Coastside Transit Study

Between April 2017 and May 2018, SamTrans conducted a study of bus service on the Coastside, including Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, and other Coastside communities like Montara, El Granada, and Moss Beach.

The Study was adopted by the SamTrans Board of Directors on August 1, 2018.

Overview

As part of the study, SamTrans staff evaluated existing SamTrans bus service on the coast and conducted an assessment of transit needs for the area. Staff also reviewed origin/destination trip data for the Coastside and recent and historic operations data, such as ridership and cost per passenger.

The study’s goals were to:

  • Engage with Coastside community members about SamTrans bus service and hear their ideas
  • Evaluate potential demand for additional or modified bus service
  • Consider recommendations for bus service concepts that maximize efficiency and provide the best service possible to meet the community's needs.

The study included two rounds of community outreach. Meetings were held in Half Moon Bay and Pacifica in April 2017 to kick off the project and hear from the community about their transit needs. A second round of meetings was held in the same cities in late January/early February 2018 to share draft recommendations.

Based on input from the community and technical analysis, SamTrans staff developed a set of Coastside service recommendations for both near-term and longer-term implementation.

Near-term improvements:

  • Extension of the 118 route to serve Daly City BART. Route 118 previously only served Colma BART. By extending service to Daly City BART, passengers have new access to a BART station with twice as much train service and a slightly less expensive fare for trips heading north into San Francisco. Other portions of the current route will not change. This change took effect on January 21, 2018.
  • Introduction of one additional trip in the evening on the 118. The new trip will depart Daly City BART around 7:30 pm. This will offer more flexibility to passengers that require a later connection between BART and SamTrans. This change took effect on January 21, 2018.
  • Educate the community on how to use the FLX service in Pacifica.We heard there was confusion around how to use the FLX service in Pacifica. This outreach will seek to spread information on how to call SamTrans to request a deviation on the FLX route, as well as how to use the FLX route as a normal service with stops and timetables. This campaign will be conducted in 2018.
  • Evaluate opportunities for better timed transfers to and from Coastside routes. This improvement will be an ongoing effort to evaluate scheduling with respect to the transfer experience, minimizing wait times and improving connectivity where a transfer is required. This will be an ongoing effort in 2018.

Longer-term improvements, requiring significant resource investment, which will be further studied individually by SamTrans staff:

  • Expand Route 118 to new places such as Half Moon Bay and increase frequency. This route would offer a direct ride from points south of Pacifica to BART and increase the frequency of trips from Pacifica directly to BART. This service is envisioned to run on weekdays at 20 or 30-minute frequency in the peak commute periods and hourly in the midday periods.
  • Invest in physical improvements at Linda Mar park-and-ride and new park-and-rides if needed, such as secure bike parking, better waiting areas, restrooms, and other amenities. This would require significant coordination with Caltrans, the owner of the Linda Mar park-and-ride, and the cities of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.
  • Continue to assess the potential for non-traditional transportation options to solve mobility challenges on the Coast, such as bike share, microtransit, and on-demand services.

Download the final Coastside Transit Study (PDF) (Updated August 2018)

Download the Coastside Transit Study Presentation (PDF) from the community meeting held in Pacifica on February 1, 2018.

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