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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. See the interactive map of MTC’s transit priority investments throughout the region. 

Transit Priority Actions & Work Plan Activities

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

Timeline and Status of Work Plan Activities
Initiative Anticipated Completion Current Status
Transit Priority Policy for Roadways Policy adopted January 2026 See MTC Resolution No. 4739
Transit Priority Roadway Assessment and development of regional Transit Priority Network Early 2027 Initial tasks underway
Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID) As early as mid-2026 (first round of projects) First round of projects actively being implemented. Call for next round of projects anticipated after completion of Transit Priority Roadway Assessment
Innovative Deployments to Enhance Arterials Transit Signal Priority (IDEA TSP) As early as 2027 Project initiation/set-up underway

Transit Priority Policy for Roadways

MTC’s Bay Area Transit Priority Policy for Roadways (MTC Resolution No. 4739) was adopted in January 2026. The Policy aims to enhance the transit rider experience by supporting implementation of transit priority infrastructure and policies that improve transit travel times and reliability, and promote active interagency engagement necessary to be successful. 

Learn more about the Transit Priority Policy for Roadways.

A passenger exiting an AC Transit bus at a boarding island.
Credit
AC Transit

Transit Priority Roadway Assessment

MTC is conducting a Transit Priority Roadway Assessment to evaluate the need for – and guide future investments in – transit priority projects in the Bay Area.

The Assessment will:

  • Analyze existing transit conditions
  • Identify “hotspot” locations with notable delay and reliability issues
  • Develop a regional Transit Priority Network of key transit corridors throughout the Bay Area
  • Lay out an implementation strategy for near-term action
  • Create a Transit-Supportive Roadway Design Toolkit technical resource

Learn more about the Transit Priority Roadway Assessment. 

Muni bus in a "bus only" lane in San Francisco.
Credit
Sergio Ruiz

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.

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 the next round of BusAID projects is anticipated after the completion of the Transit Priority Roadway Assessment.

For additional information on individual BusAID projects, see these project websites:

Passengers boarding and exiting the Muni K-Ingleside light rail train.

New passenger boarding islands installed along the Muni K-Ingleside light rail line on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, funded by BusAID.

Credit
SFMTA

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. 

Transit Performance Initiative

Since 2012, the Transit Sustainability Project and Transit Performance Initiative (TPI) has invested over $130 million in transit priority projects and other transit operational improvements to increase efficiency and ridership. The next planned TPI call for projects is anticipated in fall 2025, with funding awards in spring 2026. 

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.

Staff Contacts

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

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

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

All transit priority staff can be reached at TransitPriority@BayAreaMetro.gov.

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 develop the regional Transit Priority Network as part of the Transit Priority Roadway Assessment. MTC also partners with Caltrans on its transit-focused efforts:

  • Director’s Transit Policy: MTC engaged with Caltrans and provided feedback on the Director’s Transit Policy, which provides direction for Caltrans transit strategy and activities throughout the state. It was finalized in early 2026.
  • Caltrans Bay Area Transit Plan: MTC also partnered with Caltrans on the Bay Area Transit Plan, a first-of-its-kind district-level plan that identifies transit priority infrastructure needs and access improvements on the state highway system in the region. The plan was completed in early 2026.
  • Transit Speed & Reliability Data: MTC is partnering with the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), funded via the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and Caltrans, to more effectively and transparently share transit vehicle speed and reliability data with the public.