The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) operates fixed-route and paratransit bus service in San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco and
Palo Alto. Fixed-route service runs on a scheduled route. Paratransit is a service for those who cannot use fixed-route service due to mobility impairment.
Redi-Wheels and RediCoast are SamTrans' paratransit services.

Identified as one of the key initiatives in the SamTrans Strategic Plan, the SamTrans Service Plan (SSP) is an in-depth study of the transit system designed to identify strengths, areas for improvement and provide suggestions to improve efficiency and increase ridership. During this study, the following issues will be addressed and answered:

• What and where are the markets for transit service is San Mateo County?
• How is the overall system performing and what are areas for improvement?
• How can SamTrans best connect with regional Bay Area transit?
• How can SamTrans best serve its markets within its financial and operational capabilities?

The intent of the SSP is to respond to the evolving mobility needs of the county's residents, workers and visitors, consider new types of transit service and identify opportunities for more efficient and effective use of resources. The result of the SSP is not a document but improved transit service on the street.

The SSP will outreach to the community in a variety of ways. Supporting the release of the Draft SamTrans Service Plan, a number of different public outreach events are planned, including:

• Presentations to SamTrans Employees and Union Leadership.
• Presentation to San Mateo City and Town Councils.
• SamTrans Rider Forums.
• Stakeholder Forums.
• Public Meetings.
• Community Colleges.
• Public Hearing.

The public events are planned to be held during fall 2012. Please check back frequently for meeting times, dates, and locations as they become available. All event information will be posted with the Public Outreach section of this website.

The SSP will deliver a plan for improved transit service in San Mateo County. The plan will address recommendations in short term (2-5 year) and long (15 year) term in order to:

• Maintain service quality, particularly safety, along with any service modifications.
• Maximize efficiency while maintaining high quality service.
• Maintain core services to markets that serve transit-dependent populations, seniors and customers with disabilities.
• Invest resources where they will have the maximum benefit to customers.
• Increase efficiency and effectiveness of SamTrans service.

While the SSP studies most aspects of SamTrans service, there are certain elements that are not covered within the scope of the SSP.

• The SSP focuses on SamTrans fixed-route bus service, and does not include analysis of Caltrain or paratransit (Redi-Wheels and RediCoast).
• The SSP focuses on service on the street and does not study SamTrans' internal staffing structure or operations.