Santa Cruz METRO Invites Community to Participate in Week Without Driving 2026

Countywide initiative includes community participation, ridealongs, and celebration at Capitola Mall

For Immediate Release
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Contact: Danielle Frost
(831) 420-2550
dfrost@scmetro.org

Santa Cruz, CA (September 23, 2026) — Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) is encouraging community members throughout Santa Cruz County to take part in Week Without Driving 2026, a countywide initiative that invites participants to experience what it is like to navigate daily life without access to a personal vehicle. 

Taking place Oct. 1–8, 2026, Week Without Driving is designed to build awareness around the challenges many community members face every day when traveling to work, school, appointments, grocery stores, and other essential destinations without driving. Through this effort, participants are encouraged to walk, bike, ride transit, carpool, or use other available transportation options and reflect on the experience. 
 

A community celebration event will also be held on Friday, October 2nd, at the Capitola Mall featuring local organizations, transit experts, and advocates for safe and accessible transportation. The event will include: 

  • Traffic safety informational booths 
  • Personal stories from residents and accessibility advocates 
  • Opportunities to connect with local officials and transportation planners 
  • A bike rodeo to help youth practice bike and e-bike safety skills; participants are encouraged to bring their own bike and helmet 
  • BCycle test rides for ages 18+; participants are encouraged to bring a helmet 
  • Raffles, games, and food trucks. 

As Santa Cruz County’s public transit provider, METRO is proud to support the campaign by helping connect participants to transit resources, trip planning tools, and real-world examples of how public transportation serves communities across the county. 

“Week Without Driving is an opportunity for all of us to better understand the transportation barriers that many people face every day,” said Rebecca Downing, METRO Board Member and Board Chair of Cruzin’ Together Santa Cruz County. “By stepping into that experience, even for a short time, we can build greater awareness, empathy, and momentum for improving mobility and access throughout Santa Cruz County.” 

METRO will help promote community participation and highlight how public transit and other alternative transportation modes can connect riders to local jobs, schools, healthcare, shopping, recreation, and other key destinations. METRO is also encouraging elected officials and community leaders to participate in ridealongs on existing fixed routes during regular public service hours to experience transit firsthand and help raise awareness across the county. 

Throughout Week Without Driving, participants are encouraged to capture and share their experiences using alternative transportation—whether walking, biking, carpooling, or taking public transit. Community members can post photos, videos, and reflections on social media using the hashtags #AWeekWithoutDriving and #WWDSantaCruz to showcase their journeys and encourage others to participate. GO Santa Cruz County will also host a special Week Without Driving contest encouraging residents to track their alternative transportation trips for a chance to win prizes, including Marianne’s Ice Cream gift cards. Contest details and entry instructions will be available through GO Santa Cruz County. 

METRO buses are equipped with front-mounted bike racks that can hold up to three bikes, making it easier for riders to combine biking and transit during the week. Riders can also pay fares with exact cash, Tap2Cruz, the Splash Pass app or through the Transit app using a digital wallet. Youth in grades K–12 can continue to ride free on local Santa Cruz County METRO routes through the Youth Cruz Free Program. 

Community members interested in participating can learn more, take the pledge, volunteer, and register their participation by visiting cruzintogetherscc.org. 

To explore trip options, routes, schedules, fares, and popular destinations accessible by transit, visit scmetro.org. 

To learn more about local pedestrian and bicycle safety issues, view the 2016-2025 Annual Community Traffic Safety Coalition Crash Report. 

ABOUT US 

Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO)  

Established in 1968, METRO’S mission is to provide environmentally sustainable transportation to Santa Cruz County. METRO directly operates county-wide, fixed-route and Highway 17 commuter service, with connections to Santa Clara County and Monterey Salinas Transit at our Watsonville Transit Center. The agency also operates ParaCruz paratransit service. Today, METRO operates a fleet of 104 buses on 20 fixed routes and 32 paratransit vehicles.  

In FY26 METRO provided 5.5 million fixed-route trips and 69,000 ParaCruz trips connecting residents to employment, schools, and medical appointments. In the last three years METRO’s ridership has increased over 74%, now 11% above pre-COVID levels, resulting in the agency’s highest ridership levels since 2011. 

Every ride on a METRO bus takes cars off the road, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and supports economic opportunity and quality of life in our community. Moving into the future, METRO strives to increase transit ridership to 7 million trips annually within the next five years, transition to a zero-emissions fleet with a mix of hydrogen and electric vehicles, and increase affordable housing at METRO-owned transit centers to 175 units in the next 10 years.  

For more information, visit scmetro.org. 

Cruzin’ Together Santa Cruz County 

Cruzin’ Together Santa Cruz County works to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit safety, through advocacy, education, and outreach. We collaborate with local governments, agencies, nonprofits, and businesses to reduce crashes and injuries for walkers, cyclists, and transit riders; advocate for policies and infrastructure that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists; and build community pedestrian safety awareness throughout Santa Cruz County. 

Visit: Cruzin’ Together Santa Cruz County  and Instagram 

County Department of Community Development & Infrastructure 

CDI serves all unincorporated areas in the county. The department’s mission is to improve customer service, streamline projects, and to align public infrastructure and private development to further County goals in attainable housing, reliable transportation and sustainable environment.  

For more information, visit https://cdi.santacruzcountyca.gov/ or follow the department on Facebook and Instagram. 

Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission 

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) delivers transportation solutions for a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable community. 

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