Transit riders along U.S. Highway 101 in Marin and Sonoma counties will soon see improvements along the corridor as part of new service changes called the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service Plan, or MASCOTS.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency on Thursday announced the coordinated service changes that will take effect April 12 and are aimed at growing ridership, increasing the frequency of service, and expanding transit options.

The plan is to make it easier for riders to travel across Marin and Sonoma counties and into San Francisco “with better timed connections and more options throughout the day,” SMART said in a news release.

FILE: A Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train stops at the San Rafael station on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Under a new regional transit plan known as MASCOTS, SMART will increase service by 19%, with more frequency in mornings, evenings and weekends. (George Alfaro/Bay City News)

Overall, SMART train service will increase by 19%, with more frequency in mornings and evenings. Weekend frequency will also increase.

Golden Gate Transit buses will roughly double their service between San Rafael and San Francisco. This will come at a cost of discontinuing runs from Novato to Santa Rosa, however. But an increase in SMART train service will fill in the gaps, SMART officials said.

Several agencies are involved and will coordinate with one another: the Transportation Authority of Marin; the Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities; the SMART District; the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District; Marin Transit; Sonoma County Transit; Santa Rosa CityBus and Petaluma Transit.

The SMART changes include:

  • Early morning commuters in the northbound direction can make earlier shifts
  • More midday service “so people can make doctor’s appointments, lunch dates and meetings”
  • Additional evening service and later service “so people can go out to dinner and stay out later”

For a broader overview of all the changes and specific routes, go to mascotsplan.org.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.