SamTrans eyes school service changes as part of Reimagine project

The alternatives all recommend that school services prioritize equity and high-need routes, resulting in a moderate reduction in school-related services through consolidated trips, routes and possible route elimination. Consolidated school trips will depend on ridership and maximizing available bus capacity.

Consolidated routes would blend two routes with the same school destination into one route, causing longer trips but maintaining single rides. Eliminating school routes is an option, but only two school routes are identified for potential elimination, staff said at an April 7 SamTrans meeting.

The two school elimination routes proposed are in the Portola Valley neighborhood. One is Route 80, an afternoon trip that carries students from Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park to an afterschool program, which has not operated for the last year due to the pandemic.

Route 85 serves Ormondale Elementary School in Portola Valley, and one morning and one afternoon trip are proposed for elimination due to low ridership, defined as less than five students per trip, SamTrans staff said. Schools are expected to return to full-time, in-person learning by 2022.

SamTrans will develop a preferred alternative based on public feedback during outreach in April and May and is likely to combine all three options. Staff will analyze and craft a preferred alternative for fall presentation, requiring board approval in February 2022 and implementation in August 2022. The alternatives would reduce SamTrans costs through the efficiency of scheduling and resources and improve reliability and connection.

Alternative One would emphasize direct, high-frequency service to places within San Mateo County. Changes include 15 minute frequency on seven routes, improved weekday frequency and expanded service into Oyster Point from Daly City, South San Francisco and San Bruno.

While frequency would increase, express and local service would see some small reductions. It would improve reliability and scheduling on Route ECR but would force transfers for rides past Millbrae. Route ECR runs every 20 minutes on weekdays along El Camino Real and 30 minutes on weekends along El Camino Real from the Palo Alto Transit Center to the Daly City BART Station.

Alternative Two would expand connections to rail stations and the region and increase express and local services. There would be more direct and tailored service to the Colma and Millbrae BART stations, Hillsdale Caltrain and the Redwood City stations, expanded service to community colleges, two new routes into Oyster Point and three routes into downtown San Francisco from Route 292 and two express routes from San Mateo and Foster City.

Alternative Two would also transition Route ECR into a limited-stop service. It would improve reliability, reduce one-way peak running times by 10-15 minutes and build up to bus rapid transit, officials said.

Alternative Three would retain geographic coverage of service within the county by establishing micro-transit, on-demand zones for East Palo Alto, Foster City, Millbrae and Half Moon Bay. Riders would take trips within the coverage area by using an app or calling to book trips.

It would ensure better midday and weekend route frequency and better connections between Daly City and South San Francisco. It would increase local service, but there would be a significant reduction in express service.

According to SamTrans spokesman Dan Lieberman extensive public outreach to all communities is planned, with virtual public meetings likely happening in the spring.

Meetings with schools, cities, and stakeholder groups will also occur along with staff social media events, virtual question sessions and outdoor pop-up events. SamTrans will conduct outreach in several languages.

Board Member Jeff Gee and other members thanked SamTrans staff for the broad outreach to all communities.

“I just wish more of our agencies would do what you are doing to try and get feedback because the digital divide is very real, and the language barriers are very real, and the barriers to civic engagement are very real. We have to work really hard to get that feedback,” Gee said.

Curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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