California’s SMART Expands On-Demand Program To Include Larkspur Shuttle

Shown is a SMART Connect shuttle van. (Photo courtesy of SMART)

The Routing Company (TRC), an on-demand vehicle routing and management platform partnering with cities to power the future of public transit, recently celebrated Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit’s (SMART) expansion of SMART Connect service to now include the SMART Connect Larkspur Shuttle. The expansion follows the launch of SMART Connect Airport service — powered by TRC’s Ride Pingo — in June 2023, which followed the announcement of its five-year contract with TRC in March 2023.

SMART is the North Bay’s passenger rail serving Marin and Sonoma counties in California. Its current 45-mile system is responsible for over 800,000 passenger trips annually and includes stations in the California cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato, San Rafael, and Larkspur.

The SMART Connect Larkspur shuttle serves the SMART Larkspur station, the Golden Gate Ferry Larkspur Terminal, and the surrounding Larkspur Landing area. On weekends, SMART Connect Larkspur serves The Village and Town Center malls in Corte Madera.

TRC first partnered with SMART to offer accessible on-demand service and transit connections through SMART Connect, delivering first-and-last-mile solutions for North Bay residents to and from SMART stations across Marin and Sonoma counties.

“Expanding our partnership with The Routing Company allows us to enhance first and last-mile connections in Larkspur by offering train passengers a new option for connecting to the Larkspur ferry,” SMART General Manager Eddy Cumins said. “In response to community calls for greater connectivity, we are thrilled to launch this on-demand service. SMART’s mission is to connect communities, and that’s exactly what we are doing.  We are focused on providing accessible and equitable transit that welcomes everyone on board.”

“SMART’s deployment uses TRC’s Pingo platform including the Ride Pingo™ app for riders, Drive Pingo™ app for drivers, cloud-based Pingo Dashboard™ for operators, and the Transit Connect™ feature. Transit Connect™ guarantees connections for riders to fixed route networks using real-time data. The feature was developed by TRC as a solution to improve the rider experience and guarantee a connection to onward transit modes,” according to a press release.

To learn more, visit theroutingcompany.com, or to request a demo email move@theroutingcompany.com.