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Wheel Talk Guests (in order of appearance):

• Andy Metz, AC Transit Regional Plans Principal Planner
• Millie Tolleson, SamTrans Director of Planning
• Ted Burgwyn, Caltrain Director of Rail Network and Operations Planning
• Adina Levin, Seamless Bay Area Executive Director

The Big Sync: How SamTrans Is Teaming Up to Improve Transit Transfers on the Peninsula

SamTrans is partnering with other Bay Area transit agencies to better align bus and rail schedules at major hubs along the Peninsula. The effort is part of a regional initiative known as the Big Sync.

One element of the Big Sync is the Bay Area TRANSFER Plan — short for Transit Reliability and Accessibility Network Scheduling Framework and Equitable Regional. The goal is to improve the rider experience by reducing transfer wait times and increasing reliability at key multimodal hubs.

By synchronizing arrivals and departures where services intersect, the plan aims to make transit more seamless, equitable and time-competitive — especially for riders who depend on multiple systems to complete a single trip.

This August, four major Bay Area transit hubs are seeing improved interagency coordination: Daly City BART and Palo Alto Caltrain — both served by SamTrans — along with Concord BART and Dublin/Pleasanton BART.

“It really is about how we knit the system together in a way that works for the rider,” said SamTrans Director of Planning Millie Tolleson. “And that’s across agencies.”

Read more about how this coordination is unfolding along the Peninsula.

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The first hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) to serve public transit customers along the peninsula are now in service, with many more on the way in the weeks, months and years to come.

The San Mateo County Transit District, or SamTrans, recently placed an order for 108 additional hydrogen busses, marking the largest order of its kind in North America to date.

The move toward hydrogen at Sam trans is symbolic of a major shift in the public transportation industry. But why hydrogen? What makes this such an attractive carbon free choice for transit? Where does hydrogen fuel even come from? And is it truly green?

SamTrans Public Information Officer Randol White asks those questions and more to:

• SamTrans Director of Maintenance David harbor
• Dr. Lewis Fulton, the Director of the Energy Futures Program at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and chair of the Transportation Working Group of the California Hydrogen Hub known as ARCHES.

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SamTrans' Director of Real Estate and Property Development, Brian Fitzpatrick, offers insight into the District's land use over the years along with Caltrain's new transit-oriented development policy (or as we loving call it, "Tod") and what it means for the agency's future.

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SamTrans Director of Bus Maintenance Dave Harbour explains what it takes to be a SamTrans bus. We talk about buying new buses and retiring the old, Wi-Fi implementation, the future of SamTrans' electrified fleet and what it takes to keep over 300 buses in working order.

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We continue our conversation about Caltrain's maintenance operations and future improvements coming with electrification from a high level perspective with Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Bouchard.

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Get the scoop on Caltrain’s day-to-day maintenance operations. With electrified service on the horizon and the ever-present challenges of an aging fleet, this month's episode offers insight into the behind-the-scenes work that keeps our trains moving, the state of the railroad and the exciting future ahead with new electric trains.

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SamTrans Director of Planning, Christy Wegener, talks about the agency's recently launched Express Bus Route FCX operating between Foster City and San Francisco. We dive into the US-101 Express Bus Feasibility Study, what we're learning about the new route and travel patterns, as well as the future of express bus service in San Mateo County.

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SamTrans Board Director Peter Ratto talks about the impact of Measure W, a voter-approved San Mateo County 1/2 cent transportation sales tax that passed in November, 2018 and went into effect July 1, 2019.