SAM History
In 1999, the City of Sandy was granted a withdrawal from the TriMet District. Sandy Area Metro (SAM) began providing transit service in 2000. Initially, the City had one transit vehicle and provided fixed route service between Sandy and Gresham. Shortly thereafter, door-to-door demand-response service ( SAM rides, formerly known as STAR) was offered for all residents within a quarter mile of Sandy’s city limits, ensuring that all residents would be able to connect to the fixed route system. By the ninth month of operation, peak-hour service was added and the SAM rides route was extended to serve more of Sandy’s neighborhoods. During its second year of service, Sandy Transit provided 125,000 rides.
In 2003, the City added commuter service between Sandy and Estacada. The following year, the City assisted the mountain community in implementing fixed-route service between Sandy and the Villages at Mt. Hood. In 2013, the City again assisted the mountain community with a run between Sandy and Timberline Lodge. In 2016, SAM began an in-town Shopper Shuttle and in 2024 a route from Sandy to the Clackamas Town Center was established. Sandy Transit service has grown from one fixed-route with one vehicle to four fixed routes, a demand-response route, a medical rides program and thirteen vehicles. The number of annual trips provided has also more than tripled from 77,000 to 273,616.
Between 2000 and 2008, the newly formed Sandy Transit Department provided increasing levels of service and also saw a steep increase in ridership. Although ridership has increased steadily each year, dramatic increases in the ridership levels for 2006-2008 can also be attributed to an increase in frequency on the Gresham route to half-hourly and rising gas prices.
Sandy Transit was a fareless system, supported by a local business tax and grants until October 2013. Due to a loss of Federal funding and local support for charging a modest fare, the Sandy City Council passed a resolution to charge $1.00 per trip. Fixed route service is free within the city limits. Passes are also offered at a reduced rate for frequent riders.
