Golden Gate Transit

{{Short description|Public transit operator in the North Bay region of California}}

{{Infobox Bus transit

| name = Golden Gate Transit

| logo = Golden Gate Transit Logo.jpg

| logo_size = 175px

| image = Golden Gate Transit route 18 bus on North Point Street, August 2017.JPG

| image_size = 300px

| image_caption = Golden Gate Transit 908 in San Francisco

| company_slogan =

| parent = Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District

| founded = {{Start date|1972|01|01}}

| headquarters = 1011 Andersen Drive
San Rafael, California

| locale =

| service_area = San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa Counties)

| service_type = bus service

| alliance =

| routes = 11

| destinations =

| stops = 270

| hubs = Copeland Street Transit Mall (Petaluma), Donahue & Terners (Marin City), Redwood & Grant (Novato)

| stations = El Cerrito del Norte BART, San Rafael Transit Center, Santa Rosa Transit Mall

| lounge =

| fleet = 124 buses

| ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Golden Gate MB daily}} ({{American transit ridership|dailydate}}){{American transit ridership|dailycitation}}

| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Golden Gate MB annual}} ({{American transit ridership|annualdate}}){{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}

| fuel_type =

| operator =

| ceo =

| website = {{URL|goldengate.org/bus}}

}}

Golden Gate Transit (GGT) is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It primarily serves Marin County, Sonoma County, and San Francisco, and also provides limited service to Contra Costa County. In {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, Golden Gate Transit had a ridership of {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Golden Gate MB annual}}, or about {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco Golden Gate MB daily}} per weekday as of {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}}.

Golden Gate Transit is one of three transportation systems owned and operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District; the others are the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Ferry, both of which connect San Francisco and Marin County. Funding for cross-bridge "Transbay" bus service is partially funded by Golden Gate Bridge tolls in addition to traditional federal and state sources.{{Cite news |last=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |date=15 June 2007 |title=Golden Gate Transit: History |publisher=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |url=http://goldengatetransit.org/researchlibrary/history.php |access-date=12 November 2007}} GGT operates some bus service within Marin County under contract with Marin Transit.

History

File:Golden Gate Transit bus stop sign in February 2008.jpg

File:Hamilton 014 2.jpg

File:goldengatetransit 1572 sanrafael.jpg

Golden Gate Transit service began on January 1, 1972, as the culmination of years of work for the Golden Gate Bridge to alleviate traffic congestion, reduce pollution, and take over unprofitable commuter bus service operated by Greyhound.{{Cite news |last=Jeff Greer |date=1971-12-27 |title=Greyhound's Stormy Era Of Commute Runs Ending |pages=1–25 |work=Daily Independent Journal |location=San Rafael, California |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/san-rafael/san-rafael-daily-independent-journal/1971/12-27/ |url-access=subscription}} GGT had previously began operating local bus service in Marin County under contract with Marin Transit beginning December 15, 1971.[https://www.goldengate.org/bus/history-research/timeline/ Bus Timeline] Initial service ran on two corridors in San Francisco: Civic Center routes on Van Ness Avenue and the McAllister/Golden Gate one way pair, and Financial District routes on North Point Street and the Battery/Sansome pair.{{Cite news |date=December 23, 1971 |title=S.F. Stops Listed for New Marin Transit |page=6 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98784044/the-san-francisco-examiner/ |via=Newspapers.com}}

The system initially operated with 152 buses, including 20 leased buses, out of garages in Novato and Santa Rosa and a temporary facility in San Rafael. A permanent garage opened in San Rafael in 1974, and the facility was expanded in 1987 to house additional administrative staff. Transbay commuter bus service was reduced in 1987 as a result of declining ridership associated with a shift in jobs from San Francisco to Bay Area suburbs. However, that increase in the number of suburban jobs led to the initiation of commuter bus service from Sonoma County to Marin County employment centers in 1990.

In 1992, the District and opened the San Rafael Transit Center. The transit station was designed as the hub in a hub-and-spoke local bus system and immediately became GGT's busiest transit station. In 1993, acting on behalf of MTC, GGT began operating service between Marin and Contra Costa counties via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. That same year, the district initiated inter-county paratransit service, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act), through an agreement with Marin County and its paratransit contractor, Whistlestop Wheels.

Significant service reductions were implemented in 2003 as a result of a declared fiscal emergency. As a result of the restructuring, all GGT service to the Sonoma Valley and Sebastopol was eliminated. Ferry Feeder bus routes to the ferry terminals in Larkspur and Sausalito were also discontinued. This fiscal emergency helped spur the passage of Measure A by Marin County voters in 2004. The sales tax measure established a new funding source for Marin Transit and was a catalyst for changes to the contract the District had with Marin Transit. Marin Transit assumed control over local bus service planning, and it began transitioning some service to private contractors.

On June 15, 2009, Golden Gate Transit began operating Route 101,[http://goldengate.org/news/transit/servicechanges_jun09.php servicechanges_jun09] which provides all-day service between Santa Rosa and San Francisco with fewer stops, similar to many bus rapid transit "light" systems that rely on stop spacing changes rather than capital improvements to speed up buses. Introduced initially as a weekday-only route, service was expanded to Saturdays in June 2010 and to Sundays and holidays in September 2011.

On December 13, 2015, service to Contra Costa County on Route 42 was merged with Route 40. The next day, service began on Route 580,{{Cite web |title=Current News – District | Golden Gate |url=http://goldengate.org/news/transit/route-580-enjoy-the-ride.php}} which was the District's first transit line into nearby Alameda County. The latter experiment failed and Route 580 was discontinued in September 2016, however the numeric designation was revived when Route 40 was renumbered to Route 580 in December 2021. GGT buses returned to Alameda County in February 2019 to provide Early Bird Express bus service under contract with BART, which was discontinued in January 2024.

As a result of declining ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting loss in operating revenue, including a reduction in Golden Gate Bridge tolls,[https://www.goldengate.org/assets/1/6/2021-0520-financecomm-no11-proposedfy21-22budget-attachment.pdf Proposed Budget FY 2021–2022] bus service was dramatically reduced throughout 2020. GGT had 27 routes at the beginning of the pandemic and just seven routes by December 2020. In March 2022, Route 4 was revived as Route 114. Limited additional service was restored in January 2024 with the addition of Routes 164 and 172X and April 2024 with the addition of Route 580X.

Service area

Golden Gate Transit serves cities and communities in four Bay Area counties: San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa.[https://www.goldengate.org/assets/1/6/transit_guide_summer21.pdf Golden Gate Transit Guide Summer 2021]

= Cities and communities served =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
County ! Cities and communities
Contra Costa County \| El Cerrito, Point Richmond, Richmond
Marin County \| Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Ignacio, Larkspur, Marin City, Marinwood, Mill Valley, Novato, San Quentin, San Rafael, Sausalito, Strawberry, Terra Linda
San Francisco \| Civic Center, Financial District, Marina District, The Presidio, SoMa
Sonoma County \| Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa

class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"

County

! Cities and communities

Contra Costa County

| El Cerrito, Point Richmond, Richmond

Marin County

| Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Ignacio, Larkspur, Marin City, Marinwood, Mill Valley, Novato, San Quentin, San Rafael, Sausalito, Strawberry, Terra Linda

San Francisco

| Civic Center, Financial District, Marina District, The Presidio, SoMa

Sonoma County

| Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa

= Routes =

Fleet

Golden Gate Transit has operated mostly suburban-style coaches fitted with high-back seats, overhead luggage bins, and reading lights since its inception. The full fleet has been equipped with wheelchair lifts since 1997 for accessibility.[https://www.goldengate.org/bus/history-research/fleet/ Fleet] Bike racks were installed on buses beginning in 1999 as part of the Bike Racks on Buses program.[http://goldengate.org/news/transit/newracks.php Golden Gate Transit Expands Bike Carrying Capacity with New 3-Position Bike Racks]

= Current fleet =

The active fleet consists of 124 buses owned by Golden Gate Transit. GGT also operates buses owned by Marin Transit, as described here.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Year

! Fleet numbers

! Quantity

! Make

! Model

! Length (feet)

! Floor type

! Number of seats

! Bike rack style

! Propulsion

! Image

2012 (924–955)
2015 (956–980)

| 924-980

| 57

| MCI

|D4500CT

| 45

| High

| 57

| Luggage bay

| Diesel

| 100px

2019

|1901–1967

|67

|Gillig

|Low Floor

|40

|Low

|39

|Front mounted

|Diesel-electric hybrid

|100px

= Historical fleet =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Year	Fleet numbers	Quantity	Make	Model	Length (feet)	Number of seats	Wheelchair lift	Image	Current status
1971 (701-812) 1972 (813-860)	701-860	160	GM	New Look	40	45	No	100px	Retired by 1997; bus 812 retained for historical purposes
1982	1001–1016	16	GM	Advanced Design	40	43	Yes	NA	Retired by 1998
1983	1017–1067	51	GM	Advanced Design	40	41	Yes	NA	Retired by 2000
1986	501–504	4	Gillig	Phantom	30	26	Yes	NA	Retired in 2003
1987	401–421	21	MCI	102A3	40	45	Yes	NA	Retired by 2001
1989	1101–1180	80	TMC	RTS	40	39	Yes	NA	Retired in 2003
1990	514–521	8	New Flyer	D60HF	60	62	Yes	NA	Purchased used from SamTrans in 2003; retired in 2007
1991	1181–1243	63	TMC	RTS	40	40	Yes	100px	Retired by 2012
1994	1401–1441	41	Flxible	Metro	40	45	Yes	100px	Retired by 2008
1996 (601-630) 1997 (631-632) 1999 (633-646)	601-646	46	MCI	102DL3	45	57	Yes	100px	Retired by 2015
1997	1301–1330	30	NovaBus	RTS	40	43	Yes	100px	Retired by 2010
2000	1251–1264	14	NovaBus	RTS	40	39	Yes	100px	Retired by 2016
2001	505-508	4	NovaBus	RTS	30	27	Yes	100px	Retired in 2016
2003	691-696	6	MCI	D4500	45	57	Yes	100px	Retired in 2016
2003	1501–1580	80	Orion	V	40	41	Yes	100px	Retired in 2019
2010	901–923	23	MCI	D4500CT	45	57	Yes	100px	Retired to contingency fleet in 2024

Fares

Golden Gate Transit charges different fares, depending on distance (zones) traveled and method of payment.[https://www.goldengate.org/bus/bus-fares-payment/ Bus Fares & Payment] Fares can be paid with cash or Clipper card. As of July 1, 2024, adult cash fares are as follows:

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
rowspan="2"\|Zone To/from ! San Francisco ! colspan="2"\|Marin County ! Sonoma County ! East Bay
1 ! 2 & 3 ! 4 ! 5 & 6 ! 7
1 \| $5.50 \| $8.50 \| $9.75 \| $14.50 \| $5.25
2 & 3 \| $8.50 \| colspan="2" rowspan="2"\|$2.00 \| $9.75 \| rowspan="2"\|$7.25
4 \| $9.75 \| $8.00
5 & 6 \| $14.50 \| $9.75 \| $8.00 \| $3.00 \| $13.25
7 \| $5.25 \| colspan="2"\|$7.25 \| $13.25 \| $3.00

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

rowspan="2"|Zone
To/from

! San Francisco

! colspan="2"|Marin County

! Sonoma County

! East Bay

! 2 & 3

! 4

! 5 & 6

! 7

| $5.50

| $8.50

| $9.75

| $14.50

| $5.25

2 & 3

| $8.50

| colspan="2" rowspan="2"|$2.00

| $9.75

| rowspan="2"|$7.25

| $9.75

| $8.00

5 & 6

| $14.50

| $9.75

| $8.00

| $3.00

| $13.25

| $5.25

| colspan="2"|$7.25

| $13.25

| $3.00

File:goldengatetransit transfer local.jpg

Adult Clipper fares are discounted 20% for most trips, except within Marin County where the discount is 10% to match Marin Transit fares. A 50% discount is provided to youth (ages 5 through 18), senior (ages 65 and over), disabled ({{Access icon|12px}}), Medicare passengers, and passengers with a Clipper START card. In addition, as a result of a bus service contract with BART, fares for travel between San Francisco and the East Bay match the equivalent BART fares.

Transfers are issued by the farebox upon request at the time of cash fare payment. Clipper automatically tracks transfers.{{Cite news |last=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |date=10 June 2018 |title=Golden Gate Transit Guide, Summer 2018 |publisher=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District}} Transfers are valid for two hours for intra-county travel and three hours for inter-county travel and can be used twice. Round-trips are not permitted for inter-county travel. Full transfer privileges are available to/from Marin Transit.

Transfers are issued between GGT and Golden Gate Ferry only for Clipper customers. Transfers are available to/from some connecting transit systems, including AC Transit, Muni, Petaluma Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, SMART, SolTrans, Sonoma County Transit, and WestCAT. Muni, SMART, and SolTrans transfers are available only to Clipper customers.

Golden Gate Transit accepts one-day and 31-day passes issued by Marin Transit for rides within Marin County. No other pass products are accepted.

Club Bus program

The Club Bus program was administered by Golden Gate Transit through 2012. It provided commuter clubs with contract support for subscription bus service on routes not otherwise operated. The program also provided a 30% subsidy for the cost of service.{{Cite news |date=December 7, 2010 |title=Commute Club Struggles to Break Even |work=Sonoma Patch |url=http://sonoma.patch.com/articles/commute-club-struggles-to-break-even |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323000948/http://sonoma.patch.com/articles/commute-club-struggles-to-break-even |archive-date=March 23, 2012}} The program required the formation of not-for-profit organizations to collect riders' subscription fees and develop schedules.

The Marin Commute Club, which began service in 1971, had direct service from Marin County to three University of California, San Francisco locations (Parnassus Campus, Mission Bay Campus, San Francisco General Hospital) not otherwise served by Golden Gate Transit. Daily ridership dropped from 300 in 1978 to 120 in 2012, and down further to 55 in 2014 shortly before the service was discontinued altogether.{{Cite press release |title=UCSF Distinguished Faculty Members Receive Public Service Awards |date=May 26, 1978 |publisher=University of California, San Francisco |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6fU2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA208 |via=Google Books}}{{Cite book |url=https://www.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/Ch11.pdf |title=UCSF 2014 Long Range Development Plan |publisher=University of California, San Francisco |year=2014 |page=133 |chapter=Chapter 11: Cross Campus Support}}

The Valley of the Moon Commute Club provided bus service to the San Francisco Financial District from the Sonoma Valley, which otherwise does not have direct bus service to San Francisco. It was created in 1973 and operated as part of the Club Bus program until 2011.{{Cite news |date=December 2, 2010 |title=Sonoma/SF commute club running out of gas |work=Sonoma Valley Sun |url=http://news.sonomaportal.com/2010/12/02/21620/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207022539/http://news.sonomaportal.com/2010/12/02/21620/ |archive-date=December 7, 2010}} At its peak, the club had service on five buses. However, the economic downturn and changing travel patterns resulted in substantial service reductions and fare hikes. By late 2010, service had been cut to one round-trip with a monthly subscription fee of $350. In February 2011, with the club on the brink of shutting down, service was transferred to a private tour company.{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Derek |date=February 28, 2011 |title=Petaluma bus company rescues Sonoma Valley commuter club |work=The Press Democrat |url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110228/ARTICLES/110229523 |access-date=September 11, 2018}} Due to further ridership declines, service was discontinued in May 2014.{{Cite news |last=Hoban |first=Bill |date=April 1, 2014 |title=Commute club needs more riders |work=Sonoma Index-Tribune |url=http://www.sonomanews.com/csp/mediapool/sites/SIT/News/story.csp?cid=3388573&sid=744&fid=181}}