Serving San Luis Obispo County

Tell us what you think - email a feedback form now.
Find RTA Staff

The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides intercommunity public transportation. RTA's service area includes all of San Luis Obispo County and extends into Santa Barbara County to the south. RTA provides regional fixed-route service (RTA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit service (Runabout), which includes Dialysis Transportation.

RTA is a JPA (Joint Powers Authority) in San Luis Obispo County, that operates bus service which connects cities throughout San Luis Obispo County (and beyond) including Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo and more. RTA also oversees the administration of South County Area Transit (SCAT) which operates in the Five Cities area between Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Oceano and Arroyo Grande.

Our main office address is 179 Cross Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. 
Look for the silver building with a bright red roof - the building can be hard to find.

Administration Office Hours are 8:00 - 4:30pm Monday - Fridays. Administration: 781-4833. Dispatch: 541-2228
To buy a pass, you may come to the RTA Main office or see all our different  pass sales locations throughout the county.

FIXED-ROUTE SERVICE 

RTA’s fixed-route service consists of four bus routes, which run along Highways 1 and 101 to North County, the North Coast, and South County including the city of Santa Maria in Northern Santa Barbara County: Click here for schedules. 

• Route 9: North County hourly, local and expresss service, plus limited Saturday and Sunday local service. Runs via Highway 101, between San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, Santa Margarita, Atascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles and San Miguel. Operates seven days a week with less frequency on Saturdays and Sundays. 
• Route 10: South County weekday local and express service. Runs via Highway 101, between San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Nipomo and Santa Maria. Operates seven days a week with less frequency on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Routes 11, 12, 13, 14: North Coast weekday local and commute-time express service between Los Osos/Baywood Park/Morro Bay and Cal Poly/San Luis Obispo. Route 12A is replaced by Route 12B on weekends.
• Route 15: North Coast provides limited weekday service to Cayucos, San Simeon Acres and Hearst Castle. On Saturdays and Sundays, Route 15 provides service along the North Coast between SLO and Hearst Castle including service to Los Osos, San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College and Morro Bay.  

SCAT’s fixed-route service consists of three bus routes, 21, 23, 24. Click here for SCAT schedules. 

PARATRANSIT SERVICE

RTA also provides regional paratransit services through the Runabout demand-response system. While Runabout provides service for seniors and persons with disabilities, general public riders are accepted on a space-available basis, although this occurs infrequently.

Runabout service is prioritized based on service type:

• Priority 1 – Service to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-eligible clients within ¾ mile of a fixed route;
• Priority 2 – Service to the General Public within ¾ mile of a fixed route;  
• Priority 3 – Service to ADA-eligible clients beyond ¾ mile of a fixed route;  
• Priority 4 – Service to the General Public beyond ¾ mile of a fixed route.

Other Services

RTA and SCAT also operate additional transit services in San Luis Obispo County, including the Cambria and Avila Beach Trolleys and Dial-A-Ride Services in Nipomo, South Bay, Paso Robles/Shandon and Templeton. See info.  

History

San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (SLORTA, now RTA) was formed in 1989, to provide central managment for regional fixed-route service as well as Runabout paratransit service.

FIXED-ROUTE SERVICE

SLORTA created a new, consolidated fixed-route system, under the name CCAT (Central Coast Area Transit). CCAT provided six fixed routes serving all major population centers in the County. It replaced services previously offered through mutual agreements between the County and various Cities. These prior services included: 

• CCRTA (Central Coast Regional Transit Authority): South Bay/Morro Bay – San Luis Obispo and Atascadero – San Luis Obispo.
• SLOSCAT (San Luis Obispo/South County Area Transit): Five Cities – San Luis Obispo.

• SLOCAT (San Luis Obispo County Area Transit): San Simeon Acres – Morro Bay.

CCAT became RTA in May 2003, and all vehicles were rebranded with a new logo and color scheme.

During the past 20 years, the routes have been modified several times, but still serve the same areas as did the original routes. Today, most routes have hourly service on weekdays, and weekend service is available along all routes.

PARATRANSIT SERVICE

Runabout paratransit service began in 1977; in 1989, Runabout came under management of the newly formed SLORTA.

In early 2001, Runabout changed emphasis from a General Public Paratransit provider to primarily an Americans with Disabilities Act Paratransit provider. This led to some changes in service. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires complementary paratransit service within three-quarters of a mile on either side of a bus route during hours of regular transit service. Accordingly, Runabout decreased its service boundaries from countywide to the more limited ADA boundary designations. Countywide service beyond ADA boundaries was still offered, but, under newly established priority levels, received lower-priority scheduling than service within ADA boundaries.

FACILITIES

In October 2007, a lease/purchase option was signed for a facility under construction at 179 Cross Street in San Luis Obispo. Construction was completed in July 2009 and administration and management moved in on August 1, 2009.