Understand the service

Understanding the Service

SamTrans’ Ride Plus is an on-demand, shared ride public transportation service. It offers convenient pick up and drop off at addresses specified by passengers within the Half Moon Bay/El Granada and East Palo Alto/Belle Haven service areas. Trips can be scheduled for same day service or up to seven days in advance. Passengers traveling outside the Ride Plus service area must plan on transferring from Ride Plus to a fixed-route bus or other transportation mode to complete their trip.


Contact Us

Call Center: Support is available 6:00 a.m. to 10: 00 p.m. daily.

  • Phone: (650) 238-5880

  • You can book your trip and get help with cancellations, trip confirmations, complaints, lost and found, and other requests from the Call Center team. 

  • Please leave a message with your contact information if no one is available, and staff will return your call as soon as possible.

  • Alternative Ride Plus contact methods:


Service Areas

East Palo Alto/Belle Haven

This service area includes the entire city of East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park. The neighborhood boundary is Kelly Park to the west, US-101 to the south, the Dumbarton rail corridor to the north, and Willow Road to the east.



Half Moon Bay/El Granada

This service area includes Pillar Ridge Manufactured Home Community to the north, Santa Cruz Mountains to the east, Miramontes Point Road to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.



Service Hours

Ride Plus is available between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for Half Moon Bay/El Granada and 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. for East Palo Alto/Belle Haven daily.


Booking a Trip

There are three ways to book a trip:

  1. Download the SamTrans Ride Plus mobile app. Book on the mobile app at any time.  App available from

Google Play and Apple Store.

2. Book online at

https://samtrans.link-microtransit.com/SAMTRANS/en-us/

3. Call (650) 238-5880 between 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily


Booking Tips

  • Arrival Time: When booking, in the “Departure time” section, select the “Arrival before” option to ensure you are dropped off at your destination on time.

  • Passenger Number: When booking a trip, passengers will be asked to mark how many passengers are traveling with them and how each person will pay their fare. For non-wheelchair accessible vehicles, passengers can book up to 11 seats. For wheelchair-accessible vehicles, passengers can book up to seven seats plus one wheelchair securement space. Please remember that all passengers in one booking need to travel at the same time and get picked up and dropped off at the same location.

  • Service Area: Trips must begin and end in the defined service areas (see maps).

  • Track your Ride: The app allows you to track the vehicle approaching in real time and receive a precise drop-off time estimation.

  • Riders can check & modify future trips in “My bookings.”

  • Children under 11 must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver.


Fares

Fares on Ride Plus are the same as SamTrans fixed route buses as dictated in the SamTrans Fare Structure. All passengers will be charged the local fare based on their fare category (Adult, Youth, or Eligible Discount). Passengers certified for Redi-Wheels and RediCoast (ADA) paratransit and their personal care attendants pay Eligible Discount fares.

All SamTrans fare payment methods are accepted on Ride Plus and will be verified and accepted by the driver at pick-up.

You can find the full fare information here.


Riding with Children

Children under 11 must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver.

In compliance with California law, all passengers under age 8 or under 4’9” in height must ride in an appropriate Child Restraining System, such as a safety seat or booster in the back seat. All passengers under age 2 must ride in an appropriate rear-facing safety seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.

Caregivers must provide an appropriate safety seat and install it in the vehicle. Unfortunately, while drivers can provide information about LATCH attachment points, they cannot assist caregivers with installation.

You may request child safety seats needed when booking your ride in the "Equipment" section of the booking.


Seatbelt Policy

All passengers are subject to California's Mandatory Seat Belt law and must always wear both the lap belt and shoulder belt while riding Ride Plus. The belts are designed to protect passengers and drivers and to prevent injury. If you need help with your seatbelt, please ask the driver for assistance.

Passengers must comply with the Seatbelt Policy, or they will not be transported.

 

Thanks for riding SamTrans’ Ride Plus!