ENNext Stop: Why Transit Matters
You don't have to ride SacRT to depend on what transit makes possible.
TRANSIT HELPS POWER THE REGIONAL ECONOMY
Transit connects people to jobs and businesses to workers while generating economic activity throughout the region.
Multiple studies show that every $1 invested in public transit yields $4–$5 in economic returns. SacRT aligns with these national benchmarks.
SacRT is also an economic participant in its own right, purchasing goods and services from businesses and investing in infrastructure throughout the region.
$145 Million Annually
More Than Half of Trips
SacRT’s annual procurement spending supports construction, manufacturing, technology, and professional-services firms.
- Work and school account for 58% of bus trips and 63% of light rail trips, connecting people to jobs and education, and employers to the workforce they depend on.
SacRT Investments Drive Significant Regional Economic Impact
2017-2025 (Actual)
2025-2030 (Projected)
- Capital Investment: $523M
- Increase in Business Sales: $1.6B
- Jobs Created: 26,000
- Capital Investment: $800M
- Increase in Business Sales: $2.4B
- Jobs Created: 40,000
FOR SOME RIDERS, TRANSIT ISN'T OPTIONAL
For seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who depend on transit, affordability and accessibility determine whether they can get where they need to go.
Qualifying seniors, veterans, and riders with disabilities pay half the base fare. SacRT has also kept fares unchanged following a 10% systemwide fare reduction in 2018.
For riders who cannot use fixed-route buses or light rail, SacRT GO provides door-to-door paratransit service. For many of these riders, this is their connection to healthcare, work, and other essential destinations.
SacRT hasn’t raised fares in more than a decade, even as everyday costs like housing, groceries, and utilities have steadily climbed. Throughout this period, SacRT has worked hard to maintain stable, affordable service while demonstrating strong fiscal responsibility and careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
- Half the Base Fare For qualifying seniors, veterans, and riders with disabilities.
- 10% Fare Reduction: SacRT reduced fares systemwide in 2018.
- Fares have remained unchanged for 8 years.
- $41 Million Annually Invested in paratransit service for riders unable to use fixed-route transit.
CONNECTING STUDENTS TO SCHOOL AND OPPORTUNITY
SacRT removes transportation costs as a barrier for students and families.
Students in grades TK through 12 can ride SacRT fare-free through RydeFreeRT, connecting young people to school, activities, jobs, and other opportunities throughout the region, thanks in part to funding provided by partner jurisdictions and school districts.
Reliable transportation can also have effects beyond the trip itself. Better access to school can support attendance, while fare-free transit reduces transportation costs for participating families.
5 Million +
320,000 +
Youth trips provided in 2025.
Students eligible to ride fare-free throughout the region.
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE REGION
Transit helps make major events and community destinations more accessible while moving large numbers of people without requiring every trip to happen by car.
SacRT supports community events and regional destinations throughout the year, from farmers’ markets and community festivals to some of Sacramento’s largest events.
50+ Major Events Annually
SacRT connects millions of people to regional destinations (Aftershock, California International Marathon, Ironman, Folsom Pro Rodeo, Farm to Fork).
THE VALUE EXTENDS BEYOND THE RIDE
A functioning transit system creates benefits that extend beyond the people on board.
Transit provides an alternative to driving, helping reduce the number of cars competing for space on freeways and local streets. It connects businesses to workers, supports development around transit, and gives households another option as the cost of driving rises.
For people who choose transit instead of driving, the savings can include more than gas. They can also include parking, maintenance, and other costs of operating a vehicle.
$2.50
- The cost of a single ride on a SacRT bus or light rail is about one-third the cost of a gallon of gas.
Whether you ride every day, occasionally, or not at all, transit is part of the infrastructure that keeps Sacramento connected to jobs, education, healthcare, businesses, events, and opportunity.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE FUTURE
The value of transit depends on having a system that can continue delivering it.
SacRT’s role extends far beyond moving people from one stop to another. It supports people who depend on transit, connects employers and workers, helps students reach school, and contributes to economic activity throughout the region.
Maintaining those benefits requires maintaining the system behind them.
The question for Sacramento’s future is how to sustain the transit service and infrastructure that people, businesses, and communities rely on today while preparing for the needs of a growing region.
Seniors, Veterans, and Riders with Disabilities
For riders who depend on transit most, affordability isn’t a feature. It’s the condition that makes the system usable at all.
Qualifying seniors, veterans, and riders with disabilities pay half the base fare. That commitment has been protected.
- Half the base fare: Current rate for qualifying seniors, veterans, and riders with disabilities.
- 10% fare reduction in 2018, SacRT reduced fares for all riders.
- 7 years: Fares haven’t changed since.
For riders who cannot use fixed-route buses or trains, SacRT GO paratransit provides door-to-door service. This is not a supplemental program. For many riders it is the only transportation option they have.
Students and Families
Sacramento students in grades TK through 12th grade ride fare-free. Every one of them. That's not a pilot program or a discount. It is a full fare elimination for every eligible student in the region.
The effects extend well beyond transportation. Students who can get to school reliably show up more often. Schools receive attendance-based funding when they do. Families carrying fewer transportation costs have more financial breathing room. None of that shows up in a transit budget, but it shows up in the community.
Community Support
Enhanced regional experiences by making SacRT part of the event journey by activating light rail stations for weekly farmers markets and community festivals such as May is Bike Month, monthly food truck and concert series, and the annual Autumn Lantern Festival. Strengthened community connections by reliably serving 50+ major events annually (e.g., Aftershock, CIM, Kings games), attended by millions, with zero transit‑related incidents over the past decade.
