Next Stop: SamTrans E-News

Bus Transportation News for San Mateo County

November 2022

Welcome to the Inaugural Issue of Next Stop! A Bi-Monthly Publication for the County

Meet New GM/CEO April Chan

The San Mateo County Transit District (District) is proud to name April Chan to be its next General Manager/CEO, effective November 1, 2022. Chan will be the first female Manager/CEO of the District. Chan is a 20-plus-year veteran of the authority, currently serving as Acting Deputy General Manager/CEO. She will succeed Acting General Manager/CEO Carter Mau, who previously informed the Board of his intent to retire in the coming months.

In her new role, Chan also will serve as Executive Director of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, which administers the Measure A and W transportation sales taxes to fund transportation projects county-wide.

Chan has been an employee of the District since April 2000 in positions of increasing responsibility, rising through the ranks from Senior Planner, Capital Programming and Grants to Chief Officer, Planning, Grants and Transportation Authority and Acting Deputy General Manager. READ MORE

Reimagine SamTrans

In August, SamTrans implemented some major service changes that helped streamline the bus network with brand new routes and improved frequency for riders. The upgrades adapted to changing school schedules to respond to students who rely on SamTrans while expanding coverage in new areas such as Oyster Point and the Marina in South San Francisco. These route changes are included in the final Reimagine SamTrans plan, which was a nearly three-year effort to refresh the bus system with the goal of improving service and responding to changing ridership in San Mateo County. Since Reimagine, ridership has increased by 18% in a four-week period following the implementation. In addition, SamTrans has increased frequency and included more routes to respond to the ridership increase and overall service demands from the riders. SamTrans continues to focus on reliability and efficiency for riders in the county to get to and from their destinations safely. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Drive With SamTrans

SamTrans is encouraging people to "Drive With Us" as part of its hiring campaign. As a SamTrans professional Bus Operator, individuals will find a rewarding career and make a positive impact by driving people to their jobs, students to schools, and seniors to essential services.

As a SamTrans operator, individuals can become part of a talented team that is truly focused on connecting the Peninsula. SamTrans provides a paid training program with both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel experience for anyone to get their Class B license, permitting an individual to drive SamTrans buses and transport passengers as a professional bus operator. Potential bus operators can earn retention incentives up to $4000 in their first year. SamTrans also offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health coverage, a leading tuition reimbursement plan, a pension that will grow throughout the operator's entire career. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Free SamTrans Youth Unlimited Pass Becomes Permanent Program

At its July meeting, the SamTrans Board of Directors voted and approved a pass program that will permanently give low-income students free rides on all SamTrans buses. The SamTrans Youth Unlimited Pass Program was designed, and will be executed, in partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education. All students that are classified as Socioeconomically Disadvantaged (SED) by the California Department of Education are qualified for the Youth Unlimited Pass. SED students include students that are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Meal program, students experiencing homelessness, foster-youth, migrant students, or students whose parents did not graduate high school. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

2022 Art Bus Winners

SamTrans announced the winners of the annual county-wide student art competition Art Takes a Bus Ride. The awards ceremony also marked the beginning of Transit Month, which celebrates the role of transit in the Bay Area. The artists, who are in first through 12th grade, were asked to illustrate the theme “San Mateo County Reopens.” This is the 16th year that SamTrans has partnered with the San Mateo County Office of Education to sponsor the contest, which engages students in the classroom and emphasizes arts in the community.

The students, accompanied by their families and teachers, were honored by SamTrans Board Chair Peter Ratto, and were then treated to the unveiling of two special SamTrans buses featuring the students’ works of art. The two wrapped buses will be operating in regular SamTrans service for the next year throughout San Mateo County. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Honoring Filipino American Heritage Month

The San Mateo County Transit District (District) paid tribute to the many contributions of Filipino Americans who make up one of the largest Asian American ethnic groups in the United States. The month of October was an appropriate time to reflect on Philippine history and culture to provide all Americans with the opportunity to hear about and appreciate the many contributions of Filipino Americans. During World War II, more than 260,000 Filipino and Filipino American soldiers answered the call to action and bravely served under the American flag. The Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act unanimously passed through Congress and was signed into law in December 2016. A 2021 rider survey showed that Filipinos help make up 21% of SamTrans’ ridership. The District believes every person has the freedom to feel valued and respected and condemns racism in rhetoric or action.

Mahmoud Abunie, Editor

650-730-6201

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