Tag Archives: San Bruno BART

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

SamTrans Reminder:Route Changes Begin 11 Aug

busOkay for those of you living in San Mateo County, major changes are being implemented by SamTrans starting 11 Aug 2013.

1. Routes 390/391 are discontinued and replaced by the ECR. The ECR will run between Palo Alto and Daly City BART. Service to San Francisco, South San Francisco and San Bruno BART stations are discontinued. The ECR will now run approximately every 15 minutes weekdays and 20 minutes weekends.

2. Many school trips are being moved to new routes, but not all. Route 140 is dropping the Terra Nova High runs, which are being moved to route 49.

1. Timetable List of New School Day Bus Routes(SamTrans)

2. Route ECR New Weekday/Weekend Schedule(SamTrans)

Remember if you are going to Tanforan and used to get there via the 391 into San Bruno BART, you will have to get off on El Camino & Sneath stop and walk over. You could get off at El Camino & San Bruno Ave and catch the 140 to BART, but you might have a long wait as the bus runs hourly between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays. It runs hourly on weekends all day. You can also take BART to San Bruno and exit on the west side which is right in back of Tanforan.

SamTrans

SamTrans Update

busUPDATE(23 Jul 2013)
1. Service to Parkside Intermediate is not dropped and will continue on the 140. Service to Terra Nova in Pacifica is being moved to new route 49.

2. Route 141 will be altered on 26 Jan 2014. According to SamTrans summary of 26 Jan 2014 changes: “Realign route via San Bruno Avenue to improve direct service to San Bruno BART; only serve San Mateo Avenue on select trips.” Both the 140/141 will serve the new Caltrain station at San Bruno Ave.

—-

SamTrans has announced important changes beginning 11 Aug 2013. Here is a quick summary:

1. Routes 390/391 weekday service service eliminated and replaced by route ECR. Weekday ECR will run every 15 minutes between Palo Alto and Daly City BART stations. Service to San Bruno and South San Francisco BART stations discontinued.

2. Another change to Route 140 (Pacifica to San Bruno BART). The twice daily school bus trips are being discontinued and new Route 49 will do this service.

Changes scheduled 26 Jan 2014
1. Route 140 will be extended to SF Airport Airtran.
2. Express route KX will operate between Redwood City and San Bruno BART including an SFO airport. Peak hour service to San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

My take:
As noted in a previous post, the new ECR drops San Bruno BART dropping direct service to Tanforan and BART. People taking SamTrans have two choices taking the bus to Tanforan. Option 1: Take ECR to bus stop at Sneath & El Camino Ave(north and south) and walk to Tanforan. Option 2: Get off at San Bruno Ave & El Camino(north and south) and catch an eastbound 140 to San Bruno BART. BART is the easiest option. Simply take BART to San Bruno and you are right behind Tanforan. Downside: costs more than SamTrans.

There is also in 2014 another option of taking the KX. This mixed route is being shortened from its present start in Stanford to Redwood City. This shortened route will run between Redwood City and San Bruno BART during offpeak hours and into San Francisco during peak hours weekdays. A stop at San Francisco International is part of this route. Weekend service will operate hourly. Note: This route does not duplicate ECR and only stops at selected stops.

The 140 change is a surprise and threads a tough needle. SamTrans states it is forbidden by federal law from providing dedicated bus service to schools. That is why bus routes such as 140 divert over at certain times during the school year to serve schools like Parkside Intermediate. Now they are discontinuing such service and shifting the service over to a new route (49) in August. Presumably this limited run meets federal regulations by making all regular and school stops when it runs. One possible reason for this change is that commuters who boarded the school trip buses found it added extra time getting to BART or catching an ECR.

Source: SamTrans Transit Updates

SamTrans

SamTrans San Bruno Update

As noted previously SamTrans is making major changes to its schedule to cut costs and create efficiency. They did a review of all existing lines and put forth a proposal based on these findings. It is the first major system-wide change in a decade. Routes 140 and 141 which serve San Bruno faced some major changes. The final proposal has been adopted and surprisingly both routes saw major revisions to the proposed changes.

Route 140
The proposed change was to drop the Allen crossover between College and Longview, dropping the Bayhill, San Bruno Ave, and Huntington sections in favor of a going straight to San Bruno BART (SBB) down Sneath after Rollingwood. That has all been dropped and the route remains as it is now except for a proposed extension to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) AirTrain Station (pending coordination with airport).

Comment: This was a surprise. it seemed certain months ago the proposals would go through. I opposed dropping the Bayhill and San Bruno sections since people who go to Bayhill would be forced to take two buses. Also having it use San Bruno Ave meant it could stop right near the new Caltrain station. What changed? They must have gotten some really strong feedback on this and possibly from the City Council. The extension to SFO AirTrain is in response to those who work at SFO and take SamTrans and BART. BART costs a lot more because of the surcharge placed on your ticket when exiting the station. So probably many who take SamTrans to BART wanted a less costly alternative. Going to SFO AirTrain would make it less expensive for workers. They would only pay the fare for SamTrans and not have to buy a BART ticket.

Route 141
The proposed change was to drop service on most of Jenevein, no longer serve San Mateo Ave (downtown San Bruno), and Third Street. The route would shift over to San Bruno Ave where it would go to Crystal Springs, down Jenevein to Cherry, Cherry to San Bruno and then back to SBB. The revision drops that. Instead the 141 will continue using Jenevein but go down San Mateo Ave to SBB instead of turning at Angus to Third Street. The new Caltrain station will be served by this route as well. School trips will be the only times it crosses over to Third Street.

Comment: Again this was a surprise. Perhaps more people on Jenevein wanted the service than thought. Actually the thought of having this route go directly to SBB via San Mateo Avenue is something others have said before. It made no sense to go over to Third Street and back down San Bruno Ave to turn back on Huntington. The new way makes it more efficient, serves downtown San Bruno, Caltrain, and BART.

ECR (formerly 390/391)
Unfortunately the proposal on this one remains. Currently the 391 pulls into SBB but under the new schedule, the ECR will not serve this station. Instead passengers will embark/disembark at stops near Sneath & El Camino and walk to Tanforan. It is not a long walk but certainly not as convenient as it is right now.  SBB is right behind Tanforan and provides easier access. For those wanting to go to SBB using ECR, they would have to transfer either to the 140 or 141 or walk from El Camino Real. When the new Caltrain station comes on line, they could get off at the San Bruno station and catch either a 140 or 141 to Tanforan.

SamTrans wants to remind that these changes are also subject to revision down the road if things change (less passengers etc). SBB is losing the 391 and 133 leaving only the 140, 141 and shuttles serving it. The good news is that routes 140, 141 changes are not drastic and made better. It is unfortunate that the ECR will not serve SBB but not entirely unexpected either. Most people who take the 391 to SBB usually go to Tanforan or catch another bus (like the 140) rather than BART. For people wanting to head north/south on ECR, they now have to do so near Sneath & El Camino.

As a side note, SBB bus area is not a nice area. It has all the charm of an underpass, is often dirty with spilled food and other items, and some shady people hang about as well. Though San Bruno Police has its headquarters in the plaza, and BART police also is around, you rarely see any foot patrols in the plaza or bus area. How difficult is it for someone to do a walkthrough a couple times a day?

Source: SamTrans Service Plan-Final Adopted Recommendations(May 2013)

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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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