Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service Plan (MASCOTS)

• SMART increases train frequency and expands its span of service to roughly every 30-60 minutes from 4 a.m. to 11 p.,. on weekdays, and roughly every 60-90 minutes from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.
• First southbound train departs Windsor at 3:45 a.m., arriving Larkspur at 5:15 a.m.
• First northbound train departs Larkspur at 5:30 a.m., arriving Windsor at 7 a.m.
• Last southbound train departs Windsor at 8:15 p.m., arriving Larkspur at 9:45 p.m.
• Last northbound train departs Larkspur at 10 p.m., arriving Windsor at 11:15 p.m.

• Golden Gate Transit (GGT) Route 101 will operate more frequently between the San Rafael Transit Center and San Francisco (every 30 minutes all day, every 15 minutes during peak periods); it will continue to operate to Novato (every 60 minutes all day, every 30 minutes during peak periods). It will be discontinued between Novato and Santa Rosa and for all communities in between, to be replaced by increased SMART train service.
• GGT Route 130 will operate between Marin City, Sausalito and San Francisco (every 30 minutes all day). It will be discontinued between San Rafael and Marin City.
• GGT Route 150 will be discontinued.
• GGT Route 580 will no longer serve the East San Rafael area due to low ridership. Route 580 will follow the 580X alignment in Marin County. This will save riders approximately 9 minutes between San Rafael and the East Bay.

• No major changes are recommended in Marin County.
• Golden Gate Transit (GGT) consolidates commute routes in Sonoma County into a single route that operates more frequently.
• Route 164 and Route 172X are discontinued; all buses operate on the Route 172 alignment that serves Downtown Santa Rosa, the Brookwood Park & Ride, Rohnert Park Expressway, the west side of Petaluma and San Francisco.
• Route 172 terminates at the Santa Rosa Transit Mall, no longer serving Piner and Industrial.
• Route 172 no longer serves local, intra-city San Francisco trips (to save time), only making drop-offs southbound and pick-ups northbound in San Francisco. Travel time for riders would be comparable to current 172X travel times, due to faster service through San Francisco and new continuous carpool lanes between Marin and Sonoma counties.

• Marin Transit consolidates Routes 36 and 71 to provide a single 15-minute service between San Rafael Transit Center and Marin City on one route that serves all the bus pads. See more information on Marin Transit proposed changes.
• Santa Rosa CityBus, Sonoma County Transit, Petaluma Transit, Marin Transit and other local buses make better, direct connections to SMART stations. Summary sheet of the proposed bus route changes coming soon.

No. Fares are not changing under MASCOTS, but many riders will shift to a different mode or route. As a result, most intercity riders will pay less for their travel under MASCOTS. 

Some example scenarios:

• Shannon travels from Petaluma to San Francisco using her Clipper card. With MASCOTS, her new fare will cost 15% less.
• Guillermo travels between Santa Rosa and Novato, and usually pays cash. He will have to convert cash to a Clipper card on the SMART platform. His new fare using his Clipper card will be 45% less than he was paying before.
• For travel between San Rafael and Petaluma, Leslie’s Clipper card fare will go down by 44%. 

Click here to see a GGT/SMART Fare Comparison chart.

All fare comparisons are based on July 2025 fares and transfer rules.
 

MASCOTS would redirect riders from Golden Gate Transit (GGT) Route 101 in Sonoma County to the SMART train, which would connect with the bus in San Rafael. 

Both SMART and GGT Route 101 will operate more frequently. Riders going to San Francisco will also be able to transfer from SMART to the Larkspur Ferry in Larkspur. Below is a comparison table of average travel times to San Francisco.

Comparison of Southbound Travel Times Between Santa Rosa and San Francisco

The proposed changes would impact Golden Gate Transit (GGT) Route 101 passengers that use the Piner and Industrial, Rohnert Parkway Expressway and Petaluma Fairgrounds park-and-ride lots or ride from Cotati Hub. 

Below are proposed alternatives:

There are no public transportation options. Passengers would need to use a ride-share service or a private taxi service.

SMART does not accept cash on board trains, but Clipper cards can be purchased with cash on station platforms. Alternately, riders may use their smart phone to pay for rides using Apple Pay or Google Pay. 

SMART also offers a mobile app that can be used by riders who are not connecting to/from other transit lines.

Yes, SMART has more and better bicycle and luggage storage space than Golden Gate Transit does.