MTC unveils new transit maps and signs to help make transit journeys easier to understand for existing and new riders

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has unveiled new transit maps and signs designed to help make transit journeys easier to understand for both existing and new riders by delivering information that is clear, predictable and consistent across service areas and county lines. Introduced at the September meeting of the Regional Network Management Council, the new maps and signs — anticipated to be installed this fall at transit hubs in El Cerrito and Santa Rosa, Calif. — mark another step forward in Bay Area transit’s transformation into a more connected, more efficient and more customer-focused mobility network.  

The draft signs and maps include: 

• Local transit maps, which inform riders of all nearby transit options in a given area and how often they operate. 
• Facility maps, which show riders where to board their connecting transit route and access station amenities. 
• Line diagrams, which guide riders to the correct train platform and display stations served down the line. 
• Pedestrian signage, which guides people as they walk or roll between transit facilities. 
• Basic bus stop signs, which inform riders of their current location, route destination and key service characteristics using standardized colors and font sizes. 

MTC says the new bus stop signs and suite of maps emphasizes service frequency – a key driver of transit ridership – using standardized colors, line styles and labels on maps and signs to indicate how often a bus, train or ferry arrives at a particular stop. They also show bus lines whose schedules are coordinated to provide more service. 

Later this fall, MTC and its partners will invite Bay Area residents and visitors to share their thoughts about the newly designed transit signs and maps once they are installed at the Santa Rosa Transit Mall, the nearby Santa Rosa SMART station, and the El Cerrito del Norte Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station. A new, comprehensive regional transit map, which will enable riders to discover key destinations they can reach on the Bay Area's extensive bus, rail and ferry network, also will be released. 

Riders will be able to interact with several test signs, maps and other communication materials at the Santa Rosa and El Cerrito locations and then provide comments about their experiences. MTC notes public feedback will help inform the next stage of the project, in which the new maps and wayfinding materials are expected to be installed at seven additional locations across the Bay Area in 2025 and 2026.  

MTC notes the newly released maps and signs are part of a larger initiative — the Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project — aimed at making it easier to ride transit in the Bay Area. Whether a rider is traveling by bus, rail, ferry or a combination, the signs, maps, screens and other communication systems will be consistent and easy to identify across all nine Bay Area counties. 

The Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project is the result of an effort, led by MTC with the partnership of transit riders, Bay Area cities and counties and all 27 Bay Area transit agencies, to develop a common set of signs and maps to be used by all agencies at all locations, from individual bus stops to major hubs where multiple systems connect. The project is just one piece of a broader effort, outlined by the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan, focused on making Bay Area transit easier and more convenient for riders of all ages and abilities to use. 

In January 2024, MTC presented new design guidelines to be used at all transit locations. To establish and reinforce a common identity for all Bay Area transit services, the new signage employs a three-color palette of golden yellow, sky blue and dark blue; as well as simple icons to identify service by trains, buses or ferries. The icons are larger and more visually prominent than the logos of the individual agencies providing the services at each location.  

More than 90 percent of Bay Area residents polled by MTC in 2021 identified uniform and easy-to-use transit maps and signage as an important priority for improving the region’s transit network. The design concepts presented in January incorporate comments and recommendations from more than 1,000 Bay Area residents — including transit riders and nonriders, people with limited English proficiency and people with disabilities — who participated in MTC-sponsored surveys, workshops and focus groups. New transit signage will include tactile and Braille elements. 

The Regional Network Management Council includes top executives from MTC, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, BART, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrain, the San Mateo County Transit District and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, as well as three general managers representing all other transit agencies serving Bay Area communities.