SamTrans changes bus routes for schools in San Mateo County

Route 18 will see afternoon trips adjusted to meet bell times at Cunha School in Half Moon Bay. Route 41 and 42 will change to match with Parkside Intermediate School’s bell schedule in San Bruno, with Route 41 having the Wednesday afternoon trip departing the school at 1:30 p.m. instead of 1:50 p.m., while Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday trips will start at 3:15 p.m. Route 42 will depart at 1:30 p.m. instead of 2:20 p.m., while the morning trip will arrive at the school at 8:10 a.m. instead of 7:43 a.m. Bayside Academy in San Mateo will see route 50 depart from the school at 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday.

For Route 53P, the trips from Borel Middle School will see changes, while for Route 54, the morning trip will depart Hillsdale/Norfolk at 7:34 a.m., arriving at Bowditch Middle School in Foster City at 8:05 a.m. Route 54 will also see afternoon trips at Bowditch Middle School adjusted to the bell times.

Thursday-only morning trips will be eliminated on Route 81 due to low ridership.

The 121 and 141 routes will be extended to 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, respectively.

Route 85 will also be adjusted to match better the Corte Madera School and Ormondale Elementary School bell schedules in the afternoon in Portola Valley. The existing trip will only operate on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and two additional trips will be added on Wednesday, one departing Ormondale at 12:30 p.m. and the other departing Corte Madera at 2 p.m. The next schedule change will be in February.

People can go to samtrans.com/schedules/timetableupdates to learn more about changes to routes.

Ridership increases

SamTrans has seen increased ridership as part of changes to its Reimagine SamTrans plan, with total ridership increasing 18% recently, according to the transit agency. Total ridership increased by approximately 89,000, or 18%, in a four-week period following Reimagine SamTrans implementation in August, while average weekday ridership increased by a similar amount over the same time. SamTrans saw significant increases on several routes, including Route 110, which runs along the coast, and Route 250, which serves the College of San Mateo. Reimagine SamTrans reworked routes and services in San Mateo County to improve service and respond to changing ridership, focusing on equity, customer experience and efficiency. SamTrans had struggled with ridership decline during the pandemic and has been working to increase ridership since pandemic restrictions lessened.