San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Chairman of the Board Tom Nolan and Shirley Harris, public board member of San Carlos, Calif.’s SamTrans, have been named APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Board Members.
Nolan was first appointed to the SFMTA’s board in 2006, before being elected chairman in 2009. He also served two full terms as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and is a former member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the SamTrans Board and the Caltrain Joint Powers Board. Over the years, Nolan has advocated for the extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail system into San Mateo County and the San Francisco International Airport, as well as led the charge to acquire the 52-mile Southern Pacific (SP) rail corridor connecting the City and County of San Francisco and San Jose.
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Harris was appointed to the SamTrans board of directors in 1994 and has been involved with many of the agency’s important projects. “One of SamTrans’ greatest accomplishments during my tenure on the board has been the expansion of mobility options for our customers, including partnering with BART to extend the rail line to the San Francisco International Airport and the Mobility Ambassador Program, which introduces seniors and people with disabilities to the wide variety of transit options offered,” she says.
Harris also served as commissioner on three Daly City Commissions and on several nonprofit boards dedicated to improving the lives of women and children. She is a long-time member of WTS and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. She was also appointed to the Leadership APTA Committee as chair in 2002, serving on the committee for 12 years.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.