SamTrans adopts Peninsula Shuttle Study to simplify shuttle administration

The Peninsula Shuttle Study was adopted by the SamTrans Board of Directors at the November meeting.

The study’s recommendations will improve and simplify shuttle operations and streamline the program’s administration.

Included in these new guidelines, SamTrans will take steps to improve communications to shuttle riders such as including routes in various printed materials, working with shuttle partners to make real-time information available for use by third parties and improving back-end data collection procedures.

As part of the streamlining, SamTrans will no longer serve as the project sponsor for shuttles. Instead, SamTrans will focus on supporting route planning with shuttle partners and will manage the contracted shuttle service provider so Commute.org can focus on delivering first-and-last-mile service.

This will make Commute.org the sponsor of most commuter-oriented routes in San Mateo County, while individual cities would sponsor community routes. Currently, SamTrans partners with Caltrain, the SMCTA, Commute.org, the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), BART, the Sierra Point Owners Association, Oracle, Seton Medical Center, the City of Menlo Park, the city of South San Francisco, Walmart, Electronic Arts and Genentech, among others. These partnerships will continue, but the roles are simplified across the board.

The Peninsula Shuttle Study was initially called for in the SamTrans Business Plan in 2018. Implementation of the recommendations will start in FY 2023 and should be fully implemented by FY 2026.