ENJoin us as we take a look back at some of our favorite SacRT in the Community Blog stories from 2024.
SacRT’s ‘transit heroes’ are here, there, everywhere, serving the public everyday
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is a team of heroes. Every day, our over 1,400 employees save the day by bringing together their wide array of skills in a team effort to get tens of thousands of Sacramentans where they need to go.
Our SacRT super team members aren’t often in the spotlight, though. Who are these heroes? And what are their special powers? To offer the public an insight, we have persuaded a few members of our super team to ‘take off their masks’ and talk about how they approach our daily mission.
SacRT GO Paratransit Services hit the one-millionth passenger mark this week. And we celebrated!
Susan Kenney, hands on her walker, was headed Thursday morning toward her SacRT GO paratransit services shuttle, accompanied by driver Jason Hutnick, when, to her surprise, she was welcomed by a delegation of Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) employees and supervisors on the sidewalk.
They had blue and gold balloons in hand and smiles on their faces.
“Congratulations!” the group shouted in unison. “You’re our one-millionth customer on SacRT GO!” SacRT’s Director of Marketing Jessica Gonzalez told Kenney. Kathy Sachen, SacRT’s Paratransit Operations Manager, awarded Kenney a 60 ride monthly pass.
Kenney, 76, grinning as well, didn’t miss a beat. “Thank you very much!” she said. “I’m going to use all 60 rides! I usually do!”
SacRT’s historic relationship with Siemens Mobility comes full circle with our new train cars
The rollout this month of Sacramento Regional Transit’s new S700 low-floor light rail vehicles offer a major light-rail system upgrade for the capital region that current and future riders will enjoy for decades to come.
But that’s not all.
It also represents the latest successful partnership for two key players on the American urban transit scene – SacRT and Sacramento-based train-builder Siemens Mobility North America.
That partnership dates to a pivotal moment nationally four decades ago, when light rail was just getting started in American cities, including Sacramento.
Officials at German manufacturing giant Siemens saw that movement starting, and decided to open an American manufacturing plant so that it could participate.
It chose Sacramento for its North American home. And in the process, it won the bid to produce SacRT’s original light rail fleet.
SacRT encourages people to ride transit three days for free during annual ‘Week Without Driving’ and Clean Air Day events
National “Week Without Driving” begins next week. It’s the week when residents in cities around the country are asked to leave their cars at home at least for some of their local trips to see what it is like to go to work, school, or chores via another means.
Locally, one of the most vocal and eager participants will be Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Board Member and Sacramento Vice Mayor Caity Maple.
“I’ll be on the bus, light rail, on my bike and getting my steps in walking,” she said. And she’ll probably ride an electric scooter too. “I love taking the scooters.”
SacRT and Cal-ITP partner to offer new Digital ID service, and discount fare for military veterans
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is putting out the word about dramatic upcoming 2025 service improvements for eligible riders, and in particular for Sacramento-area military veterans and seniors.
Early next year, SacRT passengers will be able to pay bus and light rail fares in the same easy way many now buy a cup of coffee or purchase their weekly groceries at the store.
They’ll simply tap their credit card or debit card on card reader devices that SacRT plans to locate on station platforms and on all buses, including SacRT GO paratransit services shuttles.
This new “Tap2Ride” program is part of a cutting-edge Digital ID partnership between SacRT and the state of California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP), designed to make riding and operating public transit easier, faster, less expensive for some, and more convenient for all.
All the SacRT in the Community Blog stories are available at sacrt.com/blog. Have a story idea? Email us at Marketing@sacrt.com.