Marin transit operators refine coordination of schedules

Bus, train and ferry agencies operating in Marin are realigning some route schedules to improve service along the Highway 101 corridor.

Marin Transit and Golden Gate Transit bus route updates are set to take effect Sunday, while Golden Gate Ferry and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit schedule changes are planned to begin the next day.

The changes are part of routine service adjustments coordinated among operators.

“These minor changes to our bus and ferry schedules improve transfers between systems and are timed to align with schedule changes by other agencies,” said Poalo Cosulich-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. The district operates regional bus and ferry service.

“For example,” Cosulich-Schwartz said, “we are adjusting bus schedules at the San Rafael Transit Center to better align with Marin Transit service and are adding two commute bus trips on Route 130 based on customer demand.”

In addition to Route 130, other Golden Gate Transit routes that will have some changes include routes 101, 132, 154, 164, 172, 172X, 580 and 580X. Details are available online at shorturl.at/eXdSn.

Golden Gate Ferry will revise the Larkspur schedule so the departure and arrival times will be 35 minutes apart for most trips. Departure times will be adjusted to align with the SMART train. The first weekday trip will be 15 minutes earlier at 5:45 a.m. Two midday trips and one evening trip will be discontinued.

The first weekday trip departing from Tiburon will be 15 minutes later at 6:50 a.m. Weekday afternoon peak trips to Tiburon will be later to align with connection times for Marin Transit Route 219. The last weekday trip from Tiburon to San Francisco will be adjusted to 4:35 p.m.

Angel Island departure times have also been adjusted. No changes are planned for the Sausalito Ferry. Details are online at shorturl.at/IRQcL.

Marin Transit will adjust routes 17, 23, 29, 35, 36, 49, 57, 71 and 219. Details are online at shorturl.at/gFuer.

SMART is planning schedule changes because of the new Petaluma north station. It is set to open Friday, but the schedule changes will not take effect until Jan. 13.

Julia Gonzalez, spokesperson for SMART, said the updates also highlight enhanced connections with SMART’s Connect shuttles, which operate at Larkspur Landing between the train and ferry, as well as at the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa. There is also a new shuttle service offered in partnership with Petaluma Transit called LumaGo, operating in the downtown area.

SMART schedule details are available online at shorturl.at/rJSTT.

Meanwhile, North Bay transit operators have convened a regional committee called the Marin Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service, which is a larger effort to update transit service on the Highway 101 corridor. Gonzalez said administrators are meeting monthly to discuss transit initiatives, marketing campaigns and activities as well as finances.

“The regional coordination between North Bay transit agencies is progressing well,” Gonzalez said. “The goal of this project is to optimize transit service on the 101 corridor.”

The addition of the SMART rail line in 2017 has highlighted the need for operators in the two counties to come together to consider the structure of routes and how they could link up transfers, planners said. Additionally, the pandemic changed commute patterns, requiring transportation providers to adjust to a shift in demand.

The committee is “reexamining the bus, rail and ferry service connecting Marin and Sonoma counties and developing proposed changes as if all the services were being operated by one entity,” Cosulich-Schwartz said. “The effort is looking to reduce redundancy and overlap in North Bay transit service, including potentially reallocating resources to better meet today’s ridership demand. The process for developing proposals is still evolving and will involve extensive public vetting of any proposals before they move forward.”

The Marin Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service committee is expected to make recommendations sometime this year.