SamTrans Board Adopts ‘Reimagine SamTrans’

The new network features increased frequency on 15 routes in the system on weekdays and weekends, additional service later in the evenings and on weekends, and more.

by Staff

March 3, 2022

SamTrans Board Adopts ‘Reimagine SamTrans’ — The new service plan will start to be introduced in August 2022 in a phased implementation to be determined by expected workforce levels.
Credit:
SamTrans

2 min to read

Calif.’s SamTrans Board voted to adopt the final new SamTrans bus network as recommended by Reimagine SamTrans, a nearly three-year analysis of the bus system designed to improve service and respond to ridership and travel patterns throughout San Mateo County.

The new network features increased frequency on 15 routes in the system on weekdays and weekends, additional service later in the evenings and on weekends, more direct routes and reduced duplication of service, improved access with new routes and connections, new on-demand services, and discontinued service on select routes and route segments.

The new service plan will start to be introduced in August 2022 in a phased implementation to be determined by expected workforce levels. Future implementation phases will correspond with scheduled service changes throughout 2023. The agency is actively hiring additional bus operators to support the expanded service, leading SamTrans to expand its hiring efforts.

Reimagine SamTrans launched in June 2019, with the goal of analyzing the current state of the SamTrans bus system and conducting widespread outreach and market research to refresh the system. Those efforts resulted in the creation of three new bus network alternatives with potential changes to each route in the system, and after receiving further public feedback, those alternatives were developed into a single preferred bus system.

The draft Recommended Network was first presented to the Board at the August 2021 Virtual Board Retreat. After hearing the Board’s feedback, staff finalized the draft Recommended Network, which was taken to stakeholders and the public for the last of three rounds of public outreach. The Reimagine SamTrans public outreach process concluded with a formal public hearing held at SamTrans’ November 2021 Board meeting after over 200 outreach meetings and events, and over 4,000 comments were received on the proposed route changes which were analyzed and included in the final recommendation. The Board was presented with the final recommended network last month.

Topics:SamTrans bus network Operations Bus

More Bus

Measuring the True Cost of Paratransit Fleets

What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.

Bus•by Alex Roman•March 13, 2026

Inside The Bus Coalition’s Push for Stronger Federal Transit Investment

In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.