'The Big Sync': Bay Area transit agencies coordinating schedules for seamless transfers
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you take public transit in the Bay Area, you could see your commute time get shorter due to what's being dubbed "The Big Sync."
If you have to transfer between transit agencies, it can be tricky- too little time and you're in a panic, and too much time and you're standing around waiting. Well, many of the Bay Area transit agencies have joined forces to get the timing just right.
"It's a whole new way of riding transit that's faster and more convenient," BART General Manager Bob Powers said. "Transit agencies across the Bay Area are updating their schedules at the same time."
It's a big promise from big agencies that are still trying to recover ridership numbers from the pre-pandemic days.
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"Our riders need a system that reflects today's world, so we took action," Tri Delta Transit CEO Rashidi Barnes said.
BART, Muni, SamTrans, Caltrain, VTA, and other bus agencies have done some informal coordination over the past few years, but this big sync is making it formal.
Starting now, the goal is to improve transfer times at four main hubs: the Palo Alto Caltrain station, the Daly City/Millbrae BART station, the Concord BART station and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.
The hope is that sprinting to make a connection or having a long wait will be diminished greatly.
For instance, riders transferring and commuting through the Dublin BART station could shave 15 to 17 minutes off their daily commute starting with The Big Sync.
"Over 90% of those transfers are at the ideal transfer times so people aren't waiting around." Caltrain CEO Michelle Bouchard said.
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Riders seemed pleased to try out the new connection times.
"It should've been done a long time ago. I recently visited London and it's so easy to commute," commuter Sandhya Kolar said.
Others say they've been forced to figure out connections on their own, and this could undo their current routine.
" I know where to switch, which station, what the timing is and everything," rider Prabhat Kumar said. "I can track it very easily. So I don't know why this syncing is going on."
BART says by tweaking schedules, the new ideal transfer times should improve on weekdays by 33% and by 47% on weekends. Time will tell if that comes true.
