Sacramento, CA:
I’ve lived one block from the gold line for many years. Bell noise and voice announcements from light rail had never been a problem until the new cars on Sept. 1. It’s now been two months since my neighbors and I have been able to enjoy our back yards or sleep without earplugs. When will I be able to put my earplugs away?
Reply: Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Please know that we are actively exploring options to adjust the bell volume, while keeping both safety and regulatory requirements in mind. We have met with several neighbors to discuss these issues, and your feedback is invaluable as we work toward a solution.
If you would like to stay informed on our progress, please feel free to provide us with your email address, and we will ensure you receive updates on the steps we're taking to address this matter. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to find a balanced solution.
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Sacramento , CA:
Is the ryde for free program still canceled for next year? In a previous statement you said that its funding is a contribution of all the cities and counties SacRT serves, so will everyone else pick up the funding the city of Sacramento dropped for it?
Reply: Hello and thank you for the question. We are tremendously proud of SacRT's RydeFreeRT Program. https://www.sacrt.com/rydefreert/
Last fiscal year, over 4.3 million rides were taken through the program. We worked with our member jurisdictions and the school districts to secure the funding for this year's program. Passes are valid through June 30, 2025.
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Elk Grove , CA:
I talked to an elderly woman at a bus stop and she told me how awful some students who take the bus are and harass her verbally. I have also personally seen kids vaping in the bus. I know bus drivers don’t always feel motivated to kick kids off the bus or tell them to stop but is it possible to occasionally have a security person like the light rail during peak student hours? Not all students are bad, most are good in my experience but the bad ones are really bad and it makes it hard to convince others to take public transit
Reply: Thank you for sharing your concerns. We understand that occasional disruptive behavior can impact the experience for other passengers, and we appreciate your commitment to creating a positive environment on public transit.
Our operators are trained to report any unruly passenger behavior to supervisors, who can then dispatch Road Supervisors to provide on-the-spot assistance. Our goal is to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for everyone, and we have procedures in place to address these situations responsibly.
We are also proactive in working closely with schools, who in turn communicate with parents to help address and improve student behavior on our buses. Additionally, passengers are encouraged to report any incidents they observe to our customer service team, so we can follow up and take any necessary actions.
Thank you for your feedback, and for helping us maintain a safe and respectful transit experience for all.
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Sacramento , CA:
Any new funding sources this year? Thank you to everyone at SacRT for providing us good service considering the funding (though I feel bad for riders in Elk Grove and Folsom)
Reply: Thank you for the question and we are hoping there will be a transportation measure on the 2026 ballot that can support our ongoing operational costs.
SacRT was fortunate enough to secure two large grants in recent months to support our capital projects. In July we received nearly $77 million to build out a zero emission bus maintenance facility and just last week we secured another $29 million for our light rail modernization program. All told, we have secured more than $200 million from various federal, state and local grant programs--most of this is for capital projects--not ongoing operations.
As for Folsom, in December we should begin operating 15 minute light rail service frequency to the Folsom stations, greatly improving the service. And in partnership with the city of Elk Grove, we have begun a light rail/bus rapid transit feasibility study to better service the city.
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South Sacramento , CA:
I noticed the new SacRT busses on e Tran lines, but since you’re still using the old fleet it’s a hassle to explain to others that there is 2 bus trackers they have to check. Is it possible to refit the e Tran busses with the SacRT trackers since I noticed they got automatic announcement upgrades too.
Also google maps incorrectly displays bus service on Sundays, even though there is none, and seems to be using the old e Tran bus tracker…? Not too sure
Reply: Good news! We should be finished adding the bus tracking technology we use on our SacRT bus fleet to all the Elk Grove buses today. Starting next week, all of the Elk Grove buses will be available to track in real-time on the SacRT BusTracker app. We still need a few weeks to add the option to get service delay information for Elk Grove routes, but that should be available soon. You can download the app at sacrt.com/bustracker. I will check in with our IT Department to make sure the correct feeds are available for Google maps for the Sunday schedule.
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Sacramento, CA:
With the DNA line ever get off the ground in Sacramento ? Can RT piggy back off transportation projects in the city and county for this effort ?
Reply: We will need a dedicated source of local funding to support both the capitol costs of this project, and the ongoing costs of operating the new service if we are ever to receive the federal grants that will be needed to build the line.
We are hopeful that such a local measure will be on the ballot in 2026.
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Sacramento, CA:
Hi Mr.Li, Are there any plans to extend either bus 11 or 13 to the new northlake community close to the airport ? There is also a Elkhorn park and ride next to the community that could be leveraged. Extending 11 or 13 would cover many communities in that vicinity and the metro air park area.
Reply: We are undertaking a Comprehensive Operational Analysis next year that will inform our decisions about if and where to expand. Unfortunately every route expansion requires additional funding or a commensurate decrease in service somewhere else. It will be difficult to expand service until we have a dedicated source that provides more operational funding.
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Rancho Cordova, CA:
Will the track testing in Folsom next weekend Nov 8th be simulated testing with trains of what 15 minute service would look like in Folsom? Or will the track testing be a train being used to test certain areas of new track equipment near the Glenn Station only?
Reply: The testing will involve the new software that will be used to operate the new trains on the 15-minute frequency for Folsom area stations.
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Antelope, CA:
Hey Henri Li. I’m a frequent smart ride user in Antelope and am well aware it’s being replaced with pilot or whatever else is succeeding it next year. My main concern since I saw the virtual workshop is that there won’t be passes sold on board. Does that mean that the universal transit pass awarded to Los Rios students or id cards for csus students not be accepted? Also, will the new fleet of vehicles not have connect card machines?
Reply: The new SacRT Flex service will not allow passes to be used. Riders must pay the $2.50 fare to ride. More information will be shared at the virtual workshop on November 6 and will be added to our website sacrt.com/flex.
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Sacramento, CA:
I’ve been using Paratransit quite a bit, but I’ve noticed that I can’t seem to go to West Sacramento or Roseville. Can you help me understand why that is?
Reply: SacRT GO Paratransit Services only operates within 1/4 mile of current SacRT fixed-route (bus and light rail) services. Since SacRT does not operate in West Sacramento or Roseville, we don't offer paratransit to those areas. You can view more at our SacRT GO website: https://www.sacrt.com/sacrt-go-paratransit-services/
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Folsom, CA:
When does the “Folsom 15” service actually begin? I have heard rumors on the trains that it is the workweek beginning December 1st while other riders believe it is the workweek beginning December 8th? Can you clarify which one, or if it a workweek beginning on another date? Hopefully the last chosen date is on the workweek beginning January 5th at the latest. Thank you.
Reply: We don't have a launch date yet, but we will begin track testing this month. We will have a launch date later this month. After the testing is complete. We need California Public Utilities Commission approval before we can begin service at the Folsom area stations.
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West sactown, CA:
When will you finally retire the 1987 high floor light rail fleet that are the 100 series?
Reply: We continue to pursue funding to replace our entire legacy fleet with new low-floor light rail vehicles. Last week we received additional funds to support the purchase of more vehicles from Siemens here in South Sacramento. Our goal is to begin operating new low-floor trains on the Blue Line in 2027.
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Sacramento, CA:
When Regional Transit first came out with low-floor light rail vehicles, I read that both the gold line and the green line would be getting low-floor light rail vehicles. I have not seen the green line yet to receive a low-floor vehicle for the first two months, and the only time that gold line service has been exclusively low-floor happens to be Sundays of late, and even then, all that is available is a single car train at all trips. None of the gold line runs are of two car consists on Sundays. Hopefully, now that NBA Basketball season is here, that that will change on game dates. Thank you.
Reply: We are still working on getting all 20 low-floor trains ready for service, until we have them ready for service, we will continue to operate the high-floor train on the Green Line and continue to operate a mixed fleet on the Gold Line.
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East Sacramento, CA:
When will you finally retire the Siemens duewag u2a 1987 trains?
Reply: We continue to seek additional funding needed to replace all of the legacy fleet. We have a lot of the funds secured, but not all. We anticipate fully replacing the legacy fleet in 2027.
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Antelope , CA:
Following up, what passes are accepted on SacRT go Paratransit?
Reply: Riders that have been approved to use SacRT GO paratransit services have a variety of fare payment options. SacRT offers a SacRT GO ADA 60-ride monthly pass, which is handled electronically. Single ride paper tickets are also available as well as the ZipPass mobile app.
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Sactown, CA:
Will flyers be required for free ride Tuesday?
Reply: No. Just board, and ride. We are happy to provide free rides so people can get to their polling place or ballot drop-off
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Sacramento, CA:
Even if one has already voted, is it still free Tuesday?
Reply: Yes
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Sacramento, CA:
Hello, with the electric bus mandate coming into effect in the coming years, what will SacRT be doing with the reduction in seating capacity? From my understanding, the newer busses will accommodate 6 fewer seats than the current bus. Also, what is the anticipated operating expense between these models?
Reply: We plan on ordering a mixed fleet of electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses to replace our current fleet. This will happen over many years. We are not certain yet of all the models we intend to purchase, and their passenger configurations may change over time. Most of our buses now do not run full, so we do not anticipate a significant impact on our overall service. The operating expense will vary based on the type of vehicle and the cost of hydrogen and electricity both of which will also change over time.
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