ENNext Stop: Together
What You Might Not Know About SacRT
SacRT Behind The Scenes
We’re committed to sharing more about the work we’re doing behind the scenes and about the value that SacRT brings to the Sacramento community. Because there are some things you might not know about how SacRT operates, where your money goes, and who depends on this system every single day.
But, despite our best efforts, SacRT continues to be the largest transit agency in California without a dedicated funding source, which threatens the stability of our services and of the communities that rely upon our services.
Value SacRT Brings to the Region
Explore the four pillars that will guide our service and investment in the community:
Safety and Security Record
- SacRT is leading the way with award-winning safety innovations, real-time surveillance, and a growing security team — all to ensure a clean, secure, and reliable transit experience for every rider.
Fiscal Responsibility & Trust
- Despite limited funding, SacRT has secured nearly $1 billion in grants and restored financial stability — proving our commitment to doing more with less while modernizing our system for the future.
Community Value
- From fare-free student rides to emergency response support, SacRT is a trusted community partner helping families thrive, improving access to opportunity, and keeping fares affordable for those who need it most.
What We Need to Serve You Better
- SacRT delivers high-quality service with limited resources — but to meet growing demand, we need a dedicated local funding source. With your support, we can expand safety, keep fares affordable, and maintain a world-class transit system for all.
Safety and Security Record
Safety is at the core of everything we do. While safety concerns were raised during the workshops, many riders may not be aware of the significant steps SacRT has taken — and continues to take — to ensure a safe and secure transit experience:
Award-Winning Safety Program
SacRT has earned national recognition for its innovative, tech-driven approach to transit safety and security.
Dedicated Transit Agents
A growing team of trained Transit Agents is on board and on the ground to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all riders.
Real-Time Surveillance
Over 2,000 live-feed cameras monitor the system 24/7, helping prevent incidents and respond quickly when needed.
Law Enforcement Partnerships
Strong collaboration with local law enforcement enhances rider protection and supports community-based safety efforts.
Lighting & Infrastructure Upgrades
Improved lighting, station design, and infrastructure upgrades make stops and stations safer and more accessible.
On-Time, Clean, and Modern Vehicles
New low-floor light rail trains and a focus on cleanliness and reliability are reshaping the rider experience across the system.
Sacramento is ranked among the top five worst cities in the nation for pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. SacRT plays a critical role in improving safety by reducing congestion and helping emergency responders avoid traffic delays — because in an emergency, seconds count.
We’ve implemented a suite of award-winning, tech-based innovations, including the AI camera system on buses, a public-private partnership that helps keep bus stops and bike lanes clear and safe through automated enforcement.
We’ve also decisively addressed legacy issues around safety, cleanliness, and reliability. Today, SacRT’s transit crime rate is only 3.7 incidents per million trips taken (a significant drop from last year’s 7.5 incidents), and our fare evasion rates significantly dropped from a high of 20% to less than 1%
To accomplish this, we doubled our security team to nearly 200 personnel and created a multi-level security network designed to prevent nuisance behavior and fare evasion that includes over 2,000 live feed cameras and dubbed by the media the “voice of god”. These efforts resulted in SacRT receiving 7 of the top national safety/security awards in recent years.
Our system is clean, our vehicles are on time, and our new low-floor light rail trains, part of a $1 billion modernization project, are helping reshape public perception of transit in Sacramento.
Fiscal Responsibility & Trust
SacRT is committed to being a responsible steward of public funds. We are funded through a combination of federal and state grants, along with a small portion of local sales tax revenue that is shared across all city and county transportation needs — including roads, highways, and other services.
But it’s still not enough.
There currently is no steady, dedicated funding source solely for transit. Any dollars SacRT receives are shared, or in the form of grants. SacRT remains committed and dedicated to winning grants and using shared funds in the most effective manner, but without a steady dedicated funding source just for transit – as most other metropolitan areas have – SacRT, and our riders, remain at a disadvantage.
Almost 10 years ago, the SacRT Board and CEO Henry Li reaffirmed a core commitment: putting customers first, by delivering a clean, safe, and convenient transit service.
This vision launched one of the largest capital projects in our history, the Light Rail Modernization and Expansion Project, upgrading our aging 40-year-old system.
In many ways, it’s remarkable that the project has progressed as far and fast as it has. When SacRT envisioned the program nine years ago, there was absolutely no funding set aside for this project.
Within that short time, we managed to secure nearly $1 billion in funding to significantly modernize and expand our light rail system. Rolling out new modern low-floor light rail vehicles; completing platform upgrades on the Gold Line; and introducing 15-minute light rail service to Folsom area stations.
We’ve also worked hard to restore internal fiscal stability, going from being in the red a decade ago, to now having a solid annual reserve. Not only earning SacRT the 2019 Good Governance Award from Sacramento Taxpayer Association — the only award of its kind in the Association’s history, we were also ranked as the most trustworthy public entity over the last few years in polling.
Community Value
SacRT is more than a transit provider, we are a community partner. We work hand-in-hand with local government, businesses, and civic organizations to deliver high-quality service and drive regional prosperity while keeping fares affordable. SacRT is proud to be a team player, a problem solver, and a catalyst for community growth.
Government Partnerships
Our strong relationships with local, state, and federal agencies have helped us secure over $1.4 billion in grants over the last decade for capital improvements, operations, and maintenance
Regional Integration
Over the past six years, SacRT reintegrated five smaller transit systems into a unified network, eliminating inefficiencies and improving the rider experience.
Business Engagement
SacRT reestablished trust with the business community by forming a Business Advisory Council.
Mobility Partnerships
We’ve partnered with UC Davis Health to launch the Elk Grove/UC Davis Medical Center Express, and with UC Davis, YoloTD, and others to operate the zero-emission Causeway Connection between Davis and Sacramento — offering sustainable, reliable commute options.
Supporting Local Projects
When the City of Sacramento needed land for a new bike trail, SacRT sold a 5-mile rail corridor for just one dollar — helping create a world-class pedestrian and cycling path in South Sacramento.
Partnering to Build Housing Near Transit
SacRT has taken a leadership role in helping cities and developers build affordable housing near transit, especially around light rail stations.
Working Together to Fund the Future
We also heard from the public to keep fares affordable for seniors, persons with disabilities, and students. And so, with our community partners, we launched the nation’s most comprehensive fare-free for student/youth program, dramatically boosting ridership, and laying the groundwork for academic and economic success for generations to come. This program not only supports working class families by getting kids in grades TK through 12th to school, jobs and afterschool activities – it ensures schools receive funding through improved attendance, helps eliminate residential isolation, improves mental health, and it provides congestion relief by taking cars off the road for up to 320,000 eligible student families – last year along, there were over 5M trips taken.
Also, our fares remain affordable and flat, with no fare increase for the last 7 years. In fact, we implemented a 10% fare reduction in August 2018 – rolling back fares for the first time in our 50‐plus year history. SacRT is committed to providing the best service possible for our riders with funds received.
Responding in Times of Crisis
When our community faces emergencies, SacRT steps up to help our community when they need it the most. Providing wi-fi enabled buses during COVID to help bridge the information gap; and most recently, we are providing free rides to SNAP recipients that need to get to food distribution centers during the federal shutdown.
What We Need to Serve You Better
SacRT only receives a 1/5th of a penny in local sales tax and we do not have a dedicated funding source like many of our peers that do such as Portland, LA, and BART, which we’re often compared to. This makes it challenging to maintain and upgrade buses and trains in a state of good repair. Despite this, SacRT has consistently delivered high-quality service while maximizing every dollar.
As Sacramento grows, so do the demands on our transit system. A dedicated local funding source, such as a transit-specific sales tax, would allow SacRT to:
- Increase safety and security on buses and trains
- Invest in signal and communications upgrades to support emergency response
- Ensure visitors from outside of Sacramento who shop, dine, attend events, or do business in Sacramento contribute to the transit infrastructure
- Keep transit affordable for those who need it most — including seniors, veterans, students, youth, and people with disabilities
- Expand safe routes to school and improve infrastructure for children
- Maintain past investments in a state of good repair
Meeting these needs is essential to building a more connected, equitable, and resilient Sacramento.
Stay Connected
We’re just getting started. Check back soon as we continue to build out this page with more insights and stories that highlight the impact of public transit in our community.
To learn more about SacRT’s historic decade of transformation and growth, visit sacrt.com/transformation.
