Monterey Peninsula College students took more than 67,000 free bus rides in fiscal year 2025-26, a 25% jump over the program's first-year baseline.

The growth figures come from a staff report that Michelle Overmeyer, Monterey-Salinas Transit's director of planning and innovation, presented to the MST Board Operations Performance Committee on Monday, Oct. 12.

Under MST's College EcoSmart Pass Program, students enrolled at MPC, Hartnell College or California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) ride any MST route free during fall and spring semesters. They swipe a school-issued ID at the farebox to board.

MPC logged 67,458 passenger trips in fiscal year 2025-26, up from 53,957 in the FY 2022-23 baseline year. That puts MPC at 125% of its starting mark.

The two partner campuses grew faster.

CSUMB recorded 104,405 trips, reaching 177% of baseline. Hartnell hit 185% with about 66,937 trips.

Where MPC students ride

Three routes carry most MPC traffic. Jazz A, running between the Aquarium and Sand City via Hilby Avenue, accounted for 22% of MPC student trips. Line 20, connecting Monterey and Salinas, and Jazz B, linking the Aquarium and Sand City via Broadway, each carried 20%.

Students can board any MST route systemwide. The program does not limit riders to specific lines.

Overcrowding prompts bus upgrades

Rising ridership has strained some routes. Line 23, the Salinas-to-King City corridor popular with Hartnell students, needed eight unscheduled backup buses in August 2026 to handle morning crowds.

All but one of those deployments fell during the 7 a.m. hour on weekdays. MST adjusted Line 23's northbound schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 29, to address the passenger load, according to the board presentation.

Line 25, connecting Salinas and CSUMB, swapped its 18-seat cutaway bus for a 35-foot vehicle seating 31 passengers after early morning trips became packed. The route averaged 225 riders per day in August 2026, up from 211 a day in August 2025.

MST staff said the agency is working to secure funding for high-capacity buses, though new vehicles are several years away from entering service.

Program enters final contract year

The EcoSmart Pass launched after the MST board approved five-year contracts with the three colleges in May 2022. The current academic year, 2026-27, is the program's fifth and final contracted year.

MST projects it will collect between $316,000 and $527,000 in combined revenue from the three schools this fiscal year based on student ridership.

MPC's paratransit service, MPC RIDES, also saw a sharp increase under the program. Paratransit trips jumped to 5,265 in FY 2025-26 from 530 in FY 2024-25.

The MST Board Operations Performance Committee meets next at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at 19 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Suite 100, Monterey.