Media Contact: Randol White, 650-647-3489
The San Mateo County Transportation District (SamTrans) is requesting public comment on a proposal to update several of the transit system’s fare policies.
Starting on January 1, 2024:
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Free fares for pre-arranged school field trips. San Mateo County public schools would be eligible for this benefit.
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Lower the price of its express fares to match those of local fares, which are currently half the price in most cases.
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Eliminate the Summer Youth Pass. The transit district offers a SamTrans Youth Unlimited Pass which provides free rides for qualifying low-income students.
The remaining proposals would be enacted upon launch of the updated Clipper payment system (Estimated for fall 2024):
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SamTrans would have the ability to have customers pay using contactless credit and debit cards, also known as open payment.
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SamTrans could also provide fare capping, which would limit the amount riders pay on a daily and monthly basis.
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Finally, customers could be provided transfer discounts when utilizing other participating Bay Area transit systems.
These changes are designed to simplify the fare structure, add new options and benefits for SamTrans riders, and — in many cases — reduce the amount paid by regular passengers for quality transit service.
A multilingual virtual community meeting will be held on Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. This meeting will have simultaneous language interpretation in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tagalog.
A public hearing will be held on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m., part of the regularly scheduled SamTrans Board of Directors meeting.
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About SamTrans:
The San Mateo County Transit District operates 71 routes and two on-demand service areas. Funded in part by a half-cent sales tax, the district also provides administrative support for Caltrain and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. SamTrans has provided bus service to San Mateo County customers since 1976.
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