South San Francisco's Free Shuttle Service Receives 'Award of Merit'

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA – South San Francisco's free shuttle continues to gain momentum, and is now catching the attention of people outside the Industrial City.

[Wednesday] night, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) presented 13 "Excellence in Motion" awards and seven "Awards of Merit" during a ceremony to honor people, projects and organizations for exceptional contributions to Bay Area transportation. The 2016 program marks the 35th presentation of the now biennial Excellence in Motion awards, which began in 1977.

In a press release issued by MTC, David Corteste, MTC chair and Santa Clara County Supervisor said, "This awards program has become an institution in Bay Area transportation. It is important to show that good ideas and hard work can make a difference. From a field of nearly 100 nominations, the winners were chosen by a six-member jury representing business, environment interests, the Commission and MTC staff."

The Free South San Francisco Community shuttle, operated by the City of South San Francisco, was recognized for providing transportation services to students, as well as to low-income and disabled residents, after a major bus route was eliminated. It provides a transit connection between civic centers, transportation hubs, city facilities, parks and arterial streets. The shuttle officially started on November 3, 2014. The shuttle operates along a route beginning and ending at Bay 6 of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, 1333 Mission Road, weekdays from 7:15 A.M. to 6:40 P.M., with multiple stops including South San Francisco downtown, City Hall, the Magnolia Senior Center, Orange Memorial Park, the Main Library, the Municipal Services Building, and Terrabay Recreation Center. A full route map and schedule can be found online at http://www.ssf.net.

"It was important to me and the rest of the City Council that we were able to bring back public transportation options to our residents and provide new opportunities for patrons to engage in civic activities and recreational programs offered by the City," said Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto, City of South San Francisco.

Also honored last night was South San Francisco's own Assembly Speaker pro Tempore, Kevin Mullin, who was the recipient of the 2016 John F. Foran Legislative Award for authoring Assembly Bill 516 and making sure it was signed into law in July 2016 by Governor Brown. The new law requires vehicle dealers to issue temporary license plates that are linked to the owner. This will help law enforcement solve crimes involving recently sold or possibly stolen vehicles and will improve toll collection on the state's bridges, toll roads and express lanes.

A brief video of the South San Francisco shuttle was produced as part of the award.

– Submitted for publication by the City of South San Francisco/ Image via YouTube