An Assessment of Opportunities for Bus Rapid Transit in the San Francisco Bay Area

This report presents the findings from an investigation of opportunities to implement bus rapid transit systems in the San Francisco Bay Area with a focus on bus transit routes that travel on the state’s highway system. A primary component of this project has been the consideration of inter-connectivity and regional aspects of bus rapid transit systems deployment in the Bay Area. We examined approximately 200 bus transit routes in the Bay Area that lie on the state highway system from which five routes were identified as likely candidates for bus rapid transit implementation. Two of the five routes ─ VTA’s Line 22 and SamTrans’ Lines 390/391 ─ were selected for follow-up case study analysis because they involve bus routes on the same roadway, SR 82, which includes not only multi-jurisdictional issues by including two counties and numerous local cities, but also two transit properties making this selection uniquely qualified to consider inter-connectivity and regional aspects of bus rapid transit systems deployment in the Bay Area. Bus rapid transit activities are underway along the SR 82 corridor in the context of two distinct enterprises corresponding to VTA’s plans for the new route 522 in Santa Clara County and SamTrans’ plans for enhancement to transit service for its Route 390 in San Mateo County. These two systems’ primary connection point is the Palo Alto Transit Center for which enhancements are being planned. From a macroscopic perspective, the level of cross-county travel, both current and forecasted, does not now warrant development of a single and integrated BRT corridor between Santa Clara and San Mateo counties and into San Francisco County. Nonetheless, whether a single integrated corridor or two-system solution is eventually selected to satisfy levels of service needs, institutional cooperation and coordination is a continuing essential component to the transportation system along the peninsula of the Bay Area. We recommend that the two-system solution be maintained together with continued development of the Palo Alto Intermodal Transit Center while simultaneously initiating a comprehensive data collection effort together with an evaluation to fully understand the tradeoffs between these two alternatives coupled with more accurately determining the level of inter-county demand.