MST service reductions to Presidio of Monterey go into effect

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Monterey-Salinas Transit is now reducing service to the Presidio of Monterey. MST said 75,000 monthly passenger trips are taken to, from and on the installation.

You could spend a while waiting for the bus if you don’t know about the most recent changes to Monterey Salinas Transit’s Presidio of Monterey bus routes. The changes went into effect Saturday.

The MST is eliminating some local bus services, including the following lines: 67 from Marina, 69 from the Del Monte Center, and MST shuttle service within the Presidio. Lines from Santa Cruz, San jose and Big Sur will no longer serve the presidio.

They’re also reducing some weekday services on lines 70, 75, and 76.

A local bus rider tells KION bus service in the area was already limited before the changes.

“There’s one called the POM and that’s the one we all try to run and catch but we can never get. it really is for the military, like I said, but there are limited runs on this hill,” Monterey resident Alan Rochester said.

“There are alternate routes that may take a little longer, may require some walking from downtown Monterey or from Lighthouse Ave to and from the base,” MST CEO Carl Sedoryk said.

The presidio’s public affairs department told KION commuter services will still be offered and subsidized by the Army through the Mass Transportation Benefit Program and that these reductions are only for the MST supplemented shuttles on base and outside excursions.

Chief of Public Affairs, Jim Laughlin, said in a statement over the phone that these changes are being made so the program can go in line with “current regulations, policies and statutes.” He added, “we continue to work with MST and the city of Monterey to minimize inconvenience on travelers and the local community.”

Those regulations only allow for subsidized travel to and from work and home, not outside excursions. There will still be white bus services around the base during peak hours.

Over in Salinas, the MST is adding a new line to serve Government Center where the Monterey County Elections office and other county departments are located.

“I think it’s great especially with the elections coming up and people wanting to get here to this part of town, and i know a lot of people walk and use their bike and it’s not particularly safe to get to this part of town,” said Salvador Murillo, a Salinas resident.

Before you travel, check MST’s routes and schedules through their app or website. 

Here's a list frm MST of the lines that will be changed or modified:
-Line 22: Major routing change. No service into Presidio of Monterey.
-Line 48: Major routing changes to serve County Government Center at 1441 Schilling Place, Salinas, traveling via Abbott instead of East Alisal.
-Line 55: Major routing change. No service into Presidio of Monterey.
-Line 67: Route eliminated.
-Line 69: Route eliminated.
-Line 70: Major routing changes. Elimination of first trip to Presidio of Monterey in both directions. Minor adjustment to last trip.
-Line 75: Multiple trips eliminated.
-Line 76: Multiple trips eliminated.
-Line 78: Major routing change. Weekend service removed from Presidio of Monterey, routed through Marina and Castroville.
-Line 85: Trip from Fort Hunter Liggett to Templeton at 4:10 P.M. will no longer serve Camp Roberts.
-Presidio Shuttle: Route eliminated.