Editorial: Bike share plan for SMART stations makes sense
A two-year trial aimed at helping Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit riders complete the so-called “last mile” is getting closer to being deployed.
It is a promising move.
It is one of the recent initiatives SMART has launched to increase ridership on the bi-county train service.
The “last mile” is a frequent criticism of SMART, where people don’t take the train because it doesn’t stop close enough to their destinations, particularly their jobs.
SMART is getting ready to launch a two-year “bike share” project where 300 electric bikes will be posted at the train’s stops for riders to rent as they complete their trips.
The initiative was supposed to launch in 2022, but its deployment was suspended by the pandemic which forced the contracted vendor to shut down.
A new vendor, Toronto-based Drop Mobility, has been signed for the job.
A $826,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will pay for the trial, which could be phased into action starting in June.
The vendor will provide a smartphone app for users, a website and a data-reporting program.
Some important details are still being worked out, among them riders’ cost for using the e-bikes and possible monthly and annual memberships. Establishing an equity program is also on the table.
Officials are also working out details on the location of bike hubs in Novato, San Rafael and Larkspur, where SMART stops are located. It is also important to make sure that bikes that are not returned to designated bike-share hubs are promptly recovered and are not left in a way that poses hazards to pedestrians.
The trial is just one of the initiatives being launched to attract more riders onto SMART’s trains.
An important one is set to begin in April, when SMART is offering free rides for passengers younger than 19 and older than 64. It’s a one-year program projected to run through June 2025.
SMART is focusing on making its trains a practical choice for getting up and down the two counties.
Removing the cost hurdle could help accomplish that, increasing use by more families or seniors. In addition, together with its lowering of fares, SMART is working to lower the financial hurdles that have made its service too expensive for many potential users.
Rising bridge tolls and a lowering of ferry fares were keys to the strategy that grew ridership on Golden Gate’s ferries.
SMART, however, has the additional pressure of the need to renew its quarter-cent sales tax, which will expire in 2029. That extension is going to need voter approval.
A 2020 measure aimed at extending the tax for 30 years fell far short of the two-thirds majority vote it needed to pass.
Critics, backed by a Sonoma County developer, launched a million-dollar campaign against the extension, citing lower-than-promised ridership and high taxpayer subsidy of SMART fares. The campaign also targeted SMART’s leadership, which had been accused of refusing to publicly disclose ridership details.
New management, led by General Manager Eddy Cumins, has put SMART on a new track, one that helped the service survive the pandemic and bounce back to its pre-pandemic ridership numbers.
Over the past 12 months, ridership on SMART has grown 54%.
Cumins has also pushed forward plans for SMART to continue work on building the promised north-south bike path and extending train service farther north in Sonoma.
Making SMART a more financially viable and practical alternative for people getting up and down the Highway 101 corridor is the right strategy. Offering free rides – and marketing that offering – is going to help alter the mindset that SMART is too expensive.
Providing electric bikes around train stations is going to help address nagging questions regarding its practicality.
SMART was built and launched to provide another way to get up and down Marin and Sonoma counties. By focusing on growing the number of riders that choose SMART to make that trip is the best way to meet that promise and build support for extending the tax.