Northern California’s Regional Network Management (RNM) Council approved the first set of transit wayfinding design guides to help Bay Area transit agencies establish a uniform look for signs and maps, from individual bus stops across the region to major hubs where multiple systems connect.

The design guides are intended to make it easier for riders to identify information and use transit by delivering clear, predictable, and consistent information across service areas and county lines.

A New Network Identity

The action by the RNM Council, which is composed of the executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and GM-level representatives of Bay Area transit agencies, finalizes the region’s new transit network identity and provides transit stop sign guidelines that MTC and agencies can use in the near term. In contrast, guidance for all transit stops and stations is refined and finalized.

The Regional Network Identity Design Guide defines a consistent “look and feel” for the Bay Area transit network, finalizing designs first introduced in January 2024 and used throughout the test locations at El Cerrito del Norte BART station and the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and Santa Rosa downtown SMART station.

The Network Identity Design Guide includes specifications for the colors and symbols to be used, as well as the hierarchy for presenting information across all transit wayfinding materials.

The Transit Stop Signage Design Guide provides guidance for designing, installing, and maintaining transit stops — typically bus stops — using a new regional design that works across rural, suburban, and urban environments while accommodating stops with many routes, special services, or multiple transit agencies.

Consistent signage at the Bay Area’s approximately 21,000 transit stops is expected to improve legibility for riders and reduce long-term design, fabrication, and maintenance costs for transit agencies.

“The Regional Mapping and Wayfinding Project is a standout example of regional cooperation,” said Bob Powers, chair of the Regional Network Management (RNM) Council, which guides regionwide transit policy by bringing together executives of Bay Area transit agencies and MTC. “Putting customers’ interests first is the cornerstone of our Transit Transformation Action Plan to increase ridership by making transit faster, cleaner, more comfortable, more convenient, and easier to navigate.”

What’s Next?

MTC will use these two design guides for future pilot or test locations around the region.

SFMTA has already used the designs to make signage improvements at the Castro Muni Metro station, and other agencies with time-sensitive sign replacement projects are also considering using the new guidelines in the near term, with assistance from MTC as needed. These prospective projects include:

• BART: Installing bus bay numbers at transit hubs.
• County Connection with WestCAT and Tri Delta Transit: Testing new sign designs at three-agency shared stops in Martinez.
• SolTrans and WestCAT: Installing new signage for 2026 service restructures.

An update to the comprehensive regional transit connections map, which enables riders to discover key destinations reachable on the Bay Area's extensive bus, rail, and ferry network, was also released.

The RNM Council includes top executives from MTC, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, BART, AC Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrain, SamTrans, and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District, as well as three GMs representing all other transit agencies serving Bay Area communities.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing, and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.