Update

Transit Priority

MTC is working with transit agencies and with Caltrans, cities and counties to plan and implement transit priority infrastructure that increases the speed and 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. Tools can include roadway design, traffic enforcement, new traffic signals and more.

Making transit faster and more reliable improves the customer experience and encourages more people to use transit. Investing in transit priority throughout the Bay Area roadway network 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 $100 million in transit priority initiatives.

Regional Transit Priority Policy

MTC is developing a Regional Transit Priority Policy to foster more efficient and effective delivery of transit priority projects and programs in the Bay Area. 

MTC sponsored a workshop in December 2023 to kick off the development of the policy with staff at transit agencies, cities, counties, Caltrans and transit advocacy groups. MTC has convened an ad-hoc Policy Development Working Group to provide regular input during the development of the Regional Transit Priority Policy.

Actions & Work Plan Activities

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

Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID)

MTC is implementing a new program, Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID), which inventories operator-identified “hotspot” locations that regularly see transit delay or reliability issues.

BusAID funds the delivery of quick-build transit priority projects, investing 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.

Setting Priorities

In 2023, MTC worked with each of the 20 Bay Area bus, light rail and streetcar operators to document the barriers to implementing transit priority and to inventory operator-identified hotspots.

To prioritize investments, the hotspots were scored with these criteria in mind:

  • Locations where the delay could be reduced the most.
  • Locations serving routes with higher ridership, more riders that are people of color and more riders with low incomes.
  • Locations with transit routes that serve Priority Development Areas.

BusAID Program Schedule

In early 2024, staff evaluated the highest-scoring projects to determine which are most ready and appropriate to implement. BusAID funding was awarded to eight transit priority projects. The first BusAID-funded projects could break ground in 2025 and be completed as early as mid-2026. 

BusAID Program Schedule
BusAID Phase Date
Operator Interviews and Hotspot Inventory Summer-Fall 2023
Scored Hotspot List Winter 2023-2024
Feasibility/Readiness Assessment and Funding Recommendations Spring-Summer 2024
Project Advancement Mid-2024 Onward

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 includes transit priority infrastructure investments (for example: 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 have already been completed. Others are in the planning and design stages.

Transit Performance Initiative

MTC and Bay Area transit agencies are working together to improve speed and reliability on high-ridership transit lines throughout the Bay Area. 

The Transit Sustainability Project and Transit Performance Initiative is prioritizing investments that will get transit vehicles out of traffic congestion, so buses and trains can serve travelers better.

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 make transit faster and more reliable.

TSP on arterial roadways improves transit travel time and reliability, while minimizing impacts to general traffic, by modifying the signal timing to favor transit only when a transit vehicle is present. By reducing red light delays for transit vehicles, TSP will help buses and light rail vehicles move more quickly, predictably and reliably. 

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 

Examples of Transit Priority Treatments

Transit priority treatments include roadway design, operations, and traffic enforcement that can help transit vehicles avoid traffic congestion, reduce delays at signals, and move more predictably on all types of roads. These can include:

  • 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. 
  • 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).
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 a Regional Transit Priority Policy, and partnering with Caltrans transit staff to review state policies and procedures.

In 2022, Caltrans District 4 formed a new planning office dedicated to advancing transit and active transportation efforts in the Bay Area. This expanded staff roles and capacity for transit planning and created more opportunities to streamline state policies and procedures related to transit priority. This includes review of the statewide Director’s Policy on Transit Priority and Focus, anticipated in 2024. 

MTC is a partner on the Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan, a first-of-its-kind district-level plan, to be finalized in 2025. It will identify transit priority infrastructure needs and access improvements on the state highway system.