Federal transportation statutes require that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), in partnership with state and local agencies, develop and periodically update a long-range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) which implements the RTP by programming federal funds to transportation projects contained in the RTP. To effectively execute these planning and programming responsibilities, MTC requires that each transit operator in its region receiving federal funding through the TIP, prepare, adopt, and submit to the MTC a Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP).
Santa Rosa CityBus uses the short range transit plan to service on a 10 year time horizon. Some parts of the plan have a more immediate affect on service while other parts will not happen until much further in the future. The plan also helps planning staff measure performance of the system and adjust service where necessary to ensure the most effective transit system possible within the constraints of budget, staffing, and vehicles.