Marin Transit eyes elimination of Tiburon’s ferry-commuter shuttle

The Marin Transit Route 219 shuttle pulls away from the curb after picking up ferry passengers on Feb. 8. The transit agency is proposing a reduction in service to Route 219, as well as elimination of the 219F loops into the Tiburon hills that are timed with Golden Gate Ferry commuter service. (Elliot Karlan photo / For The Ark)

Marin Transit has proposed eliminating the feeder bus that takes Tiburon and Belvedere commuters to and from the ferry landing each day and wants to run fewer buses on the route that takes locals through Strawberry to catch a transfer to San Francisco.

The Marin Transit board of directors will meet March 6 to consider the local proposed changes, and others. If approved, the changes would take effect June 11.

The agency says the reduction of Route 219 service — which runs mostly along Tiburon Boulevard between Main Street and Strawberry’s Seminary Drive bus pad — and the elimination of its 219F route, a special ferry-timed detour into Tiburon’s hillside neighborhoods, are due to a labor shortage.

“It’s not a financial issue,” Marin Transit Director of Operations and Service Development Robert Betts said. “The driving force behind this is that we have driver shortage issues and are looking holistically at our resources and using what we have in the most efficient way.”

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