SamTrans ridership dropping

According to SamTrans’ six-month summary report, there are 2,260 fewer average weekly rides and 352,760 fewer total rides in the first six months of this fiscal year compared to the first six months of fiscal year 2017.

Lieberman said bus ridership is down across the nation, citing a strong economy and relatively cheap gas prices as major causes. He also mentioned local competition from transportation network companies, including Uber and Lyft, as well as Caltrain — with its ability to bypass street traffic — as contributing factors to decreasing ridership.

Charles Stone, chair of the SamTrans Board of Directors and also a Belmont councilman, said the high cost of living on the Peninsula is another major factor bus ridership is down. Low-income riders often can’t afford to stay on the Peninsula, and salaries are so high here that people can afford cars or Caltrain, he said.

As for service improvements that SamTrans hopes will attract riders, a mobile app is in the works that should debut by the end of this year, Lieberman said.

SamTrans recently purchased 55 clean-diesel buses for $48.9 million, which are expected to begin service in the summer of 2019. According to a press release, the buses were purchased to replace outdated ones, but the agency hopes the new design, which includes WiFi and USB charging stations, will attract riders.

Lieberman said SamTrans is also looking to purchase 10 electric buses — also equipped with WiFi and USB ports — later this year.

“We figure new technology is always enticing to people, especially in Silicon Valley,” Lieberman said. “We have a really nice modern fleet of clean buses that offer a pleasant riding experience.”

Lieberman said SamTrans updates its run books three times a year to improve connectivity and speed up travel times. This year, SamTrans merged six routes that had previously required riders to transfer.

In 2021, the agency hopes to launch a Traffic Signal Priority feature, which will allow buses on El Camino Real to more efficiently navigate traffic lights. Buses will be equipped with transponders that interact with traffic signals to extend green lights for buses or move the standard light cycle faster so buses spend less time waiting at red lights.

Lieberman also said SamTrans is considering an express bus service on 101, and it’s preparing a survey for riders on El Camino Real to learn more about how it could potentially improve the route.

Lieberman said SamTrans hired a marketing outreach coordinator as part of its Youth Mobility Plan, which the board signed off on last year. The new coordinator will be working closely with schools to engage students, learn more about their needs and get more people comfortable riding SamTrans, he said.

“One of our big pushes is attracting young people,” Lieberman said. “There’s a lot of evidence that people who use transit when they’re young keep using it. The more we can make people comfortable with it the better.”

Stone echoed this point, adding that more young riders on SamTrans would help mitigate congestion. For those reasons, he said he’d be in favor of making all youth passes free.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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