SamTrans begins rebrand

“Oftentimes people do forget that SamTrans today is a lot more than a bus service,” said Dave Pine, a member of the SamTrans board and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “But I think the challenge for SamTrans is to determine how we can provide the best transportation solutions in a rapidly changing environment.”

Pine said the agency must remember its responsibility to provide low-cost options for those reliant on their services while also considering ways to expand public-private partnerships.

Charles Stone, vice chair of the SamTrans board and Belmont mayor, agreed noting the agency’s work includes owning the Dumbarton rail bridge, operating paratransit and senior services, supporting Caltrain and working with the county’s Transit Authority.

“We really are the county’s mobility manager and as we embark on a path toward understanding what might get community members who aren’t using our services to use them, and also get the community to understand the challenges the district faces, I think it’s important that we get the message out that we are a heck of a lot more than just a bus company,” Stone said.

Shifting its business model could prove necessary as SamTrans predicts it will hit a fiscal cliff in the coming years, depleting reserves and potentially finding itself in a $28 million hole by 2024. It’s that projected deficit, along with immense demand for congestion relief, that’s also prompting SamTrans to consider asking voters for a half-cent sales tax hike.

A meeting of the SamTrans board last month included an update on an extensive public outreach campaign titled “Get us Moving San Mateo County,” which is expected to unfold in the coming months. SamTrans and county supervisors will collaborate on the development of an expenditure plan should it proceed with the sales tax estimated to generate nearly $81 million a year.

But achieving two-thirds of voters’ approval is far from being a slam dunk. SamTrans must weigh voter fatigue as San Mateo County residents will also be asked to approve bridge toll hikes and a possible eighth-cent sales tax increase to help Caltrain, are facing gas tax increases and recently extended another half-cent sales tax the county contends supports affordable housing.

While no decisions have been made and officials emphasized an expenditure plan for tax revenue would be formed through public input, preliminary suggestions included about half going toward mass transit with the rest used for local transportation projects.

Russell Arnold, director of marketing and communications, said they’ve started to reach out to key stakeholders, staff from local cities about project ideas, and employers. In the coming weeks, they’ll begin engaging the public how they’d like to alleviate congestion or improve mobility options.

“The business plan is about a recognition that SamTrans needs to become more than just a transit provider, we need to become a mobility provider,” Arnold said.

SamTrans officials noted they’re not alone in seeing declining ridership as across the nation fewer people are hailing the bus. It also faces competition as commuters have more options than before with the various ride-sharing companies, carpool apps and corporate shuttles. So in some ways SamTrans appears to be taking the position of — if you can’t beat them, join them.

Initial ideas include collaborating more closely with employers to provide shuttles, advocating for transportation demand management policies and considering ride-sharing carpool subsidies for underutilized bus routes, Pine and Stone said.

“I’m hopeful that we can come up with public-private partnerships that can more effectively and more efficiently address those needs,” Pine said. “We need to think of new approaches given how much the landscape has changed.”

Larger projects could include creating bus rapid transit along El Camino Real with traffic signals and lanes prioritizing SamTrans, as well as instating a new transbay crossing by rehabilitating the defunct Dumbarton rail bridge.

Resolving the last-mile connection for public transit riders and working closely with other counties’ transportation officials to align schedules or consider intermodal stations is also important to achieve a successful regional approach, Pine said.

“The economic boom has created tens of thousands of new jobs which has made traveling anywhere in the Bay Area almost impossible at certain times of day and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight with the amount of new office space coming online. So as a region we have to bring more urgency and creativity to our mobility problems,” Pine said.

Stone agreed, emphasizing it’s imperative SamTrans adjust its business model and maintain relevancy for future generations.

“We need to think bigger and down the road. What does public transit look like 20 years from now and how can we make sure we’re part of that? Is it buses, is it going to be light rail down El Camino Real somehow?” Stone said. “We can’t keep doing things the same way because that’s not going to work long term.”

But while Stone and Pine recognize the need to adapt to a changing market if they’re going to help alleviate congestion, they also note the need to strike a balance and adhere to the root of public transit.

“In many ways, we need to continue a lot of what we do now, which is deliver mobility options to those who don’t make six-figure salaries, who are struggling to remain on the Peninsula and who don’t have any options to get them around other than the options we provide,” Stone said. “However, at the same time, if we’re going to remain relevant and our district is going to sustain, we’re going to have to come up with new and innovative ways to get people who aren’t on transit, to use transit.”

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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