One year later, SamTrans began operation of mainline bus service to San Francisco.

[8] In addition to fixed-route bus and paratransit operations, the district participates in the administration of the San Jose-San Francisco commuter rail line Caltrain.

SamTrans also provides administrative support for the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, a separate board charged with administering the half-cent (0.5 percent) sales tax levy that funds highway and transit improvement projects.

[28] SamTrans took over Western Greyhound Lines commuter service on July 2, 1977; some routes were curtailed from downtown San Francisco to Daly City station.

[8]: 37  A half-cent sales tax, Measure W, which partially goes to SamTrans, passed on the November 2018 ballot.

South Base opened in 1984 near the San Carlos Airport, east of U.S. 101 off Redwood Shores Parkway.

The current contract operator for Peninsula mainline, Coastside and paratransit services is MV Transportation.

Most of the potential routes ran along U.S. 101, and some were planned to take advantage of managed lanes to provide speedier service.

The launch of the other proposed express route planned for Phase 1, PAX (Palo Alto to western San Francisco), has been delayed indefinitely and there is currently no exact or estimated date for it to begin operation.

Clipper cards come in four varieties: adult, youth, senior and disabled (which includes Medicare cardholders).

Clipper cards generally confer an approximately 10% discount relative to cash fares.

The cost of the Day Pass is thrice the one-way fare on the local routes for adults, youth, and seniors/disabled/Medicare cardholders.

Youth, senior and disabled monthly passes may only be loaded onto a corresponding Clipper card obtained from SamTrans or another Bay Area transit agency.

The reader checks for a SamTrans monthly pass and local-fare credits from other agencies, computes the remaining fare and (if there is one) collects it in Clipper Cash.

Each bus is equipped with GPS tracking providing both visual and voice next-stop announcements, and are accessible to passengers in wheelchairs and those with limited mobility.

[52] The battery electric buses were expected to enter revenue service in early 2019, and a charging station will be installed at each SamTrans maintenance facility.