Wheel Talk Guests (in order of appearance):
Andy Metz, AC Transit Regional Plans Principal Planner
Millie Tolleson, SamTrans Director of Planning
Ted Burgwyn, Caltrain Director of Rail Network and Operations Planning
Adina Levin, Seamless Bay Area Executive Director
The Big Sync: How SamTrans Is Teaming Up to Improve Transit Transfers on the Peninsula
SamTrans is partnering with other Bay Area transit agencies to better align bus and rail schedules at major hubs along the Peninsula. The effort is part of a regional initiative known as the Big Sync.
One element of the Big Sync is the Bay Area TRANSFER Plan — short for Transit Reliability and Accessibility Network Scheduling Framework and Equitable Regional. The goal is to improve the rider experience by reducing transfer wait times and increasing reliability at key multimodal hubs.
By synchronizing arrivals and departures where services intersect, the plan aims to make transit more seamless, equitable and time-competitive — especially for riders who depend on multiple systems to complete a single trip.
This August, four major Bay Area transit hubs are seeing improved interagency coordination: Daly City BART and Palo Alto Caltrain — both served by SamTrans — along with Concord BART and Dublin/Pleasanton BART.
“It really is about how we knit the system together in a way that works for the rider,” said SamTrans Director of Planning Millie Tolleson. “And that’s across agencies.”
Let’s take a closer look at how this coordination is unfolding along the Peninsula.
Daly City: A Crossroads for SamTrans, BART and Muni
As part of the Big Sync, SamTrans has adjusted the schedules for routes like 110, 121, SKY and PCX to better align with BART and Muni service at Daly City Station. These changes are designed to reduce transfer friction and improve overall reliability.
“These kinds of improvements,” said Ted Burgwyn, Caltrain’s Director of Rail Network and Operations Planning, “don’t require huge amounts of money. They require coordination and trust.”
Palo Alto: Connecting the Bus to the Train
At the southern end of the Peninsula, Palo Alto Caltrain Station serves as a critical regional hub, linking Caltrain with SamTrans and VTA.
“We were all working together — VTA, Caltrain and SamTrans — to figure out how we could better time our schedules,” said Tolleson.
That collaboration led to adjusted schedules on routes like 280 and 281, helping riders make better-timed connections with Caltrain service. The improvements stem from regional coordination, with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) providing tools and technical support to align schedules more effectively across agencies.
“Having more time-competitive trips and more seamless connections is really important,” said Adina Levin, executive director of Seamless Bay Area. “Because when you're asking someone to transfer, the penalty is very high if the transfer doesn’t work.”
A Region-Wide Effort
While SamTrans and Caltrain are leading coordination efforts along the Peninsula, the Big Sync is part of a broader regional effort involving multiple transit providers.
“Buses and trains have to be part of a connected system to really be an alternative to the car,” said Burgwyn. “So that’s what the Big Sync is trying to do.”
By improving schedule coordination and fostering cross-agency collaboration, the TRANSFER Plan is working to remove barriers to public transit use across the region.
“It’s part of a culture shift,” said Tolleson. “And I'm really excited to see what we do next.”
Riders can explore the latest SamTrans service changes — including improvements tied to the Big Sync and updates to school-oriented routes — at Schedules & Maps | SamTrans.
Caltrain riders can find service updates at Caltrain.com/status.