IN THIS EDITION:

• Four New Elected Officials Sworn in as STA Alternate Board Members
• Solano Community College Intercampus Vanpool Pilot Program to Launch in Coordination with STA
• STA Safe Routes to School Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24
• SolTrans Provides Status of Comprehensive Operation Analysis to STA Board
• 1,400 Riders Respond to Solano Express Ridership Survey and Analysis Study
• STA Projects Update
• Solano Mobility First Quarter Report for Fiscal Year 2024-25: Employer/Commuter Programs
• Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees
• STA Staff Update

Four New Elected Officials Sworn in as STA Alternate Board Members

Four new Board Alternates were sworn in at the February 12th Solano Transportation Authority (STA) Board Meeting. From left to right, the new Board Alternates are as follows:

Dr. Sarah Chapman representing the City of Vacaville, J.R. Matulac representing the City of Vallejo, Jenalee Dawson representing the City of Suisun City, and Walt Stanish representing the City of Rio Vista.



In addition to serving as alternates for the STA Board, each alternate member will be joining one or more Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) Subcommittees. 

Solano Community College Intercampus Vanpool Pilot Program to Launch in Coordination with STA

Adopted by the STA Board at the February 2025 Board Meeting, the Solano Community College Intercampus Vanpool Pilot Program is a partnership between Solano Community College (SCC) and the STA and is set to launch on April 14, 2025.

In November of 2024, the Solano Community College District (SCCD) asked STA to partner in piloting an Intercampus Vanpool Program to connect the Vacaville, Fairfield, and Vallejo campuses. Providing intercampus transportation is a critical need and one of the major initiatives of the college’s three-year Student Equity and Achievement Plan. This initiative will assist students with transportation challenges, allowing them to stay engaged and graduate in a timely manner by providing access to courses at campuses. In addition, the vanpool will facilitate student access to essential resources and participation in extra-curricular activities across campuses.

The pilot program will run Monday through Friday and have two 8-passenger vans with wheelchair accessibility that will make a roundtrip from the Vacaville and Vallejo campuses to the Fairfield campus. First and last van pickup times will be posted, and throughout the day, SCC students will be able to access a dashboard to determine van location and plan their rides.



The initial pilot program will continue to run until June 30, 2026.

STA Safe Routes to School Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24, the Solano Transportation Authority’s Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program focused on engaging and educating schools and communities in Solano County. SR2S staff members connected with 80 schools and attended over 140 events throughout the county, reaching approximately 11,000 students.

The SR2S team also successfully launched a new Walk or Wheel program at Green Valley Middle School, with over 500 students participating. Walk or Wheel programs encourage students to walk or bike to school one day a week, helping to reduce car congestion around school sites.

In September 2023, the STA Board approved funding from the Public Safety Education and Enforcement (PSE) Grant to support the City of Benicia and Suisun City Police Departments. This grant was designed to partner with local law enforcement agencies to enforce traffic regulations while enhancing public safety, creating safer routes for students traveling to and from school.

Finally, in December 2023, the third iteration of the SR2S Micro Grant was released, resulting in funding for 12 applications. For more information on the Safe Routes to School Annual report please visit SolanoSr2s.ca.gov.

SolTrans Provides Status of Comprehensive Operation Analysis to STA Board

At the invitation of the STA, SolTrans staff provided an initial status update of their Comprehensive Operation Analysis (COA). The focus of their presentation was on an existing condition report which included information on their local service in the communities of the cities of Benicia and Vallejo and on the Solano Express service, which has multiple funding partners. SolTrans is planning to increase public outreach to gather public comments and bring proposed Solano Express changes to the STA Board and the other funding partners.

1,400 Riders Respond to Solano Express Ridership Survey and Analysis Study

At the same February Board meeting, Quantum Market Research provided a presentation to the STA Board that included the summary from a survey with over 1,400 Solano Express riders. The survey, which is conducted every two years, helps determine the following:

• Cost sharing for Solano Express from multiple funding partners
• Look at changes in service lines and impact on rider satisfaction and usage
• Provide statistical information for funding partners and the STA
• Help guide future service changes

The data was conducted in three (3) different languages (English, Spanish, and Chinese) between May and June of 2024, with a total of 1,409 passenger surveys received. The data included:

• On/Off counts
• On-time performance
• Passenger demographics
• Passenger comments

Some highlights from the data collected can be seen below:

• Most riders are commuters
• The intercity bus is just one leg of their commute
• After disembarking, most riders take BART or another bus to their final destination
• Riders are increasingly heavily transit-dependent, and many are commuting to and from low- wage jobs
• Increase in frequency and improved on-time performance is needed to meet their needs

STA Projects Update

Fairground Drive to Start Construction March 3, 2025:

This is a one year, $25 million construction contract to create roadway improvements along portions of Fairgrounds Drive, as well as providing significant improvement to the interchange at State Route 37 within the City of Vallejo. The STA has initiated the construction of the project and tree trimming has begun.

This project will widen and improve 0.75 miles of Fairgrounds Drive, extending south from State Route 37 (SR 37) interchange. The project will implement a Diverging Diamond Interchange design that will significantly improve traffic flow and safety, while reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Once the project is completed, it will be safer and easier for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists to access and navigate.



The first day of construction is slated to begin in March 2025.    

Westbound I-80 Express Lanes to Open as HOV in mid-February and Eastbound to Open in April. Tolling to Follow in Fall:

Caltrans and partner agencies are planning to open the new Westbound Interstate 80 (I-80) High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in Vacaville from Interstate 505 (I-505) to Airbase Parkway in late-February with the Eastbound HOV lane anticipated to open in April.

Roadway construction is still ongoing and the electronics and hardware for collecting tolls are still being installed. In the meantime, this lane will be available to vehicles with two or more passengers on board during the hours of 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM between Monday and Friday.



Additional information on the tolling will be included in a future edition of STATUS. 

Truck Scales Tree Removal Underway and Building Demo to Follow:

The tree removal work alongside Interstate 80 (I-80) was segmented out, and a contract was awarded on December 20, 2024. On February 12, 2025, the STA Board unanimously approved the recommendation to remove the additional trees along the corridor and to approve the I-80 Truck Scales Building Demo Contract. This is the first phase of the construction for the Westbound Truck Scales Project, which is scheduled to begin later this year. 

To read more about each of these projects, please click here.

Solano Mobility First Quarter Report for Fiscal Year 2024-25: Employer/Commuter Programs

STA Solano Mobility staff provided to the STA Board the FY 2024-25 First Quarter Report for Mobility Programs, focused on addressing the mobility needs of commuters, employers, and their employees.



A few highlights of these mobility programs provided by the STA’s Solano Mobility Programs are listed below:

Capitol Corridor + Lyft (CC+L): Fifteen (15) new applicants have joined the program this quarter, bringing the total number of participants to 155.

Equitable Access to Justice: During the first quarter of this fiscal year, 634 rides have been provided for jurors and collaborative court participants to/from Fairfield and Vallejo Courthouses\, AK Bean, Health & Human Services, La Clinica, Mare Island VA, Parole Office, Southern Solano Alcohol Council, Superior Courts, and Probation Offices.

First/Last Mile (FLM): As of the first quarter report, FLM now has 1,719 total registrants

Solano Express Guaranteed Ride (GR): During the first quarter of the 2024-25 Fiscal Year, 48 Solano Express riders registered to receive Uber Vouchers, bringing the total number of program registrants to 574.

Solano Mobility Express Vanpool Pilot: In the first quarter of FY 2024-25, 1,299 rides were taken, averaging a 4.99/5 rating across 120 valuations.



For more information, please visit www.solanomobility.org/commuter-programs or contact the Solano Mobility Call Center, Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, at 800-535-6883. 

Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees

The STA currently has open positions on our Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC), Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC), and Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC). 

The BAC and PAC advise the STA on the development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities as an active mode of transportation in Solano County. To accomplish this, committee members assist the STA to develop countywide transportation plans and projects and provide funding recommendations for active transportation projects.

The PCC works on countywide senior and disabled transit issues as required by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and makes recommendations on transit and paratransit funding, claims, and coordination. 

We are currently looking for the following representatives:

Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)

• City of Dixon

Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC)

• Member-at-Large (Solano Community College)

Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC)

• Public Agency – Education member
• Social Services Provider

For more information on the BAC Open Positions, click here, click here for more information on the PAC Open Positions, and here for information on PCC Open Positions.

STA Staff Update