Transportation Authority, C/CAG Sign Off on Shuttles

From San Mateo County Transpo Authority: The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA) Board of Directors approved $9 million in funding for its shuttle program at its May meeting. Last night, the City and County Association of Governments (C/CAG) voted to contribute $1 million to the program, which will run 35 shuttles throughout San Mateo County.

These shuttle routes were proposed by a range of cities, school districts and public agencies as part of a joint Call for Projects (CFP) in December of last year. Thirty-seven applications were submitted that met program guidelines and were considered for funding by an evaluation panel made up of representatives from the TA, C/CAG, SamTrans, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Stanford University. The routes selected were scored for need, readiness, sustainability and effectiveness, and had sponsors willing to provide a minimum of 25 percent matching funds.

The TA has been funding shuttles through Measure A funds since 2002, when it started routes serving Caltrain Stations. The TA has had a great deal of success with shuttles, providing first/last mile connections to transit hubs and giving commuters in areas that can’t support a fixed bus route an additional mobility option. The shuttle program currently carries over 1.1 million riders annually.

All TA shuttles are open to the public and many operate free of charge to riders. Shuttle schedules vary according to route and can be found at http://www.samtrans.com/schedulesandmaps/shuttles.html.

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