SamTrans has launched a new on-demand micro-transit service in Half Moon Bay and East Palo Alto as it seeks to build on positive ridership numbers and its updated route system.
SamTrans has begun offering the shared-ride van service in East Palo Alto, the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park and Half Moon Bay through its Ride Plus program. The service is offered seven days a week, with East Palo Alto and Belle Haven having service from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Half Moon Bay from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. People can schedule rides immediately or up to seven days in advance through the Ride Plus app, online via the SamTrans website or over the phone at (650) 238-5880. Payments are made by using Clipper, passes or cash. For trips outside of each zone, people can connect using traditional bus routes. Trips are free until the end of July. April Chan, SamTrans CEO and general manager said it would evaluate the dynamic service to see if it allows folks to use its service more often or connects it to larger services, something that can be harder on places like the coast.
April Chan
“We wanted to be able to provide another alternative for them,” Chan said. “That’s what we really wanted to do. Have we increased their ability to ride transit because now there is another model that we have layered on top of the regular bus service.”
Overall ridership is also up compared to other agencies. March ridership reached 82% of pre-pandemic levels and Sunday also close to returning to pre-pandemic numbers, said Chan. She put that down to the demographics of its riders, who rely on more cost-effective ways to get to work, which is different than office workers taking the train. About 90% of SamTrans riders identify as low income, Chan said. She believes increasing ridership will likely require increasing service and continuing with its ReImagine SamTrans service works, which prioritizes equity for high-need communities and investing in higher-frequency service on critical corridors. She believes the increased ridership is down to changes to its ReImagine SamTrans changes and the more frequent and direct service it provides.
SamTrans is generally doing better financially than Caltrain and other transit agencies because its finances primarily rely on sales tax and county funding, unlike other transit operators that rely more heavily on fare box revenue. SamTrans faced a fiscal cliff in 2018 and went to the voters to pass a Measure W half-cent sales tax increase that allows it to do more with projects.
“Overall, as compared to other agencies, we are doing better, but it doesn’t completely get us out of all the financial pressures that we feel,” Chan said.
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Chan said future challenges include ensuring it has a zero-emission electric bus fleet by 2034, six years ahead of the state deadline for the transit agency. SamTrans has about 300 buses and 80 paratransit vehicles it needs to make zero-emission and retrofit its facilities to charge the vehicles, a significant investment totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. SamTrans is looking at grant funding opportunities to replace the fleet, but it must match funding. Chan said the transit agency could look at options within its budget to find funding. The city is also looking at whether federal or state funding can help.
SamTrans is still about 40 operators short of its ideal workforce, which affects how far SamTrans wants to stretch services. Chan puts the shortage down to financial competition with other agencies and the location of the county. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is often easier for workers living in the South Bay.
“San Mateo [County] is a costlier county to live in, and I think we just have to look at some options going forward,” Chan said.
SamTrans has increased hiring bonuses and is exploring making it easier for workers to get out of the SamTrans base near the airport, as the remote location makes it harder for drivers to commute. Chan said many SamTrans operators live within the county, but SamTrans is working to make it easier for new operators.
“We just want to be competitive with our sister agencies so that there is another option,” Chan said.
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