with these trains (specifically Amtrak Connecting Bus Route 17) that runs all the way to the Bay Area. These buses also connects between the bus loop and the Santa Barbara train station.

A quick tip: If you’re going southbound, sit on the right side of the train (relative to movement). The Surfliner will run next on the coast between Santa Barbara and Ventura, and you can catch a glimpse of the vast ocean when seated at the right.

A brief list of other transportation options for going beyond Santa Barbara 

Outside of the Surfliner and the (generally very expensive for last-minute booking) flights out of Santa Barbara Airport, we have some coach buses left. These are often limited in frequency or pick-up times, so I would recommend checking their schedules and planning for extra time for arriving at their pickup point before departure of the coaches. Here are the remaining options:

• Flixbus: As a large network of long-distance buses (and which includes Greyhound and a few other operators in the booking process), this is a good place to check for any trip that may be hard to find options for otherwise. You may also find suitable trips directly to your hometown, need to transfer at a transit center (such as San Jose Diridon Station), or start your trip at a transit center (such as Los Angeles Union Station) after getting there (by using the Pacific Surfliner, for example).
  

• Santa Barbara Airbus’ LAX shuttle: This is a coach bus that operates directly to Los Angeles International Airport. Although getting to/from the Goleta pickup point can be difficult via public transportation alone, these shuttles will drop you off at terminals of LAX and will do so while being cheaper than taking an Uber directly there, even with an Uber to the Airbus’ Goleta pickup point.
  

• VCTC Intercity (Coastal Express): With stops at the bus loop, you can often see these large blue VCTC coaches parked there during your commute to classes. VCTC’s Coastal Express is primarily good for going to Ventura County, with closer access to downtown Ventura compared to the Pacific Surfliner’s Ventura station.
• Clean Air Express: For the select few that want to go for a ride to Lompoc, Santa Maria, or Buellon, take one of the Camino Real Market-bound SBMTD buses to reach a stop served by Clean Air Express buses and go from there!
• Amtrak Route 10: For those longing for the experience of getting baked like pastry in Bakersfield (due to the extremely high temperatures), Amtrak’s Route 10 coaches depart from the bus loop and can bring you there and to Las Vegas, too.

To summarize

On a personal note: for most of my life in the United States, the only option of getting around that I’ve known is being inside a car. But when you have the chance to try the buses or trains for your next trip, you’ll find an option that can be convenient and even relaxing — without denting your wallet too much by driving a car around UCSB or hopping on an expensive flight from Santa Barbara Airport. American public transit may be very rough around the edges, but I’m confident that trying out the buses and trains running around UCSB is a leap of faith that’s very much worth taking.

Frank can’t wait to ascend to the skies on a San Francisco cable car before taking a Caltrain to escape the fate of being tortured by AI ads for all of eternity.