Close to Home: SMART riding on community support

The truth matters.

So it was disconcerting to see yet another fuzzy math article by Novato resident Mike Arnold, which was based on false information, misleading assumptions and faulty premises (“SMART still falling short of its promises,” Close to Home, Nov. 25). Nearly 70 percent of voters wanted SMART to happen, and clearly Arnold wasn't among them.

Arnold, who has been working unsuccessfully for years to stop the SMART train from serving the public, compares SMART's ridership to the peninsula's Caltrain system, arguing that SMART's ridership pales in comparison to Caltrain's 19 million riders in 2017.

Once again, Arnold's misleading comparison is based on a false construct for several reasons:

- Caltrain runs 92 trips per day with 32 stations; SMART has 34 trips and 10 stations.

- Caltrain has been in operation for decades, and service in the area dates back to the 1800s; SMART just completed its first year of service.

- Caltrain has a commuter fleet of 163 railcars, SMART has a fleet of 14 cars with four, two-car trains running each weekday.

- Caltrain's service area is 1,785 square miles with nearly 3.5 million people; SMART's route is 43 miles and covers 750,000 people in Sonoma and Marin counties.

The truth is that transit ridership is on the upswing, particularly among millennials who opt for public transit rather than the pricey prospect of owning and maintaining a car.

And the truth is SMART is doing extremely well, exceeding fare revenue projections - and that is just in its first year. Demand has been strong, which resulted in SMART adding a third car to some of its busiest runs. SMART has also received four more train cars in preparation for expanding service.

Let's look at the numbers. Since opening its doors, SMART has carried just under a million passengers. More than 920,000 passengers took SMART train trips, with more than 86,000 bikes and more than 3,800 wheelchairs. This is despite the fires, the weather and other challenges that typically impact ridership. We believe these are not only strong numbers but also extremely promising numbers.

Beyond the numbers, the fact is SMART is fortunate to have strong community support. Thousands of commuters take the train each weekday. The weekend trains connect families, bring business to our counties and create greater mobility than we have seen in decades.

SMART has given us all a safe, reliable transportation alternative to sitting in gridlock on Highway 101, and we are committed to growing and getting better every day. That's a truth that cannot be disputed.

Erin McGrath is chief financial officer for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit district.

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