Commuters across Sonoma and Marin counties gained significantly more transit options this week after the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency rolled out a sweeping service expansion that took effect on April 12.
The changes represent a 19 percent increase in overall SMART train service, with more frequent runs during morning and evening commute hours and new midday departures aimed at riders making daytime trips for appointments, errands, or meetings. Evening service has also been extended to better accommodate passengers heading out for dinner or social events, and weekend frequency has increased across the line.
The expansion is the centerpiece of a broader coordinated effort called MASCOTS — the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service Plan — which brings together seven transit agencies to create more seamless connections across the two-county region and into San Francisco. As part of the plan, Golden Gate Transit will roughly double its bus service between San Rafael and San Francisco, giving riders a dramatically improved link between the North Bay rail corridor and the city.
Not every route survived the overhaul. Bus runs between Novato and Santa Rosa will be discontinued under the new plan, with increased SMART train frequency intended to absorb those riders. Transit officials say the tradeoff allows them to concentrate resources where ridership demand is strongest while still serving the full corridor.
According to SMART, the coordinated changes are designed to make it “easier for riders to travel across Marin and Sonoma counties” with “better timed connections and more options throughout the day.” Full route details and updated schedules are available at mascotsplan.org.
The service boost comes as North Bay transit agencies work to rebuild ridership and compete with highway congestion on the U.S. 101 corridor, where commute times have been climbing steadily in recent years.
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