Getting Around Without a Car: Transit Options From Boulder Creek

The short version

• The everyday ride: Santa Cruz METRO's Route 35 runs seven days a week down Highway 9 to downtown Santa Cruz. A local ride is $2 cash.
• The commute: On weekdays, the Route 35X express makes the same trip faster during commute hours.
• Students ride free: K-12 students and college students with a valid ID pay nothing.
• Over the hill: Take Route 35 to downtown Santa Cruz, then transfer to the Highway 17 Express for San Jose and Diridon Station.
• Can't use a regular bus? METRO ParaCruz and Lift Line both run door-to-door rides.
• One habit: Schedules change with each service update, so check the linked timetables for exact times at your stop.

You don't need a car to get out of Boulder Creek. You can ride a bus to Santa Cruz seven days a week, catch a weekday express to the coast, or connect over the hill to San Jose with a single transfer. The catch is frequency and weather, so it pays to know how the pieces fit before you leave the driveway. Here's the map.

Route 35 is the backbone

Route 35, the Highway 9/Scotts Valley line, is how Boulder Creek connects to the rest of the county without a car. It runs between the RiverFront transit stops on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz and the Country Club end of Big Basin Way, passing through Felton and Scotts Valley on the way.

In and around town, the schedule's timepoints include Highway 9 at Middleton Avenue in the middle of downtown, Pool Drive at Highway 9 by the Mountain Store, and Big Basin Way out toward the Country Club neighborhood. Heading down the hill, buses stop at San Lorenzo Valley High School and Highlands Park before continuing through Felton.

Service runs seven days a week, from early morning until late evening, with buses roughly every 30 to 60 minutes through the middle of the day. Don't build a tight connection around those generalities, though. Pull up the live Route 35 timetable for the exact times at your stop, because first and last trips differ by direction and day of week.

If you're new in town and still setting up the rest of your life here, our new resident quick-start guide covers the non-bus logistics.

Route 35X, the commuter's shortcut

On weekdays only, METRO runs Route 35X, the Santa Cruz/Boulder Creek Express. It serves the same Boulder Creek timepoints, including Highway 9 and Middleton and Pool Drive at the Mountain Store, but takes a quicker routing on the trip to and from Santa Cruz. The current schedule shows roughly a dozen trips in each direction spread across the workday, starting around 6:30 in the morning.

If you commute to Santa Cruz on a regular clock, the 35X is the one to learn. Check the Route 35X schedule for the exact departures, since express trips are the first thing to shift when METRO adjusts service.

What it costs

Fares are the easy part, and they're posted on METRO's Fares & Passes page. A single local ride is $2.00 cash for adults, or $1.00 for riders 65 and older and riders with disabilities. A day pass runs $6, and a 31-day pass is $65, with discount versions at $3 and $32.

The best deal in the system goes to students. K-12 riders travel free through the Youth Cruz Free program, which makes Route 35 a real option for SLV High and middle school students heading up and down the valley. College students with a valid student ID also ride free, and so do riders who are legally blind.

Getting to San Jose and over the hill

There's no direct bus from Boulder Creek over Highway 17, but the connection is straightforward. Ride Route 35 to its downtown Santa Cruz end at the RiverFront stops on Front Street. The Highway 17 Express boards a short walk away in the same RiverFront area, at Front Street near Trader Joe's, and runs weekdays and weekends to Diridon Station in San Jose, where Caltrain, Amtrak, and light rail all connect.

The Highway 17 Express uses its own fare: $7.00 for a single ride, $3.50 discount, or a $14 day pass. If you're commuting to the South Bay a few days a week, do the math on passes before you settle into paying cash each way.

Weekend bus to Big Basin

On weekends, Route 35B runs from the Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley up Highway 9 and out to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, with five trips in each direction. Check the route page for its full stop list before planning around a specific boarding point. If you're headed that way, our Big Basin day trip guide covers what to expect once you're there, including the park's parking-reservation advice, which makes the bus a smarter play than it might sound.

Door-to-door rides: ParaCruz and Lift Line

Two services cover trips a fixed-route bus can't.

METRO ParaCruz is METRO's ADA paratransit: accessible, shared door-to-door rides for people who can't use regular buses because of a disability. It serves destinations within three-quarters of a mile of an operating bus route, which in our corner of the county means the Highway 9 corridor. You apply through ADAride, online at adaride.com or by phone at 877-232-7433, and a decision comes within 21 days. Once you're eligible, rides are booked one to three days ahead at 831-425-4664, and the base fare is $4 per trip.

Lift Line is run by Community Bridges, a local nonprofit, and provides door-to-door rides for seniors 60 and older and people with disabilities across Santa Cruz County, with a focus on medical trips, meal-site rides, and essential errands. Some of its programs carry income qualifications, and rides need to be scheduled in advance. Start with the application on its site or call 831-688-9663 on a weekday to sort out which program fits.

If a ride is about a medical appointment, ask both services what applies to you. The eligibility rules differ, and plenty of valley residents qualify for one and not the other.

School buses for SLVUSD students

San Lorenzo Valley Unified runs its own home-to-school buses, separate from METRO, and posts route sheets by bus name on its Transportation Department bus information page. Ridership is fee-based: as posted for the current cycle, an annual pass is $220 round trip or $116 one way, a semester pass is $116 or $58, and ticket books run $20 for 20 tickets. Students with qualifying IEPs are exempt from fees, and there's a hardship application for families receiving county assistance. The transportation office in Ben Lomond answers questions at 831-336-2223. Confirm prices and routes with the district before the school year starts, since both get updated over the summer.

Remember the free alternative for older kids: K-12 students ride METRO at no cost, and Route 35 stops at SLV High.

A few caveats to plan around

The bus works well here, with two limits worth knowing before you give up a car entirely.

• Frequency: miss a midday bus and the next one can be 30 to 60 minutes out, so a small errand can eat an afternoon.
• Storm season: when Highway 9 closes for trees or slides, buses reroute or hold just like everyone else. Sign up for alerts through CruzAware and check METRO's rider alerts on the route pages before heading out in bad weather.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a bus from Boulder Creek to Santa Cruz?

Yes. METRO Route 35 runs seven days a week along Highway 9 from Boulder Creek through Felton and Scotts Valley to downtown Santa Cruz, and the weekday Route 35X express makes the same trip with a faster routing during commute hours.

How much does the bus cost from Boulder Creek?

A local single ride is $2.00 cash, with a $1.00 fare for riders 65 and older and riders with disabilities. Day passes are $6 and 31-day passes are $65. K-12 students, college students with ID, and riders who are legally blind ride free.

Can I get from Boulder Creek to San Jose by bus?

Yes, with one transfer. Take Route 35 to the RiverFront stops in downtown Santa Cruz, then board the Highway 17 Express to Diridon Station in San Jose. The express runs weekdays and weekends and costs $7.00 for a single ride.

What if I can't ride a regular bus?

Two door-to-door options serve Boulder Creek. METRO ParaCruz covers riders whose disability prevents using fixed-route buses, with an application through ADAride and $4 base fares. Lift Line, run by Community Bridges, serves seniors 60 and older and people with disabilities, with some income-qualified programs.

Do school kids ride METRO free?

Yes. The Youth Cruz Free program lets K-12 students ride any METRO route at no cost, no pass purchase required. SLVUSD's own yellow-bus service is separate and fee-based, with passes sold through the district's transportation office.

Planning to lean on the bus for a while? Save the Route 35 timetable to your phone, then browse the Residents guide for the rest of the valley's utilities, services, and county contacts in one place.