She said the Coastside's "fair share" of SamTrans' annual total revenue of $126 million is $6 million. Indeed, the total revenues in the Fiscal Year 2006 budget is $126.9 million, but that includes $15.2 million in revenue from passenger fares, $31.5 million in state, regional and local funds and $60.1 million from the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1976 for the operation of SamTrans. The money was spent on more than bus service - $79.7 million was spent on buses, but another $12.2 million was spent on programs to serve our disabled riders, $15.1 million was spent on Caltrain and $10 million was spent in FY2006 on BART. The result is a pie that is much smaller than $126.9 million to be spent solely on bus services, unless Chamberlain thinks we should not be spending money on BART or Caltrain because they do not go to the Coastside.
Chamberlain contends the Coastside needs more service, particularly "feeder service" to BART and Caltrain. In fact, we serve the Coastside, which we define as ranging from Pacifica to Pescadero, with eight different bus routes - 294, 17, DX, CX, 112, 110, 14 and 16 (which operates only on weekdays from September to June).
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When all the services are totaled up, it is quite likely that SamTrans spends more than $6 million providing a wide range of services to the Coastside.
Chamberlain's point, as she put it, is that "the Coastside is not being treated fairly in allocation of financial income vs. service." As the numbers above describe, not all of SamTrans' revenue comes strictly from "financial income" - that is, tax revenues.
We wish we could provide more service throughout the entire county and would, if not for the financial constraints under which we operate. We are constantly striving to do better and to do more with limited resources. We take seriously the responsibility of serving the entire county and appreciate the decisions made by voters in this county on three separate occasions to approve tax increases to pay for transit, even though many residents understand that such transit may not benefit them or their community directly or proportionately. Voters in this county clearly understand there is a larger good to be gained by supporting transit, even if it doesn't come down their street.
Finally, Chamberlain says it would be "helpful if SamTrans could contribute permanently to Cabrillo Unified School District transportation. Readers of the Review's excellent coverage of the recent problems surrounding school service understand that SamTrans is prohibited by federal regulations from providing service directly to schools. The federal government has reserved that business for private contractors and bus charter companies and does not want publicly financed agencies competing with the private companies for school business.
Mark Simon is special assistant to the CEO of the San Mateo County Transit District
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