San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS or often simply MTS) is a public transit service provider for central, southern, northeast, and southeast San Diego County, California, as well as for the city of San Diego. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes the MTS Bus, San Diego Trolley light rail, and Rapid bus rapid transit services. The MTS also controls the San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) freight railway and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services.
| San Diego Metropolitan Transit System | |
|---|---|
A Rapid bus departs Santa Fe Depot station (left) while a Blue Line train of the San Diego Trolley loads passengers at America Plaza station. The stations are a major MTS hub in Downtown San Diego. | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Southern San Diego County, California |
| Transit type | Buses, Bus rapid transit, Light rail, Paratransit |
| Number of lines | 4 light rail lines 95 bus routes |
| Number of stations | 62 light rail stations |
| Daily ridership | 226,600 (weekdays, Q3 2023) |
| Annual ridership | 64,968,400 (2022) |
| Chief executive | Sharon Cooney |
| Headquarters | James R. Mills Building 1255 Imperial Avenue San Diego, CA |
| Website | sdmts.com |
| Operation | |
| Operator(s) | San Diego Trolley, Inc. San Diego Transit Corp. Transdev First Transit |
MTS is one of the oldest transit systems in Southern California, with predecessors dating back as early as the 1880s. The current agency started operations in 1976 as the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) and changed to its current name in 2005.
The MTS works closely with the North County Transit District (NCTD), which operates public transit services in Northern San Diego County, and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which plans, develops, and constructs transit projects for both the MTS and NCTD.
In 2022, the system had a ridership of 64,968,400, or about 226,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.