McDowell County Express expands to Old Fort, SFMTA to extend Bayview shuttle

The microtransit service in McDowell County, N.C., is seeing expansion into another community while the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) extents its Bayview shuttle service through 2027.

McDowell County Express expands to Old Fort

The McDowell County Express launched one year ago to provide on-demand transportation in the town of Marion, N.C. Since its launch, the count notes that the service has provided more than 5,400 rides.

Due to its growth in ridership, the service is set to expand to the town of Old Fort on May 15. 

“We started with an eight-mile radius from downtown Marion, which worked out really well," said McDowell Transit Director Jason Hollifield. “We saw really quickly that that was not going to meet the demand." 

The county notes that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) assists McDowell Transit in providing the service to the local communities.

“From there, it's a testament to the hard work and dedication of the transit professionals to see sustained success as well as these exciting expansion opportunities," said NCDOT Integrated Mobility Division Director Brennon Fuqua.

Steady growth in demand for the service led the county to add an additional van in December 2025. Since the additional vehicle was added, the service has averaged about 200 additional rides per month.

“A lot of them are grateful that we have this service here in the county," said McDowell Express Driver Ryan Shelton. “They're appreciative that they can depend on us to be here at a certain time and that we will be picking them back up."

The service provides transportation where options are limited. The cost  is $2.50 per trip.

SFMTA extends Bayview shuttle through 2027 with grant funding boost

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has extended the Bayview Shuttle’s grant, allowing the program to run through at least November 2027. The service is fully funded by the grant.  

The agency notes that the continued grant funding allows it to continue connecting people in Bayview-Hunter's Point to Muni, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and other resources and services. The agency says the program strengthens community mobility in a community that was disconnected from the rest of the city.  

The extension is a result of community support for the shuttle. The agency says that average daily ridership has grown, and rider satisfaction is high.  

Since its launch in November 2024, the Bayview Shuttle has:  

• Served more than 2,100 riders.

• Completed 16,000-plus trips to and from the 24th Street BART station—its top destination.

• Supported Bayview-Hunters Point, with two-thirds of shuttle trips occurring within the core service area.
• Maintained a 4.9/5.0 satisfaction rating.

SFMTA examined data from the Bayview Shuttle, explaining how riders use it and what connection points are the most popular. The shuttle averaged 202 rides per day in March 2026—a 53% increase from March 2025. The agency says the Bayview Shuttle has proven it can be a part of the solution to the unique transportation challenges Bayview faces. SFMTA notes that the community’s hilly terrain, geographic isolation and heightened exposure to air pollution makes it a strong candidate for an option like this shuttle and what makes it eligible for the grant that supports the service.

The shuttle is funded by the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP), which aims to foster equitable transportation systems that address unique local transportation barriers shift decision-making power to the communities the system serves and improve the quality of life for low-income people, people of color and residents of communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution or who lack access to housing, jobs and services.  

According to SFMTA, the grant extension creates an opportunity for the agency to build on the Bayview Shuttle’s success. It also gives SFMTA time to see how the service can meet demand at the lowest cost possible. The agency says it will continue to work with the community for any future decisions about the shuttle.

Through the advocacy from the community, CARB granted the grant extension in March 2026. The funding allows the agency to keep running the shuttle and supports continued operation of the Transportation Resource Center at 5009 3rd Street and a youth-led community tour program to highlight the history of Bayview-Hunter's Point.