CONTACT: Jonah Weinberg, 650-508-6238

SamTrans Celebrates 30 Years as the County’s Transit District
As SamTrans rolls into its 30th year of service, more than half a billion customers have ridden its buses throughout San Mateo County, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties. On July 1, 1976, SamTrans officially opened for business, after consolidating 11 municipal bus systems under the umbrella of the San Mateo County Transit District.

Bus ridership in San Mateo County has grown from four million in SamTrans’ first year, to more than 14 million a year now, an increase of 355 percent. The district’s fixed-route bus system has 55 routes, which travel an average of 32,000 miles per day and carry nearly 50,000 passengers on an average week day.

During its 30 years in San Mateo County, SamTrans can look back with pride at some of the following milestones:

• More than half a billion riders served and one billion passenger miles traveled since 1976
• Redi-Wheels paratransit service was introduced in 1977 to serve passengers whose disability prevents them from using fixed-route bus service
• New buses with wheelchair lifts were purchased in 1983
• SamTrans placed among the top 25 transit agencies in the nation based on ridership in 1985
• SamTrans awarded “#1 Transit System in America” by the American Public Transit Association in 1988
• SamTrans retrofits two buses for use as emergency response units in the event of an earthquake or other disaster in 1992
• SamTrans begins selling advertising on the exterior of its buses in 1995
• Board adopted Bus Improvement Plan, a five-year blueprint for improving bus service in 1998
• Began replacement project, repowering with new clean diesel engines in 2000
• Offers overnight bus service for the first time in 2001
• Began advanced communications system in every bus, which features GPS and next-stop announcements in 2003

In addition to traditional bus service, SamTrans has become an integral part of regional public transit. In 1991, SamTrans joined with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to become a member of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. The JPB assumed control of Caltrain from the state, which essentially saved the commuter railroad from being dismantled. SamTrans became further involved with Bay Area-wide transit when it joined with BART in 2003 to open the rail system’s San Mateo County Extension. The extension goes to Colma and Millbrae, with access to the San Francisco International Airport, and provides access to the whole BART system.

In celebration of its 30 years of service, SamTrans has developed a special “30 Years” logo which will go on all its buses, and later this summer it will be holding an essay contest, where passengers and community members can share what SamTrans has meant for them during the past three decades. SamTrans also will produce a commemorative pass-holder for those who purchase monthly passes, and there will be a collectible bookmark with images of SamTrans vehicles through the years, and trivia facts about the district.

“We are proud of the great accomplishments we have seen from SamTrans over the past 30 years,” said Redwood City Councilman and SamTrans Board Chair Jim Hartnett. “We know that we will see many more great successes during SamTrans’ next 30 years.”

07/14/06 (rev)- jbw