SamTrans Launches Microtransit in San Mateo County, CA, 2023

The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) has partnered with Transdev to launch Ride Plus, a curb-to-curb microtransit service serving the communities of East Palo Alto and Half Moon Bay. Through this service, customers can book rides in real-time, or up to seven days in advance, using the SamTrans Ride Plus smartphone app, the SamTrans website, or by phone. Trips on Ride Plus follow the same structure as the SamTrans fixed-route bus system; a standard adult ride costs $2.25 with cash and $2.05 with a Clipper card. As a promotion to customers, rides on the microtransit service are fare-free until the end of July 2023. Rides in the East Palo Alto zone, which also includes the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park, run between 6 AM and 10 PM every day of the week. Rides in the Half Moon Bay zone also run every day of the week, but from 8 AM to 5 PM. Transdev functions as a turnkey partner for Ride Plus, overseeing its vehicles, staffing, maintenance, and customer service.

Microtransit systems are becoming increasingly present across various communities in the United States these past several years. Several transit agencies in the Bay Area of northern California have deployed microtransit in more suburban and rural communities. Services like Ride Plus can offer reliable transit in lower-density areas while also bridging customers to and from fixed-route services that take customers to other parts of San Mateo County and the Bay Area.

Last updated July 10, 2023