Contact: Christine Dunn, 650-508-7927

SamTrans Adjusts Coastside Service to Alleviate Overcrowding

The San Mateo County Transit District has adjusted two Coastside routes to help alleviate crowding. On March 27, Route 294, which connects the Coastside to San Mateo, will be modified to serve the neighborhood west of the Half Moon Bay Airport. On March 20, four new schedules were added to Route 17, which serves Moss Beach, Princeton, Miramar and Half Moon.

Route 294 will now serve all stops on Airport Street, Harvard Avenue, Prospect Way and Capistrano Road. These additional stops, which also are served by Route 17, will give riders another transit option.

On Route 17, two new schedules have been added in the morning and two more in the afternoon. This change will remain in effect until mid-June.

SamTrans Chief Operating Officer Chuck Harvey emphasized that the changes are a short-term fix. “We hope that the community will come together to work out a permanent solution,” said Chief Operating Officer Chuck Harvey. The transit district is struggling with financial and resource constraints.

The Cabrillo Unified School District eliminated bus service several years ago. Word about Route 17 service spread and in recent weeks as many as 500 students tried to board the 18-passenger buses. The local route was designed to serve agricultural workers, many of whom depend on public transportation to go to work.

Officials from SamTrans, including new board member Zoe Kersteen-Tucker, who represents the Coastside, County Supervisor Rich Gordon and the school district worked together to put the service changes on the street in less than two weeks. “We tried to make adjustments that would best serve those people who are most dependent on public transportation,” said Harvey. Harvey cautioned that buses will probably continue to be crowded.

03/21/06 - crd