SacRT Blog: SacRT in the Community

SacRT Blog: SacRT in the Community

Meet four Sacramento community members who were true ‘Transit Champions’ for SacRT in 2023

March 4, 2024

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has long benefited from close ties with caring community members who actively support improved transit service as the region grows. To honor their efforts, and to encourage more people to join in, SacRT this year launched what we are calling our “Community Transit Champion” recognition program. Our inaugural group of four champions includes longtime riders, and advocates for the disabled who have helped push us forward in the last year. They were chosen by the SacRT board and agency Read More

SacRT’s ‘transit heroes’ are here, there, everywhere, serving the public everyday 

February 27, 2024

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 Read More

SacRT has dramatically increased safety and security on its system. Here is an inside look at how we achieved it

February 20, 2024

 The Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT) bus and light rail system is among the safest in the country. In fact, it’s much safer than some people who are unfamiliar with the transit system might think. Why? Because we take major steps to make it that way. Over seven years ago, our Board of Directors and new General Manager/CEO Henry Li decided to lay the groundwork for us to play a bigger mobility role in a growing region by creating a more secure system, and Read More

Meet Blue, SacRT’s new police services employee. He has a nose for the job

December 4, 2023

 The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) this year welcomed aboard an energetic and talented rookie police K9 – with a dramatic back story that’s gone from heartbreaking to heartwarming. His name is Blue, a two-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever. He stepped in this spring as the agency’s resident explosive devices detector on trains, at stations, and in SacRT facilities. Blue wears badge 596 around his neck, the same as his partner, Officer Ryan Chapman. Blue and Chapman are a part of SacRT’s multifaceted safety and Read More

2024 will be a big year for light rail modernization. Here are the improvements riders can look forward to

November 29, 2023

 This coming year will mark a “game changing” moment for light rail in Sacramento. Years in the making, the Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT) ambitious Light Rail Modernization Project will hit high gear in the new year as it adds service frequency, introduces a new fleet of ultra-modern trains, and continues platform modifications at light rail stations. In short, light rail service in Sacramento soon will be more convenient, accessible, smoother, roomier, and better looking as well. Here’s what’s in store in 2024: Starting Read More

Our fourth annual SacRT ‘Transit Academy’ class just graduated! Here’s what academy members learned

November 13, 2023

 Operating a transit service in a sprawling metropolitan area is a complex and Herculean task. How are decisions made? Who is behind the scenes maintaining the trains and buses, and planning for the future? And where does the money come from? Over three dozen curious Sacramento leaders, business representatives, residents and riders gathered this fall for our fourth Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Citizens Transit Academy seeking answers to those questions, and many more. The SacRT Transit Academy is a series of five, two-hour evening sessions, Read More

SacRT and its employees are taking the California Clean Air pledge. Here’s how you can join them!

September 28, 2023

 Katie Lichty, a Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) senior marketing specialist, believes in doing her part as a good civic citizen. She’s among the first of thousands of Sacramento-area residents this year to formally pledge to reduce their carbon footprint as part of the annual California Clean Air Day. SacRT this week is encouraging its employees and the Sacramento community to do the same. Clean Air Day is Wednesday, October 4. To make the pledge, visit sacrt.com/cleanairday. In an effort to make it easier Read More

Interested in improving mobility in Sacramento? You might want to join SacRT’s free Transit Academy

August 21, 2023

Are you a business or political leader interested in improving mobility in Sacramento? A transit rider curious about how the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) makes service decisions? Or simply a bus and train buff who wants an inside look at our operations? Here’s your chance. SacRT is hosting a free Transit Academy in September and October, offering a handful of participants a behind-the-scenes education on what goes into operating the largest public transit company in the region. “You get to peek behind the curtains,” Read More

Leading the way to an electric future, SacRT and partners unveil public-use EV charging hub

August 18, 2023

 The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is playing a central role in what California leaders are calling a potentially “game changing” moment in the state’s fight against climate change. SacRT and partners have transformed a portion of the Power Inn light rail station parking lot into a cutting-edge public electric-vehicle charging hub that could serve as a model for future high-speed fueling centers around the state and the country. The Power Inn light rail station now boasts 10 of the fastest electric chargers in the Read More

Sacramento Regional Transit’s Pioneering ‘Fare-Free Rides for Youth’ Program Offers Hope and Opportunity

August 10, 2023

With the school year starting, we at the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) are again ramping up our groundbreaking RydeFreeRT program, putting more passes than ever into the hands of our region’s youth to ride fare-free. Why are we pushing so hard on a ridership program? Meet Hunter Nousaine and his family. Nousaine, a Sacramento New Tech High School junior, uses a wheelchair due to a disability, but he isn’t letting that slow his exploration of life. He took advantage of one of our RydeFreeRT Read More

Interested in helping improve the lives of seniors and people with disabilities? Join SacRT’s mobility advisory council!

July 25, 2023

 Seventeen years ago, when Pam Flohr heard the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) was forming a citizen’s group called the Mobility Advisory Council to advise the district on accommodating people with disabilities and senior riders, she knew she had to be involved.  Flohr was working as a rehabilitation therapist and saw how difficult it can be for people with disabilities and elderly to get out of the house and participate in daily life, including getting rides to therapy appointments.  “I could see how transportation Read More

SacRT GO paratransit service is on the move in the post-COVID era, serving Sacramentans countywide

June 28, 2023

Each day at teacher Alice Kimble’s Sacramento preschool, a yellow, blue and white shuttle bus shows up, bringing Kimble in her wheelchair to work and then taking her back home again.  The students love it. They call it “Miss Alice’s bus.”  “They look forward to watching me go up and down the lift every day,” Kimble says. “They don’t want their parents to leave until they watch me get on.”  The bus is part of the Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT’s) special SacRT GO paratransit Read More

We thank SacRT’s bus and rail mechanics for their tireless work to keep Sacramento rolling

June 12, 2023

Veteran SacRT Light Rail Mechanic John Haswell got the radio alert one day a few weeks ago. A two-car light rail train with riders on board had broken down near the Cordova Town Center Station. Such occurrences are rare, but when they happen, Haswell and team are ready.   He arrived on scene within minutes with a simple strategy: Act quickly because riders are being inconvenienced. But be thorough, be safe, and be smart.  “Number one priority is safety,” Haswell said. “Number two priority is keep Read More

Want to explore Sacramento? Here are seven fun outings you can enjoy on SacRT

June 6, 2023

 The good weather is here! If you’re itching to get out and about, the Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT) extensive bus and light rail system is a great option when spending a fun day exploring the Sacramento region.   To give you a taste of the possibilities, here are several outings you might enjoy. Try one this week. Then try another soon! First, some quick transit tips:   You can design your travel day using our trip planning service at: sacrt.com/planyourtrip  There are several ways to Read More

Meet Brianna Harrison, the first female graduate of SacRT’s innovative and rigorous bus mechanic training program

May 11, 2023

 Brianna Harrison is a self-starter who believes she should challenge herself whenever she gets the chance. The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), union officials and a local college recently gave her that chance. The result: Harrison last month became the first female to graduate from SacRT’s special three-year-long Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship Program. That makes her the transit agency’s newest “Mechanic A,” the highest job level for mechanics. Co-worker Anthony Bertuccelli also received his program graduation certificate at a ceremony last month. Harrison is now Read More

‘You’ll always be special in my heart.’ SacRT riders celebrate our 50th year with heartfelt messages

May 1, 2023

You don’t spend 50 years serving the public without making friends along the way. So, it’s no surprise that several riders sent us messages of congratulations and appreciation this spring as we commemorated our 50th anniversary. SacRT was launched a half-century ago on April 1, 1973, as the first regional bus service in fast-growing Sacramento. We added light rail in 1987. Their words affirm the connection transit agencies often have with their riders. We are part of each other’s daily lives and built into the Read More

SacRT is offering free rides Saturday in celebration of Earth Day

April 17, 2023

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is providing free rides on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in celebration of Earth Day. Especially for residents who want to participate in one of the city’s “Great Sacramento Clean-Up” events.  No flyer is needed to ride free. Just board any SacRT service and go. That includes fixed-route bus, light rail and SacRT GO paratransit services. Clean-ups are scheduled at 10 spots in parks and near local waterways Saturday morning, April 22, from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is Read More

SacRT has big plans for our next 50 years. To succeed, we count on your support.

March 21, 2023

A Message from SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li Click image above to play the video message from SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li on SacRT’s 50th anniversary celebration.  At the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), we are pleased to have been of service for 50 years to our region’s residents, but there’s much more to come. The growing Sacramento region needs SacRT to play a bigger leadership role now more than ever.  We embrace that challenge. Here’s what we have planned next:  This year, we Read More

Sacramento Regional Transit turns 50 this year

March 21, 2023

We’re sharing the experience from those who were there  For 50 years, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has knitted the capital region together, taking millions of riders where they need to go, from downtown Sacramento to old town Folsom, from Elk Grove to Citrus Heights, and to hundreds of points in between.  It’s a rich history of service, innovation and perseverance, all of it amid growth booms, major recessions and even a health pandemic. In short, a heck of a ride, and one Read More

Our operators are the face of SacRT in the community

March 16, 2023

We celebrate their service on Transit Driver Appreciation Day! What does it take to be a good transit operator?  It’s a question we posed to a few of our Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) bus and light rail operators as part of our commemoration of the annual Transit Driver Appreciation Day, March 18.  Bus operators Tracy Windsor, Heidi Damian and Ricardo Rivas, and light rail operators Brandon White and Brian Porter have more than 80 years of experience among them.  Yes, they said, it takes Read More

A great agency is made up of great employees

March 15, 2023

Meet SacRT veterans Anita, Joyce, and Bonifacio  The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is a seasoned and experienced agency with a 50-year record of public service. If you look under the hood, you’ll see why: it’s because of our employees.  Our SacRT employee ranks are over 1,300 strong, some of whom have worked here for two, three, and even four decades. No celebration of our 50th anniversary in business would be possible without them.  Here is a visit with three of the SacRT team’s Read More

50th Anniversary: SacRT by the Decades

March 9, 2023

  1973 – 1979: Regional Transit is Born   1980-1989: Light Rail Hits the Tracks   1990-1999: The Growth Years    2000-2009: Boom Becomes Bust     2010-2019: SacRT Builds Back  2020 onward: Redefining “Modern” Transit   Read More

New Faces Bring Added Diversity and Ideas to SacRT Board

February 15, 2023

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) welcomed five newcomers in January to its 11-member governing board, adding diversity and new perspectives to the agency’s leadership team for what will be a year of exciting growth but also fiscal challenges.   The new group includes Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and newly elected Sacramento City Councilwoman Caity Maple, who represents Oak Park and other inner-city neighborhoods. Also incoming are City Councilman Bret Daniels from Citrus Heights, Sean Loloee who represents North Sacramento on the Sacramento City Council, Read More

Take an inside look at SacRT’s ‘gold standard’ security and safety program

February 7, 2023

 The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) just won a federal Transportation Security Administration “Gold Standard” award for its emergency preparedness and overall security systems. It’s the second such award for SacRT in the last three years, a rare achievement among transit agencies.  But it’s no surprise. SacRT has been on a mission to dramatically improve safety and security in every corner of its system.  That multifaceted operation is anchored by its Security Operations Center on Richards Boulevard where SacRT crews monitor live video cameras Read More

SacRT launches biggest light rail modernization project in its history. Here’s what you need to know:

February 3, 2023

 This weekend may be inconvenient for some Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) light rail riders. But we’re happy to say it’s for a good reason. A very good reason.  SacRT is taking the first step on what will be the largest light rail modernization program in its history. Over the next year and one-half, SacRT will be reconstructing station platforms one by one on the Gold Line to accommodate a new fleet of modern and rider-friendly “low-floor” train cars.  The platforms at the 59th Read More

When’s that next bus coming? SacRT’s new BusTracker app lets you know

January 19, 2023

 At Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), the days of standing at the bus stop waiting and wondering when your ride will arrive are officially over!  Thanks to SacRT’s new BusTracker App, you can now know exactly when the next bus will show up at your stop. In fact, you can even watch an interactive map on your cell phone or computer as a little bus icon glides down the street toward you.   “It takes the guesswork and the worry out of bus riding,” SacRT Director Read More

At SacRT we rose to the challenge in 2022. Here are some of the highlights

December 28, 2022

 This past year saw solid growth at the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), as the agency and community transitioned to what hopefully are the later stages of the COVID pandemic. Riders returned to buses and rail in solid numbers. Meanwhile, SacRT moved forward with modernization efforts and expanded key growth initiatives. And, on the lighter side, we got one happy groom to the church on time!  “While the last two plus years have brought about many challenges and unpredictability, it’s been amazing how many Read More

SacRT helps save four historic Sacramento trolleys, including one used in an East Sacramento restaurant

December 9, 2022

Streetcars once ruled the roads in Sacramento, taking thousands to work daily and helping give birth to the region’s first suburbs.  As times changed, they eventually disappeared, ceding the streets in the post-war 1940s to private automobiles and buses. Unfortunately, few of those historic streetcars still exist.  Now, though, SacRT and two other groups have launched an effort to rescue some of the last remaining few for posterity.  Four trolleys, ranging in vintage from 1909 to 1929, have been recovered in recent years from private Read More

December 3rd is International Day of People with Disabilities

December 2, 2022

However, at SacRT, our dedication to our riders is 365 days a year, just ask SacRT GO driver Jose Morales The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) joins groups worldwide this weekend in observing International Day of People with Disabilities. But at SacRT, our commitment to independence through mobility is not a one-day thing. Just ask Jose Morales. Morales is one of many SacRT GO paratransit service bus drivers who offer daily door-to-door rides to persons with disabilities, transporting them to banks, stores, medical appointments, work, Read More

Measure A vote result: Sacramentans want a sustainable transportation plan that supports modern, greener, and transit-oriented growth

December 1, 2022

Sacramento voters last month declined to support Measure A, the county transportation sales tax proposal. We at Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) believe the moment is instructive as we move forward and would like to thank Mayor Steinberg and many other stakeholders for championing public transit.  Although Measure A proponents made a good-faith effort to provide revenue for transit improvements and greenhouse gas reduction, we are hearing that the measure did not go far enough to address climate, equity and social justice to satisfy voters. Read More

Building Better Communities: How Sacramento Regional Transit helped create the region’s ‘coolest’ neighborhood

November 17, 2022

 Years in the making, one of the most dramatic and unusual neighborhoods in the region is rising fast in a former industrial area next to Sacramento State University.   Hailed as a prototype of modern suburban growth, the new transit village at 65th Street and Folsom Boulevard isn’t just turning heads of surprised passersby’s, it’s winning rave reviews.  This is a fully-fledged example of “transit-oriented development” in the Sacramento region – a neighborhood where cars are truly optional. SacRT has plans for many more similar Read More

Headed to vote Tuesday? Hop on SacRT for a free ride

November 1, 2022

 Election Day is coming, and with it, free transit rides. Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is once again offering to take voters to and from the polls in Sacramento County on buses and light rail for no cost anytime on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.  SacRT’s “Drive the Vote” program, now in its second year, is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to support civic life, equity, and community service in our service area, SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li said.  SacRT, in partnership with Sacramento Read More

SacRT asks for community help to improve bus stop convenience and safety

October 10, 2022

Bus stops are the humble, but important, front door to a transit system. Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) wants them to be comfortable, accessible and safe. So, we are partnering this year with Civic Thread, a local nonprofit with a mission to elevate institutionally underserved voices and priorities, on a Bus Stop Improvement Plan to assess which of our stops are most in need of upgrades, and what those improvements should be. Our goal is to put SacRT in position to make smart fixes quickly each Read More

It’s Clean Air Day. Here are 12 tips from SacRT on ways you can take a stand for better air quality

September 27, 2022

We live in an era of climate change, wildfires and poor air quality. It can feel overwhelming at times, but we can fight back as individuals and as a community. In recognition of California Clean Air Day, Wednesday, October 5, SacRT and its community partners are calling on the public to make small but smart changes in their daily lives. We’re in this together.  “Clean Air Day is built on the idea of shared experience to improve our community health,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Read More

Sit back, relax and read a book while Sacramento’s new Library Train gets you to your destination

September 1, 2022

The next time you ride SacRT light rail, you may find yourself stepping into a literary adventure.  SacRT and the Sacramento Public Library have teamed up to create the most unusual billboard experience yet seen in Sacramento – an immersive introduction to library services in the digital age.  It’s called the Rolling Library Train. When you board the train, you will feel like you’ve walked into a cozy library. The interior walls are decorated with an artistic wrap depicting rows and rows of books on Read More

SacRT’s groundbreaking ‘free rides for youth’ program offers hope and opportunity

August 25, 2022

Four years ago, SacRT board member Jay Schenirer approached SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li with a bold idea:  Let’s allow all Sacramento elementary, middle and high school students to ride buses and light rail for free.   To Schenirer’s delight, but not to his surprise, Li said yes. Li already had been pushing the transit agency to be innovative and entrepreneurial. The new program would allow students to ride not only to school, but to after-school and weekend activities. And not just during the school year, Read More

SacRT partners with community advocates to make transit-riding easier for all

July 25, 2022

This week marks a milestone moment for both Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) and an important group of loyal passengers.  Thirty-two years ago, Congress created the Americans with Disabilities Act, a powerful civil rights measure that grants persons with disabilities equal access to all aspects of community life.  Since then, transit agencies like SacRT have been at the heart of a national revolution in mobility, continually introducing new services and new technologies on vehicles, trains and at stations to help persons with disabilities and seniors Read More

SacRT delivered him to the biggest appointment of his life: His wedding

July 19, 2022

A groom has one main job on his wedding day: Get to the ceremony on time. For Sacramentan Ansel Lundberg, on his big day in May, that meant taking a light rail train. The SMUD employee and his groomsmen – looking sharp in suits with matching pink ties – boarded at the 4th Avenue station near his home on a recent Saturday and rolled downtown to the Citizen Hotel where his bride, Britany Reddish Lundberg, a UC Davis doctor, was waiting with other wedding guests. Read More

Not just a transit agency – SacRT offers an innovative new helping hand to Sacramento community’s most vulnerable residents. Here’s an inside look at that creative effort.

May 5, 2022

Sacramento is experiencing a difficult time of economic stress. In response, Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) has taken its community leadership role in new directions by launching a series of social services programs aimed at reducing homelessness, assisting working families, improving access to education, and dealing with climate change. This is the first of several articles and videos we will publish in the coming months offering an inside look at SacRT’s expanded efforts. Our hope is to encourage more awareness and support for creative approaches to Read More

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