SamTrans is offering free rides

“With the launch of Reimagine SamTrans and the beginning of the school year, the free rides should make the transition a little easier, helping kids get comfortable with riding SamTrans to school while also helping both new and regular riders get used to the reimagined network and the benefits it offers,” SamTrans spokesperson Dan Lieberman said by email.

The Reimagine SamTrans project started in 2019 to review and update SamTrans’ system, including the removal of unproductive routes and route segments. Reimagine SamTrans will provide more frequent service for routes 17, 110, 118, 121, 250 and Route ECR, which runs along El Camino Real from the Palo Alto Transit Center to Daly City BART. Routes 275 and 276 will have later weekday service, while 121, 130 and 281 will have later weekend service. The plan calls for new service to Oyster Point, Skyline College, College of San Mateo, East Palo Alto, Redwood City, the airport and San Bruno BART. The agency prioritized equity for high-need communities, investing in higher-frequency service on key corridors and improving efficiency.

SamTrans said the system would likely experience ridership drops immediately after the change. However, as SamTrans adds new services as resources permit, ridership is expected to rebound. The Reimagine SamTrans vision will occur over multiple phases, including additional and more frequent route alignments. The transit agency will monitor ridership levels, on-time performance and feedback from riders and bus operators to determine future adjustments to the new network. Reimagine SamTrans will occur in three phases, with the first August phase removing low-ridership routes and segments, route consolidations, extensions into Oyster Point in South San Francisco and restoring of pre-COVID service. Phase two starts in early 2023, while phase three in mid to late 2023. Following the first phase, Lieberman said SamTrans would look at results and determine if future free options would help grow awareness and interest.

While the changes will add some routes, residents of Woodside, Portola Valley and Foster City are concerned about reducing some route services in their area. During the Aug. 3 SamTrans meeting, residents in Foster City noted caregivers who relied on the stopped routes have no other options, with others having reduced options to visit grocery stores. Routes 251 and 256 through Foster City will be consolidated into a new Route 251 to serve higher ridership stops and areas in Foster City. School-oriented route cancelations will also affect the local public high schools in Portola Valley, Woodside and West Menlo Park, worrying residents. Route 87 service from Woodside High School has had its morning service discontinued and is only afternoons now, while Route 85 service from Ormondale Elementary School will lose morning service and only go to afternoons. SamTrans Board Chair Peter Ratto said if the public demand is there, SamTrans could make changes.

Go to samtrans.com/planning/reimaginesamtrans for more information.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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