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Caltrain, SamTrans

Update:SamTrans Changes To 140,141 and Others Coming 26 Jan

[Off topic but important info for those who live in, near, or around San Bruno,CA]

Well it is a New Year and time for SamTrans to implement changes to routes on 26 Jan. Some changes are going to be major while others are tweaks to service.

140
Sam Trans busThe 140 will begin servicing the AirTrain station (near the car rental area) at SFO and it means altering the entire schedule to make this possible. Just about the entire schedule has been changed except for the school bus trips in the morning and afternoon to Parkside Intermediate. However to make the route streamlined for the airport run, service on San Bruno Avenue between Huntington and El Camino Real is being dropped. That means the eastbound stop by the Wash N’Dry and the westbound stop by the Green Valley Market are going away. The 140 will turn left on El Camino after the stop on San Bruno (west side) and El Camino. There is an ECR stop on El Camino at the gas station which the 140 will stop for people wanting to get off there. The 140 will turn right at Sneath and El Camino to San Bruno BART and after dropping off passengers there, heads off to the AirTrain station. For those wanting to use Caltrain when that station opens, both eastbound and westbound buses to/from AirTrain stop nearby. Eastbound the closest stop is at Chuy’s deli. Hopefully they will move this further south since you nearly always get off right in front of parked cars. The westbound stop does not have that problem but could be moved further south to be closer to the station (not that far away right now but pulling it back would make it more convenient)

A major change is also the start times of most routes. Currently westbound buses from San Bruno BART leave at 20 after the hour outside of commute hours. That changes to 41 minutes after the hour for most runs since the run starts earlier at AirTrain. Most eastbound runs will start earlier with some exceptions so check the schedule because it is likely your favorite bus time has changed. On weekends both east and westbound runs start on the hour from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The last bus in both directions on weekdays is 11:00 p.m.

You can view the new schedule here.

141
I think they cannot make up their mind about this route at SamTrans. First they wanted to eliminate San Mateo Ave and 3rd Street along with dropping most of Jenevein and running the bus more on San Bruno Ave. Then that changed and then they were going to keep San Mateo Ave (going all the way to BART) and Jenevein and drop the crossover to Angus & Third except for school runs. The current description of the change is “Realign route via San Bruno Avenue to improve direct service to San Bruno BART; only serve San Mateo Avenue on select trips. ” However the map you bring up for the new schedule shows something different. What is dropped is the Angus crossover and the bus will go to San Bruno BART via San Mateo Avenue to Huntington. Unless there is a correction made, this is the final schedule for the 141 beginning 26 Jan. If you take this frequently, be sure to check the schedule as many times of bus runs have changed.

ECR
Once again San Bruno BART is being serviced by an El Camino bus. Previously the 391 had done this but was discontinued when the ECR was implemented for weekday runs. Beginning 26 Jan, the ECR now will go into San Bruno BART. Because the ECR consolidated two bus routes, it now runs more frequently than either the old 390/391. You can view the new ECR schedule here. The downside is that Millbrae BART has been downgraded to stops on El Camino rather than going into the transit area.

398
This limited route will run between Redwood City Transit Center (where Caltrain stops) and San Bruno BART via SFO daily and on weekends. You can view the schedule here.

Other important route changes/modifications:

123-Eliminated. This route went from Colma BART to Skyline. The 121 services Colma BART so students and others going to Skyline can catch it. Eliminated because it was redundant.

133-As of 26 Jan, this route will no longer serve Serramonte and drops service on Huntington between Spruce and Sneath. This bus will run from San Bruno BART via El Camino Real and Spruce to Airport/Linden. People wanting to go to Serramonte from San Bruno BART can transfer to 131 at Airport/Linden.

Source:SamTrans

SamTrans

SamTrans: Major Changes For San Bruno In New Year(Updated)

UPDATE (4 Dec 2013)
There are two other routes that effect San Bruno and either are being discontinued or modified.

123-Discontinued
This route currently goes from Colma BART to Skyline College. The alternative route suggested is 121, which serves Colma BART.

133-Modified
Currently goes from Serramonte Shopping Center to SSF BART, San Bruno BART via Huntington and terminates at Airport/Linden. Beginning 26 Jan 2014, this route will no longer go between Serramonte and San Bruno BART via Huntington Ave. The modifed 133 will run from San Bruno BART via Sneath, El Camino, Spruce and end at Airport/Linden. The 131 will replace a segment that ran into Serramonte Center. It will run between Serramonte & Airport/Linden.

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Well we have all gotten used to the first phase of the new service plan SamTrans. Routes 390/391 were discontinued and merged into one route (ECR), which dropped San Bruno BART from its service. Route 140 saw some minor adjustments when some school runs were transferred to a new bus route (but the school day run to Parkside remained). Come January 26, 2014, the second round of changes takes place that involves routes ECR, 140, 141 and 398.

ECR
Good news! The ECR will be coming into San Bruno BART. Service was dropped when 390/391 were discontinued but obviously complaints from passengers and perhaps city leaders lead to the change. I suspect senior citizens were the loudest since it required a longer walk from El Camino Real to Tanforan. Now for the bad news. Direct ECR service to Millbrae BART is being discontinued. Right now they pick up and drop off passengers on the east side (transit center). The problem was the long traffic lights getting into that area and likely low numbers of pickups. And if you came up from the Caltrain side, a hassle to go all the way up the stairs, cross over, and then down. While it is longer walk for people getting to Millbrae BART southbound (you have to cross the street), for northbound you just walk out to El Camino from the west side of the station and pick up a bus there.

140
The major change is adding the San Francisco International Airport AirTrain stop at the car rental area. That means schedules will be revised to include this stop. No word on whether this is will be a limited run, all runs weekdays and weekends or some combination. Part of the reason, I suspect, is that airport workers who use the SamTrans/BART pay a lot on the BART end (there is a surcharge when exiting or entering BART from SFO). This would be a lower cost option. Also it allows travelers coming into San Bruno to use the bus to get to downtown area.

141
San Mateo Ave service is being dropped (which drops also the Angus/Third Street run) except for select trips (school days likely) as well as most of Jenevein. The route will realign on San Bruno Ave for more direct service to Crystal Springs area.

398
This limited route will run between Redwood City Transit Center and San Bruno BART via SF International Airport. The KX was going to do this (with a run into San Francisco) but they decided to split this section off.

Source: SamTrans

SamTrans

Off Topic: SamTrans Has Major Changes For San Bruno

SamTrans is making significant changes to routes 140, 141 and proposed ECR weekday service. Here are the things San Bruno residents need to know:

Route 140
This route currently goes from Pacifica to San Bruno BART (SBB) daily and weekend. The original proposal was to cancel the school trips to Parkside and make kids transfer to the 141 at SBB. This has been reinstated but there is only one bus service in morning and afternoon. Both the 141 and 140 serve Parkside. Now for the changes. The Allen Drive crossover from College to Longview is gone. The 140 will now go down College and turn right on Longview and from there go over to Sneath down to Skyline as it does now. The route remains unchanged through Rollingwood but there is a major change after that. The Bayhill, San Bruno Avenue, and Huntington portion has been deleted. From Rollingwood, the 140 will go directly to SBB. That means if your destination is Bayhill, you will have to transfer to a 141 at SBB or walk from Cherry & Sneath (a long walk). If you used to catch the El Camino route buses (390/391) at San Bruno Ave & El Camino, you will get off at Sneath and El Camino.

Route 141
The major change is that service to Third Street, Angus, and San Mateo Ave is dropped (except for school trips). The new route shifts the 141 to San Bruno Ave and presumably stop right near the completed Caltrain station. The 141 will go up San Bruno Ave to Crystal Springs, head over Jenevein and down to Cherry, turn on Cherry back to San Bruno Ave, and from there back SBB.

Route ECR
Routes 390/391 (the El Camino bus lines) are currently combined on weekends will be combined on weekdays dropping San Francisco stops since most people take BART or Caltrain into the city. Many people, the figures reveal, take the 390 to Daly City to catch BART as it is a cheaper ride. Currently the 391 (not the 390) pulls into SBB. The draft plan drops SBB on weekdays (it already does so on weekends) meaning no ECR service to SBB. People going to SBB or Tanforan using the ECR will have to get off near Sneath and walk to it. Alternatively one can get off at San Bruno Ave and catch a 141 inbound to SBB. SBB is right behind Tanforan and a much easier walk that crossing the busy El Camino where some drivers are not always observant of pedestrian right of way even when you have the walk sign blinking madly at them.

My thoughts: The thinking behind these changes is efficiency. SamTrans has a huge deficit and only four lines make money for them (120,390,391,292). The 140 and 141 directly effect San Bruno residents as they are two major routes other than the ECR that service the city (the 123 goes through Rollingwood to Skyline College but is being cancelled). The other marginal one is the 133 which passes through San Bruno and stops at the Post Office and SBB. That route is being modified with the San Bruno section deleted.

Now I was opposed to dropping the Bayhill/San Bruno Ave/Huntington sections of route 140. It means taking two buses to get there which adds more travel time. And having the 140 feed into Caltrain at San Bruno Ave seemed a good fit along with the 141. People who used to get off at San Bruno Ave & Green (or catch it from the stop near the grocery store towards Pacifica) will now go to SBB to catch a 141 over or catch an ECR that will drop then off near Sneath. Changing the 141 makes more sense and deleting the San Mateo Ave portion saves time and money. I have taken this route from San Mateo Ave and has just a few people aboard. Plus crossing Angus and down Third is tough on the drivers due to streets being narrow. The turn onto Third is really tricky. So the drivers will not miss this section (except on school trips).

Discontinuing service to SBB by the ECR is a mistake. This line ought to stop at all BART stations on weekdays along the way and is more convenient for passengers. Having to walk to and from El Camino is going to be a problem, especially those who are handicapped or special needs. It does not bode well for San Bruno having the major north/south bus line just pass by rather than stopping at BART. Understandable on weekends when passenger traffic is absent at SBB but not on weekdays. They ought to keep it and the San Bruno City Council ought to be yelling about this. And while they are yelling, do so at BART for how filthy the place is. Because it is like an underpass, garbage and food debris is scattered about often and not cleaned up. It is not a nice place and poorly designed (perhaps by the same people who created elevated railways in cities creating dark zones).

The proposed change is supposed to make the ECR run more efficiently. Right now it runs pretty badly. Buses rarely run on time, often overcrowded, sometimes just never show up. You cannot rely on the ECR to get you someplace on time. You have to factor in lots of extra time since it rarely meets the schedule. Combining the routes will supposedly mean it wil run every 15 minutes. If  you hear lots of chortles over that, your right SamTrans. No one buys it. In fact, many will not be surprised if it just the same as before.

It is not to late to voice your opinion on this. The San Bruno City Council ought to be upset with the ECR not stopping in San Bruno and make it known. You can find info about how to send comments by going here. Originally the changes were scheduled for August 2013 but that has become less clear with some changes to be implemented this year and some in 2014.

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