Since April, Joseph Costa has seen his morning commute from Marin County to San Francisco change dramatically under a new pilot program changing schedules across the North Bay’s transit agencies.

As he waited for the Route 101 bus early one July morning at the San Rafael transit center, the San Anselmo resident said that the new schedule has not streamlined his daily commute to the city for work. It made his situation more confusing, he said.

Before, Costa only had to walk and take one Route 101 bus into the city. Now due to time changes, he said he has to transfer between two sets of buses between Marin and San Francisco to make it to work at the Civic Center on time.

“It’s a wash for me, in particular,” Costa said. “The more transfers you have, there’s more opportunity for traffic and problems to really mess you up.” He said he will soon move to Terra Linda, and is concerned about how that will affect his time walking or taking another bus to the transit center.

The North Bay recently saw sweeping changes under a coordinated plan to improve regional bus connections alongside the SMART train — and public transit advocates and residents say there’s more to be done to improve connectivity, particularly for workers like Costa who regularly commute without a car.

Since April, nine transit agencies unveiled schedule adjustments under the three-year Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service (MASCOTS) pilot, intended to align route times and improve transfers and service with SMART and Highway 101. The agencies say it’s a first step to make it easier to travel, as they gather data to improve their own service areas and regional connectivity for more than half a million monthly riders.

Monthly ridership, by transit agency

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District has the highest number of riders in the North Bay with 128,735 on buses and 176,451 people on ferries, followed by Marin Transit at 287,171 riders according to the most recent ridership estimates reported in May to the Federal Transit Administration. Aside from Golden Gate Transit, about 667,956 riders were recorded among all Sonoma and Marin transit agencies in May, compared to 196,692 riders recorded on Bay Area Rapid Transit and 538,310 on Muni that month.

(However, Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Bay Area Toll Authority spokesperson John Goodwin noted the total number of riders across the region is likely lower, as many transfer between agencies.)

SMART under MASCOTS increased trips by 19%, with trains running from 4:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. and more trips in the midday and peak afternoon hour gaps. The agency, which recorded more than 150,000 riders in May, heavily promoted its coordination with local transit agencies to improve connections with different bus routes serving both counties’ riders.

SMART planner Zoe Unruh in an interview called MASCOTS “a really great first step” to implement better service alignments among the counties’ local transit agencies, several of whom are suffering financially and eyeing service cuts.

Unruh reported to the SMART Board of Directors in a July 15 meeting that the agency replaced Golden Gate 101 as the predominant passenger choice for trips between Marin and Sonoma counties. About 70% of travel from both counties to San Francisco starts in San Rafael or even farther south. As of July, weekday ridership increased 14% and weekend ridership increased at least 50%.

Business leaders have heralded the transit coordination as an effective economic development strategy and investment in long-term vitality.

Scott Adair, Santa Rosa’s deputy director of economic development, said that improved transit options reduce transportation barriers for residents who rely on public transit while increasing access to local businesses and services. “Expanded SMART service, particularly during midday and evening hours, can help bring more visitors and employees into the downtown corridor while supporting ongoing efforts to encourage transit-oriented development and create a vibrant, accessible urban center.”

Beau Blanchard, president at the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, said expanded service will give workers greater flexibility for commutes, including to and from one of the county’s major employers BioMarin. He said in Marin County, more than 40,000 residents commute to work outside the county while around 10,000 people commute in every day.

“As service expands into the evenings and weekends, we expect to see additional visitor activity and spending during times that are especially important for many local businesses,” Blanchard said.

Windsor Chamber of Commerce executive director Esther Molina said the city benefits from expanded service, as the earliest southbound route of the day starts at its train station. She said it improves connectivity for local employees, as well as tourists: “We’ve noticed that visitors are increasingly taking the train to attend Windsor events like our signature Wine Walks in Windsor.”

Public experience remains mixed

Riders who rely daily on the public transit system have had varying reactions to the new schedules, often based on where they live and what routes they take.

On a Thursday morning on a southbound SMART train, Joel Cauffman of Cotati, who was riding the train to his job selling yachts in San Rafael, told The Press Democrat how much he appreciated the expanded train trips. He said he has tried riding at almost every time of day with the new schedules and appreciates the flexibility.

“I couldn’t work without SMART,” Cauffman said. “The drive would be awful. I used to do that and was ready to quit. It allows me to ride my bike everywhere.”

Tamara Walker of Rohnert Park, who was also riding the train that morning, also praised the additional trip options as she commutes to work in San Rafael at BioMarin every day.

The additional trips mean “you can leave earlier or come in later,” she said. “The big chunk in the middle of the day caused people not to ride (the train), because then you’re stuck.”

However, other commuters like Costa criticized the pilot for the changes to Golden Gate Transit’s 101 bus route, particularly those affecting night service for commuters passing through both counties in both directions.

MASCOTS discontinued all Route 101 bus service between Novato and Santa Rosa, citing low ridership, to be supplemented by expanded SMART service. Route 101 buses operate between San Francisco and San Rafael, and San Rafael and El Cerrito, every 15 minutes during weekday peak times and every 30 minutes at all other times, according to the agency.

Shane Weinstein, president at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575 in San Rafael — representing transit operators — criticized the curtailment of the Route 101 service to Novato. He told The Press Democrat that Sonoma residents traveling from San Francisco must now make sure to be in San Rafael to catch SMART by 10:10 p.m., or else lose the ability to cross county lines. Those leaving Santa Rosa are in an even tighter bind, because the last southbound train leaves at 8:30 p.m. to arrive in San Rafael by 9:35 p.m.

“Marin got more service. Sonoma residents are the ones missing out,” he told The Press Democrat.

“What it was supposed to do was get rid of duplications,” he said. “This is taking public transit away from people. It makes an unsafe situation where people have to take a taxi … and figure out how to get to Santa Rosa. I don’t think that’s what the intent was at all.”

Weinstein said while public outreach around MASCOTS, including changes to the 101, took place across both counties, he thought few residents attended those public meetings and missed out on a chance to weigh in.

Now, some commuting later at night to and from work are impacted, he said.

“Many restaurants don’t close till 10. People who work in hospitals and hotels who are fully dependent on transit don’t have a ride anymore,” Weinstein said. “We’re asking the most underprivileged that don’t have the money and have to ride, go find an Uber because we don’t have a train for you anymore.”

Ron Downing, Golden Gate Transit’s director of planning, told The Press Democrat that the Route 101 changes resulted from a study of ridership, saying it primarily impacts “casual riders” and only four passengers rode more than twice a week. Weinstein disagreed, saying at least 20 on average will be impacted, according to his analysis of a January report from the agency’s general manager to the Board of Directors.

Downing said riders must adjust to taking the 9 p.m. Route 101 from San Francisco to connect in San Rafael to the last northbound SMART train at 10:10 p.m. The savings from cutting the service to Novato were invested into more frequent bus service between San Rafael and San Francisco, which “has much higher ridership potential across the Golden Gate Bridge,” he added.

Changes underway at other agencies

Across Sonoma County, change is underway following the implementation of MASCOTS. Several transit agencies say they will make additional service changes in the fall, amid calls from the public to improve the region’s connectivity.

Attendees at a public workshop earlier this month stressed the importance of access to medical appointments, schools and major employment centers, and favored better links between Sonoma Valley, West County, Petaluma and Sebastopol. Participants called for restoring and improving connections to neighboring counties and to Santa Rosa Junior College and youth destinations.

Sonoma County Transit manager Emily Betts told The Press Democrat that her agency, which reported about 74,438 riders in May, is preparing a new transit plan in partnership with the Sonoma County Transportation & Climate Authorities, Santa Rosa CityBus and Petaluma Transit to guide transit improvements over the next five years. The agencies are seeking public input while putting together the draft plan through early 2027, with a final plan anticipated in March 2027.

Betts said her agency will introduce more schedule changes in August, including a pilot study of a bus route between Petaluma and Sonoma. Route 40X, a redesign of Route 40, will provide specifically timed connections to SMART trains starting Aug. 10. Other routes, including the 60 to Cloverdale and 44 and 48 on the 101, will be adjusted in early 2027.

Rachel Ede, deputy director of Santa Rosa CityBus, said there is more to do for workers, such as improving service options during the week. “Filling in gaps in the middle of the day is important because people work at different shift times, so we need to have a frequency to make it work for people.”

The city will gather public feedback this fall and present a new transit plan, Ede said. Staff have multiple priorities, including reducing the number of bus connections within each trip to keep riders on one bus as much as possible.

Other agencies, however, are facing cuts to service that may further impede how well residents and commuters can get around. Petaluma Transit is about to implement cuts starting Aug. 10, to slow spending and “get a firmer footing” on finances, according to transit manager Maria Arce.

Fixed-route and ADA paratransit service will no longer operate on weekends, the agency announced. Weekday service will continue between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. LumaGo, a free on-demand shuttle service taking ride requests using a phone app, will help pick up some of the slack, the agency said, via “a new weekend safety net transportation service.”

Arce said the service changes are necessary to continue some service for riders, while “still meeting our goals, just with another animal.”

She praised the effort under MASCOTS for all agencies to work together as one entity, looking to optimize all resources and learn from the results to make improvements going forward.

“We really do all have the same goals,” Arce said.

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