Boost in SamTrans ridership

Bus systems, including SamTrans, have recovered quicker than other major transit, especially rail operators, since the pandemic. The agency has seen a complete post-pandemic ridership recovery, compared to recovery rates ranging from 45% to 65% for BART and Caltrain — though earlier this year marked the first time since 2020 that total Caltrain ridership exceeded SamTrans.

Costs are still increasing for SamTrans, however. There was a 7% bump in the cost per passenger from the year prior and a 10% decrease in the farebox recovery ratio. There was also a nearly 9% increase in the amount of subsidies per passenger, Operations Planning Manager Jonathan Steketee said.

“A lot of that is attributed to putting in additional service … and also new labor agreements that were negotiated,” Steketee said.

In November, SamTrans and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1574, which represents bus operators and mechanics, reached an agreement after several months of negotiations, which included one-third of the agency’s bus operators calling in sick to signal their discontent. In addition to fixed wage adjustments, the new agreement provided a 4% increase during the first year, 3.5% in the second and third years and 4% in the final year.

A few months ago, SamTrans also announced it was holding off on adding new positions and will contemplate various measures, including fare increases, to help mitigate its structural deficit, projected to reach $9 million in about a year.

Last fiscal year, which ended in June, the agency projected a $29 million deficit, though that was better than originally anticipated and likely to close via one-time funding sources.

Recently, the SamTrans Board of Directors voted to opt in to a controversial regional transit ballot measure that would impose a 14-year sales tax in several Bay Area counties, including San Mateo. And while the agency would reap some financial benefits if passed, the measure — which would go before voters during the 2026 election — would largely benefit agencies like Caltrain and BART. The former is facing an average $75 million annual deficit starting in fiscal year 2027.