Where We've Been
About SamTrans
SamTrans provides fixed-route bus service, including local and express service, paratransit, and shuttle services in San Mateo County. The agency operates more than 320 fixed-route revenue buses (34,000 riders/day) and a paratransit fleet of nearly 70 vehicles that supports Redi-Wheels and RediCoast service, and administers shuttle connections to Caltrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations. For the 2025 Fiscal Year, SamTrans provided nearly 11 million unlinked passenger trips and operated more than 12.2 million vehicle miles across its services..
Sustainability is a core value of the District as outlined in its strategic plan (Moving San Mateo County: San Mateo County Transit District 10-Year Strategic Plan 2026-2035), and at the heart of its Mission “ to revolutionize mobility and create a more equitable and sustainable region.”
The Sustainability Program supports SamTrans' ambitious efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. The program helps champion projects and policies that decrease waste, minimize carbon emissions, conserve water, and advance sustainable practices throughout the organization..
Approximately 40% of California's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stem from surface transportation (all modes). Whether Californians choose to drive or take public transit is one of the most significant climate choices they make every day. The Sustainability Program supports the District's goal of helping residents and visitors minimize their carbon footprint, improve air quality, and eliminate regional traffic by reducing reliance on cars for transportation.
About this Dashboard
The dashboard encompasses facilities, fixed-route bus, paratransit, and shuttle services under the operational control of SamTrans. The dashboard includes information on SamTrans’ non-revenue vehicles, employee commuting, and centralized facility functions across all District units (shared facilities and services). Staff prepared a separate sustainability inventory and dashboard pertaining to Caltrain operations that does not include employee commuting to avoid double-counting.
The GHG emissions discussed in the dashboard and included in SamTrans GHG and Sustainability inventory include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). They are presented in this report as metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). Other GHGs, such as sulfur hexafluoride and refrigerants, are excluded from the SamTrans inventory. GHG emissions are divided into three different categories called “scopes.” Scope 1 includes all emissions directly emitted by sources owned or controlled by SamTrans (e.g., revenue and non-revenue vehicle diesel, gasoline, and compressed natural gas fuel use and facility natural gas use); Scope 2 includes all indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or steam; and Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions (e.g., GHG emissions from water, waste, employee commuting, and displaced passenger trips). Consistent with The Climate Registry (TCR) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), SamTrans reports all Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. SamTrans also reports Scope 3 GHG emissions associated with waste generation and diversion, water usage, employee commuting, and avoided/displaced customer trips.
This dashboard addresses the following sustainability indicators:
- GHG emissions
- GHG displacement
- Employee commuting emissions
- Criteria air pollutant emissions
- Energy use from revenue and non-revenue vehicles
- Energy use from facilities
- Water use
- Waste generation and diversion
- Vehicle miles
- Unlinked passenger trips (boardings)
- Displaced or avoided customer trips
Sustainability indicators are normalized by SamTrans’ annual vehicle miles (VM), which includes miles traveled by fixed-route bus, paratransit, and shuttle services. VM measures miles traveled from the time a vehicle pulls out from its garage to go into revenue service to the time it pulls in from revenue service, including “deadhead” miles without passengers to the starting points of routes or returning to the garage, or for deadhead moves to layover locations. Normalizing by VM enables SamTrans to evaluate improvements in vehicle and facility efficiency.