Facing millions in financial losses and an ongoing deficit, SMART is taking a wait-and-see approach on eliminating weekend service following the results of a recent public survey.
Eliminating weekend service altogether would save an estimated $1.6 million annually for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit district. But SMART board members were reluctant to take that step after 17% of survey respondents said they would only ride SMART on weekends when shelter-in-place restrictions lift.
Many respondents also stated they were planning to ride SMART more frequently as the weather got nicer, according to staff.
“It’s disheartening to think that with the arrival of spring and summer, many respondents had planned to ride SMART for weekend leisure trips to San Francisco,” SMART communications manager Julia Gonzalez told the board at its May 20 meeting.
Board members and some members of the public said they expect more visitors to come to Sonoma County and the Bay Area soon after the restrictions lift.
“People will be hungry for adventure and local travel destinations,” said Sebastopol resident Dani Sheehan-Meyer said.
“SMART will lose ridership if weekend service is eliminated. I think going forward that could be an opportunity to attract new ridership,” said Marin County Supervisor Damon Connolly, a board member for the rail service.
Weekend service has been temporarily suspended during the “shelter in place” period.
The survey showed that 12% of respondents don’t plan to continue riding SMART when the shelter-in-place order lifts and another 22% stated they will continue working from home. Another 15% stated they were unsure whether they will still have a job.
Nearly 3,300 people participated in the online survey earlier this month, of which about three-quarters identified as SMART riders. The survey consisted of various questions relating to potential service cuts being considered by the board, how often they ride the trains, and whether they will be comfortable using transit after the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
About 29% of people said they only ride on weekdays and would be unaffected by weekend service cuts. About 18% of respondents said they only ride on weekends and 28% stated they were likely to ride less often if weekend service was eliminated.
The board is also considering eliminating onboard Wi-Fi service. About 90% of survey respondents said the change wouldn’t affect their decision to ride the train. About 60% of the respondents said they would not be willing to pay a $1 to $2 per trip fee for onboard Wi-Fi.
Facing a $9 million operating deficit in the coming years, a potential $11 million to $14 million loss in fare and sales tax revenue this fiscal year — and possibly more losses in years to come — the board does plan to make cuts to its service.
On Wednesday, the board gave staff direction to reduce its weekday trips to run on a “6-1-6” schedule, or 26 trips per day. The schedule would be catered toward the commuter ridership by providing six morning trips, one midday trip and six evening trips for both directions. The savings would add up to about $1.1 million annually, which would be less than the $3.2 million in savings if the board considered a 22 trip schedule. This is a reduction from the 38 daily weekday trips that SMART began at the start of the year.
The survey results called for earlier morning trips and later afternoon trips, Gonzalez said.
SMART is already set to receive $10.4 million in federal stimulus funding, which could increase to nearly $17 million depending on how the Metropolitan Transportation Commission distributes the remaining portion of the transit relief funds, according to Farhad Mansourian, SMART’s general manager.
Mansourian also called on the board to be wary on staff cuts, especially as it will be more difficult to ramp up service again without adequate staff.
“I think you’re very wise to go slowly and not just rush in doing this,” said Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold, a SMART board member. “Let’s see what happens.”
One unknown moving forward is what best practices will be for transit ridership, such as having to maintain safe social distancing. Using three-car trains might be needed in order to meet as much of the commute demand as possible, though that will also require retention of staff, Mansourian said.
“If social distancing becomes a problem then adding a third car will be a must because we will not be able to carry and meet the demand,” he said.
The SMART board’s next meeting is set for June 3.
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SMART aims to keep weekend service after public survey - Marin Independent Journal
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