SMART ridership has rebounded to 42% of its pre-COVID monthly average as of the end of 2021, and the commuter line’s officials credit that to a “Welcome Back Campaign” featuring reduced promotional fares, more daily and weekend trips and related discounts.
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit cut fares starting last May by 40% and added two new morning trips and three afternoon trips to the weekday schedule and resumed its Saturday schedule with 12 trips — six southbound and northbound — more trips than pre-pandemic.
SMART’s single ride fares were reduced to a $1.50 base for travel within the same zone plus $1.50 for each additional zone.
Pre-COVID SMART ridership in January 2020 was above 70,000 passengers, then dropped to an average of 35,000 a month after the March 2020 Shelter-in-Place order, then 5,000 in April, its low point.
Numbers of those choosing to take SMART have climbed even though some area employees still prefer to spend fewer days in traditional office settings.
The recent surge in the omicron COVID-19 variant slowed or temporarily postponed most employer plans for workers to begin returning to the office.
In a 2021 survey by the Bay Area Council done in partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and EMC Research, 40% of employers expect employees to come back to work three days a week when the pandemic ends while 13% expect workers to return four days a week and only 19% expect them to go back for a full five-day workweek.
Responses from 205 employers said their workers commuted to a workplace four or five days before the pandemic. Bay Area employers of all sizes, industries and from all nine Bay Area counties participated in the poll.
SMART’s new general manager, Eddy Cumins, said the agency is positioning itself for when people come back to work.
“Commuters are our bread and butter, and we want to identify opportunities to serve them better,” Cumins said. “Gaining ridership is our No. 1 priority, and we’ve heard a lot about the need to serve early a.m. and late-night commuters at times beyond our schedule today. Researching ways to offer last-mile service links is also a key agenda item.”
SMART officials say they plan to boost marketing efforts aimed at non-commute riders who want to attend recreational, concert/entertainment events and sports-related venues, as well as student destinations, and those wishing to go to farmer’s markets and local wineries.
Cumins said SMART is developing a strategic plan that will include conducting broad research on existing customer needs as well as the needs of communities based on how people move around and where they want to go.
“We have also been working with the San Rafael Chamber to reach out to large employers, such as BioMarin with 1,000 employees, to determine their commuting needs in these uncertain and changing times,” Cumins added.
Joanne Webster, president and CEO of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, says while some people may prefer working from home, there are those who believe this can lead to lost social connectivity producing a disconnect among employees in a variety of industry sectors. This also tends to result in less collaboration.
“I definitely see a hybrid model emerging. While a remote work model may improve personal productivity in some instances, I’m not sure it is healthy in the long run for people to be isolated and sitting in front of a computer most of the time.”
She said SMART’s discounted fares and added services beyond those available two years ago has made commuting more convenient and affordable.
Another SMART advantage for employees or visitors to Marin County is an 8:29 p.m. northbound train from the Larkspur Station so those staying after work to enjoy dinner or to socialize with colleagues and friends still have time to return home by rail.
“What many people who work afternoon, night or early morning shifts say they need, including nurses, hotel and food service workers, are more scheduled SMART departures later at night,” said Sam Tahlavon, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Larkspur and president of the Larkspur Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
“Only one member of our staff can take SMART, which is a short 7-minute walk from the station. The other 99% have no option. Our afternoon shift gets off at 11 p.m.”
He said a year before SMART launched its service the region’s Council of Chambers talked about the need for complimentary shuttles to and from worksites and downtown Larkspur to nearby SMART stations. While such a plan has remained on the table, it hasn’t happened yet.”
While there are some shuttle services directly from SMART stations to final rider destinations subsidized by public and private employers, others charge a modest fee. The Transportation Authority of Marin and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority have emergency ride home programs.
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