How about a SamTrans express bus running on Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Colma BART (no side-street meandering), stopping only at major junctions (Miramar, El Granada/Princeton, Moss Beach, Montara, Devil's Slide, Linda Mar, Rockaway, Reina del Mar, Sharp Park, Pacific Manor)?
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One uses public transportation because it goes where you want to go when you want to go there. This express route could address a failure of SamTrans on the coastside from the time it came into being, namely that there is no way to commute to work in a reasonable amount of time and at the hours necessary from the coastside south of Devil's Slide. I agree that the time-consuming meanderings of the buses off the highway make the service a non-starter for people using the bus to get to work. The local meanderings also make it difficult to keep buses on schedule. In addition to being a faster route, it would be easier to keep the express bus dependably on schedule.
For those of us living south of the slide, there is the huge added problem of having to transfer at Linda Mar. The wait at that transfer alone would often be double the entire time it took me to drive from home to my office in Pacifica. It could easily add an hour to the total two-way commute time. The express bus would eliminate this problem.
The hours of operation would be critical to increase the ridership. I'd suggest a minimum of 6 a.m. starting in Half Moon Bay to 10 p.m. starting from Colma BART. Make that 12 a.m. on weeknights or even 1 a.m. on weekends from Colma BART if you want to pick up riders dining and/or going to evening entertainment in the city or going to Giants or Warriors games.
And why Devil's Slide as a stop? Maybe on busy weekends, but otherwise this bus needs to move!
Posted by: Carl May | June 01, 2020 at 02:36 PM
This idea might have legs. It is already in the long-term plan for the future of SamTrans. So stay tuned. I think it would be a hit with Coastsiders, especially once the economy recovers from the pandemic. Commuters and shoppers would love the fast direct service to BART and shopping centers along the way. Keep that bus running straight on Highway 1, no zigzagging through neighborhoods.
Posted by: John Maybury | June 01, 2020 at 12:42 PM
There's also a Highway 1 turnout at Eureka Square and another at Milagra Drive (Pacific Manor).
Exactly as you described, a "Highway 1 Express" from downtown HMB to Colma BART is the route our coastal bus should have been running from Day One. The current route takes the bus only 1/10 to 1/5 of a mile off the main drag -- but burns up a huge amount of time.
Posted by: alan wald | May 31, 2020 at 04:29 AM
This sounds like a great idea.
Posted by: Kathryn Totah | May 30, 2020 at 06:27 PM