Marin and Sonoma Counties Launch Transit Coordination Plan

Today, public transit in Marin and Sonoma Counties is divided between six different agencies, making for duplicated routes, long transfers, and inefficient services. The SMART train revolutionized transit in the North Bay when it opened in 2017. With half hourly peak service, the trains now carry over four times more riders than the parallel express bus route. However, local bus routes have not been reimagined since the train’s opening, making first and last-mile travel difficult. Conversely, most local bus service in the East Bay is designed to feed into BART stations, facilitating regional connections. The Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service Plan (MASCOTS) aims to coordinate transit along the Highway 101 corridor and SMART train line, improving “service efficiency, effectiveness, and legibility.”

The MASCOTS plan is bringing together all six North Bay transit agencies and three funding agencies to imagine what service could look like if operated as one coherent system. Consultant Nelson\Nygaard released findings about key issues with current operations. For instance, “bus pads” on Highway 101 between San Rafael and Marin City are highly overserved, seeing six low-ridership buses per hour across four lines. Additionally, Golden Gate Transit, the only intercounty bus operator, focuses its services on feeding into San Francisco. However, ⅔ of its riders to the city originate in Central and Southern Marin. Further, the ferries that run between Marin County and San Francisco carry 50% more riders than all bus lines, so bus service may need to be more focused on service between Marin and Sonoma Counties, feeding into SMART stations.

In early 2025, service recommendations will be presented to the public, which will then be approved by various Transit Boards in the Spring. Per the project document, the changes will be “intended to reduce overlap and duplication and “putting service where riders are.” The first round of service changes could be implemented in August 2025, with further refinements every six months. Ultimately, the MASCOTS plan will lead to a robust and cohesive transit system in the North Bay, with the SMART train at its core.

We will summarize the plan’s service pattern recommendations when they are released in early 2025. 

Odin Palen is a transit and cycling advocate in Marin County.