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Transit Priority

MTC is working with transit agencies, Caltrans, cities and counties to plan and implement transit priority infrastructure and transit-supportive policies that improve travel times and the reliability of Bay Area buses and light rail trains.

Transit priority is a toolbox of policies and infrastructure that help transit passengers get to their destination more quickly and reliably. Tools can include roadway design, new traffic signal timing, traffic enforcement and more.

Making transit faster and more reliable improves the customer experience and encourages more people to use transit. Investing in transit priority on Bay Area roadways helps meet the climate and equity goals of the long-range regional plan, Plan Bay Area 2050, and the Transit Transformation Action Plan. 

Since 2012, MTC has invested over $150 million in transit priority initiatives through a variety of grant programs.

Transit Priority Actions & Work Plan Activities

MTC’s efforts in advancing transit priority in the Bay Area include the following initiatives:

Initiative Anticipated Completion Current Status
Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (TPPR) Late 2025 Development of draft TPPR text underway
Regional Transit Assessment (RTA) Late 2026 Procurement of consultant for RTA underway
Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID) As early as mid-2026 (first round of projects) First round of projects actively being implemented. Call for second round of projects anticipated late 2025
Innovative Deployments to Enhance Arterials Transit Signal Priority (IDEA TSP) As early as 2027 Project initiation/set-up underway

Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (TPPR)

MTC is developing the Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (TPPR) to enhance the transit rider experience by supporting implementation of transit priority infrastructure and policies, and promoting the interagency coordination required to do so.

The goal of the TPPR is to establish a common definition and vision for transit priority in the region that guides agencies toward roadway investments that:

  • Improve transit travel times and reliability; and
  • Help transit better serve people’s needs and move more people in the Bay Area.

MTC sponsored a workshop in December 2023 to kick off the development of the TPPR with staff from transit agencies, cities, counties, Caltrans and transit advocacy groups. The framework for the TPPR was developed throughout 2024 with input from partner agencies and was finalized in November 2024. 

This spring, MTC staff developed a draft TPPR Policy Memo which outlines proposed TPPR content, and staff are now conducting outreach and soliciting feedback from agency partners and the public throughout the Bay Area. 

The following is a list of public meetings at which RNM staff plan to present on the Policy Memo this spring. Meeting dates are tentative and subject to change:

Staff will develop draft TPPR Policy Text in the summer, based on spring feedback. Adoption of the final TPPR Policy Text is anticipated in late 2025.

Regional Transit Assessment (RTA)

The Regional Transit Assessment (RTA) will complement the Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (TPPR) by evaluating the need for – and guiding future investments in – transit priority projects in the Bay Area. The RTA will include an assessment of existing transit operations and develop a Transit Priority Network (TPN) to inform regional transit priority investments (e.g., BusAID project recommendations).

The RTA effort is expected to begin mid-2025 and last for approximately 12 to 18 months. 

Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID)

In 2023, MTC implemented the Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID) program, which funds the delivery of quick-build transit priority projects. BusAID invests in projects that maximize bus (and light rail) travel time savings and service reliability improvements for the most people as quickly as possible, while centering on the groups of people that depend on transit the most. BusAID funding rounds are anticipated on an annual or biennial basis.

The first round of BusAID funds were awarded to eight transit priority projects in spring 2024, followed by an additional project award in fall 2024. These projects may be completed as early as mid-2026. A call for a second round of BusAID projects is anticipated in late 2025.

Passengers boarding and exiting the Muni K-Ingleside light rail train.
A passenger boarding island recently installed along the Muni K-Ingleside light rail line on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, a project funded by BusAID in 2024.

Innovative Deployments to Enhance Arterials Transit Signal Priority (IDEA TSP)

MTC is providing funding and technical assistance through the Innovative Deployments to Enhance Arterials Transit Signal Priority (IDEA TSP) program to improve transit travel times and reliability. TSP on arterial roadways benefits transit operations, while minimizing impacts to general traffic, by modifying the signal timing to favor transit only when a transit vehicle is present.

IDEA TSP funds were awarded to five transit priority projects in fall 2024. The IDEA TSP-funded projects may be completed as early as 2027. 

Forward Commute Initiatives

MTC is leading the design and delivery of transit priority treatments along key highway and freeway corridors with the Forward Commute Initiatives.

Bay Bridge Forward, Richmond-San Rafael Forward, Dumbarton Forward, and Napa Valley Forward include transit priority infrastructure investments (e.g., transit signal priority, bus queue jump lanes, HOV lane extensions, bus-on-shoulder lanes and interchange reconfigurations) as well as HOV lane policy changes (including occupancy requirements and hours of operation) to make transit faster and more reliable.

Projects such as the West Grand Avenue Bus and High Occupancy Vehicle Lane are actively being implemented. Others are in the planning and design stages.

Transit Performance Initiative

Since 2012, the Transit Sustainability Project and Transit Performance Initiative has invested over $130 million in transit priority projects and other transit operational improvements to increase efficiency and ridership. There are no planned TPI calls for projects, but MTC continues to invest in transit priority through other efforts.

Staff Contacts

Joel Shaffer, MTC
Transit Priority Project Manager
Phone: 415-778-5257
Email: jshaffer@bayareametro.gov

Britt Tanner, MTC
Principal, Regional Network Management 
Phone: 415-778-4414
Email: btanner@bayareametro.gov

Mika Miyasato, AC Transit
Principal Transit Priority Planner
Phone: 510-891-7138
Email: mmiyasato@actransit.org 

Transit Priority Definition & Examples

"Transit Priority" refers to infrastructure and policies that decrease transit vehicle travel times and enable transit to move more reliably by avoiding traffic congestion and minimizing delays. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Transit Lanes: lanes dedicated exclusively for transit vehicles, either full-time or during days/times with peak traffic congestion.
  • High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes: lanes dedicated to transit vehicles and other high-occupancy vehicles, either full-time or during days/times with peak traffic congestion.
  • Transit Signal Priority (TSP): modified traffic signal timing so transit vehicles encounter a green light or reduced wait times at intersections with traffic lights/signals.
  • Queue Jump Lanes: lanes exclusively for transit vehicles and HOVs to bypass traffic queues at intersection approaches or freeway on-ramps. Queue jump lanes are often paired with TSP.
  • Bus-on-Shoulder Lanes: a policy, plus supportive infrastructure and ongoing maintenance, allowing buses to use shoulders on limited-access highways as transit lanes, either full-time or during days/times with peak traffic congestion.
  • Transit Stop Placement & Spacing: locations for transit stops that minimize delay and optimize stop frequency (to balance convenient stop access with efficient operations). Examples of improved locations might be the far side of intersections with traffic lights, or the near side of intersections controlled by a stop sign.
  • Transit Stop Design: designing stops to reduce delays to transit vehicles (such as using  boarding islands or bus bulbs/curb so buses do not have to pull in and out of the traffic lane during passenger loading/unloading).
  • Traffic/Parking Regulations & Enforcement: regulations to speed transit travel (including turn restrictions for non-transit vehicles, tow-away zones and other curb management along transit routes), paired with automated or manual enforcement to ensure effective transit priority (such as on-bus cameras that can cite vehicles blocking transit-only lanes or bus zones).
  • Boarding/Fare Payment Policy: practices such as off-board fare payment and all-door boarding which speed up passenger boarding/exiting, minimizing the amount of time needed for transit to serve stops.

Additional information and design guidance for transit priority elements is provided in the Transit Street Design Guide by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).

Partnership

MTC collaborates with regional and statewide partners to help make transit priority projects more efficient and effective in the long term. This includes working with transit agencies and local cities and counties to draft the Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways and partnering with Caltrans on its transit-focused efforts: 

  • Director’s Policy for Public Transit: MTC is engaging with Caltrans and providing feedback on the Director’s Policy, which will provide direction for Caltrans transit strategy and activities throughout the state. It is expected to be finalized by late 2025.
  • Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan (BATP): MTC is also a partner on the BATP, a first-of-its-kind district-level plan, that will identify transit priority infrastructure needs and access improvements on the state highway system in the region. This plan is anticipated by mid-2025.