[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 150 (Monday, September 18, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MONTEREY-SALINAS TRANSIT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIMMY PANETTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 18, 2023

  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct honor and privilege of 
representing California's 19th Congressional District and on behalf of 
all the residents of the Central Coast, I would like to commend to my 
colleagues' attention to the 50th Anniversary of Monterey-Salinas 
Transit District (MST) for providing mobility services to the residents 
of Monterey County.
  The Monterey Peninsula Public Transit System Joint Powers Agency was 
formed by the cities of Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Pacific Grove, 
Seaside, and Monterey County on October 1, 1972, and began providing 
service on September 26, 1973. As the predecessor of Monterey-Salinas 
Transit, it served the Monterey Peninsula area, and later expanded to 
provide service to the cities of Marina, Salinas, and Watsonville. With 
the formation of the Monterey-Salinas Transit District on July 1, 2010, 
MST has served as much as one-fifth of the coastline of California from 
San Jose in the north to Paso Robles in the south at 1,300 bus stops in 
25 communities throughout Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San 
Luis Obispo Counties.
  Through the foresight of the MST board members and the ongoing 
support of the federal government, transit service in the Monterey Bay 
region is consistently at the forefront of technology and innovation, 
with annual ridership reaching as high as 5 million passengers on 
traditional fixed-route buses as well as Americans with Disabilities 
Act (ADA) paratransit minibus service for disabled customers, the 
popular MST Trolley system for visitors, ``MST OnCall'' demand response 
services in south Monterey County, and the JAZZ Bus Rapid Transit 
system. In 2014, with 73 percent voter support, MST became the first 
public agency in Monterey County to pass a countywide local funding 
initiative known as Measure Q to support the mobility needs of 
veterans, seniors, and persons with disabilities. MST was also the 
first transit operator in the country to finance and construct a bus 
operations and maintenance facility utilizing the federal Build America 
Bureau--Rural Initiative program, and the first transit operator to 
implement an open-loop, contactless payment system that provides 
discounted fares to eligible customers.
  Now for the second half of its first century of operation, MST is 
moving forward with a slate of new projects and initiatives to support 
their vision of connecting communities, creating opportunity and being 
kind to our planet. These include the implementation of the Better Bus 
Network, the outcome of a yearlong planning effort that will provide 
the residents of Monterey County with faster, more direct connections 
to work, school, shopping and medical appointments. The proposed MST 
SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit will extend the existing JAZZ BRT 
system 6.5 miles north from Sand City to Marina utilizing bus-only 
lanes and zero emission vehicles to improving access and opportunities 
for connections to jobs on the Monterey Peninsula, recreational 
activities and easy access to educational opportunities including 
nearby California State University, Monterey Bay. Finally, MST is 
putting rolling stock and infrastructure in place today that includes 
enroute inductive charging stations, designing micro-grid technologies, 
and procuring battery electric buses as it moves to transition to a 
fleet of 162 buses to planet-friendly 100 percent zero-emission buses 
powered from renewable sources.
  In addition, MST is at the forefront of forging partnerships with 
local stakeholders to expand public transit options throughout the 
community. This past year, MST celebrated 30 years of partnership with 
the City of Monterey and Monterey Bay Aquarium in providing fast, fun, 
and free transit services to visitors and residents alike reducing 
visitor related traffic congestion, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, 
and reducing microplastics from vehicles traveling adjacent to the 
Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. MST's partnerships also extend to local 
colleges, with a EcoSmart Pass program with California State 
University-Monterey Bay Hartnell Community College, and Monterey 
Peninsula Colleges, discount pass programs available to all Monterey 
County school districts.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to commend the Monterey-Salinas Transit 
District for providing 50 years of exemplary public service to the 
Central Coast and ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
wish them well on the next 50 years.

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