Sonoma County transit agencies reducing service amid coronavirus spread

North Bay transit operators are adapting to maintain service as Sonoma County joined a majority of the Bay Area with a shelter-in-place order Wednesday to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Santa Rosa CityBus is running a slimmed-down version of its 14 routes on par with its Saturday schedule, while preserving normal Paratransit service. The move was partly meant to allow bus drivers older than ?65 to stay home. The city also suspended fare collection through April 7 to protect drivers.

The schedule change proved an immediate inconvenience for regular rider Adam Matthews, 32, of Santa Rosa, who doesn’t drive. He was forced to adjust on the fly to get to his job as a server at Bacchus restaurant at the DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park.

He said he was unsure how he would get to work on time in the days ahead with more limited bus options.

“I’m dependent on the bus. It’s pretty hard to even get there, period,” Matthews said. “I’ve already had to make my work schedule with the restaurant work around the bus schedule, so now that it’s changing, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Meanwhile, SMART has suspended weekend service through at least April 5 and cut four commute-hour trains during weekdays until further notice in response to the county’s shelter mandate. The North Bay’s commuter rail agency canceled its ?7:10 a.m. southbound and ?8:46 a.m. northbound trips, as well as the 4:29 p.m. southbound and 6:05 p.m. northbound trips.

Both changes come on the heels of considerable drop-off in ridership for the 45-mile rail line, which runs between Larkspur and north of Santa Rosa.

SMART carried an all-time high of 3,256 paid passengers on Feb. 27, according to Julia Gonzalez, SMART’s spokeswoman. Just two weeks later, as fears mounted and the county braced for the spread of the virus, weekday ridership declined by 30%, and fell to just 293 passengers each day this past weekend.

“This is having an impact on ridership, for sure, and we expect it to have an even greater impact,” Gonzalez said. “But we need to be here to provide services to the community, and the plenty of people who rely on it.”

Golden Gate Transit, which operates bus and ferry services, has canceled several routes because of a drop in ridership and the coronavirus orders. Two bus routes between Sonoma and Marin counties will run less frequently during commute hours. Ferry service linking SMART from Larkspur to San Francisco also has been reduced by seven trips each weekday, and all weekend ferry service has been suspended.

“It’s not in the public’s best interest to have empty ferry boats or buses traveling between the North Bay and San Francisco,” said Denis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge District. “With county public health orders restricting travel, we made immediate changes ... and as things continue to unfold, we’ll be nimble and respond accordingly.”

At Charles M. Schulz-?Sonoma County Airport, commercial airlines have yet to reduce service, despite domestic bookings plummeting across the industry. The drop, unparalleled since the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, has led U.S. airlines to seek $50 billion in aid from the federal government.

Alaska Airlines, Sonoma County’s flagship carrier, reported this week a plan to cut systemwide flights by 10% by next month and by at least an additional 15% in May. On Tuesday, United Airlines, another local carrier, announced a need for deep cuts driven by a projected 70% decline in revenue in April and May.

The global pandemic has already caused passenger numbers to drop significantly this month, said Sonoma County Airport Manager Jon Stout.

Planes are taking off at 25% to 70% full, compared to counts that frequently hit 80% to 90% under normal circumstances, he said. So far, it hasn’t led to any flight cancellations, but if passenger totals hover around 50% for an extended period of time, it could lead to long-term budget issues that trigger airport layoffs and a reduction of services.

“Right now, the airlines are playing it day by day. Nothing’s 100% full and nothing’s empty.” Stout said. “Eventually, it will be an issue, and it’s that open-?ended part where it’s the issue. A month or two, we can probably make it work, and at three to four months we’ll have to start making decisions. If it becomes six months, it’s going to be drastic and all bets are off.”

To begin prepping for dips in revenue, the airport has postponed several planned maintenance projects, including work on the hanger roof, painting the outside of the terminal and some pavement repairs, he said.

Back at Santa Rosa’s Transit Mall, T.J. Maloney, 47, who uses an electric wheelchair to get around, was waiting Tuesday on a bus transfer to return to his west Santa Rosa home after the sudden schedule change left him without a direct route. He was returning from volunteering at Mail & More shipping store near Coffey Park, and lamented the service cuts tied to the coronavirus.

“The weekend schedule just messes me up. I know it’s all to protect everybody, but I don’t like the way that it was fine on Monday and then they all of sudden they decided,” said Maloney, wearing an Oakland Raiders cap and knit gloves. “(Now) I’ll have to stay home, which completely sucks. I hate being stuck there, but at least I won’t be stuck out here.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.