Some SacRT Forward changes that have come up and will be considered in the SRTP include frequency on Route 30, the changes made to Route 19, and the elimination of Route 80, which resulted in a lack of an east/west option across Elkhorn Blvd in North Highlands.

We do not anticipate any new major influx of funding. The purpose of the SRTP is to set us up to be ready for when we do have new funding for service improvements.

SmaRT Ride funding is a separate mechanism from the Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) that is specifically collected for neighborhood shuttle services. We will continue to advocate SacRT Forward’s service and frequency goals when new revenue streams are identified.

Some new areas of development that are identified in the SRTP include Delta Shores, Metro Air Park, and Jackson Corridor. While these developments are on our radar, new routes to serve these areas have not been fully developed as they typically take several years to complete road construction and project buildout. Staff is currently in coordination with local jurisdictions on preliminary planning efforts that will eventually lead to establishing new routes.

Staff considers many factors when analyzing span of service changes, with ridership forecasting as only one. Other factors include the study of existing ridership (as forecasting can be speculative), and customer feedback. Individual housing projects may not always be large enough to yield quantitative results, so a lot relies on professional judgement as well.

Once a draft document has been completed, staff will present it to the SacRT Board of Directors and schedule additional virtual events to present the document to the public. Specific dates/locations have not yet been determined but we are anticipating a January-February timeframe for the next round of outreach events.

Yes, the SRTP will include some information about SacRT’s current pilot programs, including SmaRT Ride microtransit service and the Cal ITP fare collection technology program; however, the SRTP will not include planning for future pilot programs as the document is more focused on planning for fixed-route transit services.

Yes, Route 23 is one that has been studied for improvements; therefore, it may be a candidate for span and/or frequency improvements.

The east side of Power Inn Road has always been borderline with sustaining fixed-route service, as it is more industrial and has low ridership demand. SacRT Forward considered sustaining service in this area; however, we ended up with 65th Street being the boundary since its closer to more developed uses. With microtransit zones being somewhat flexible, this may be a good place to expand an existing, nearby zone.

Currently, we are only scheduling virtual meetings and events, but we will reevaluate as things change. The virtual events have been valuable, so its likely that we may offer both in the future.

Commuter route services are being closely studied for potential changes, which may include reallocation of commuter service to other areas. This is still to be determined and requires extensive analysis since we also have an issue with labor shortages that limit our service capacity.

Originally, we wanted to move away from hourly routes on weekends, and the demand is not quite high enough for 30-minute frequency, so every 45 minutes was the solution. This allowed us to eliminate hourly routes for about the same cost.