Calif.’s SamTrans released its Draft Express Bus Feasibility Study, outlining the agency’s plan to use express buses to improve mobility options and ease freeway congestion in San Mateo County.

The study recommends six new express routes that would be phased in over the next few years. The first two routes recommended by the study would run between Foster City and downtown San Francisco and between Palo Alto and the west side of San Francisco via Daly City starting in the summer of 2019 pending identification of funding and resources. According to the study, the remaining four routes would be implemented by 2023, although if funding becomes available they could come into service earlier.

The six goals of the study are to provide additional mobility options for regional trips, increase the share of people using transit along the Highway 101 corridor, develop a cost-effective service, improve transportation equity, enhance access to jobs and population centers, and support sustainable land use and transportation policies.

SamTrans has been awarded $15 million in state funds, partially from Senate Bill (SB) 1, to launch an express bus pilot program. The annual operating cost of each route as designed in the study ranges from $2 to $4 million dollars. The study recommends running peak-only service on most routes with buses every 20 minutes.

The study was a collaborative project involving partners from transportation agencies in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, as well as San Mateo County. The study was funded by SamTrans, Caltrans District 4, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.