The San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority (SMCEL-JPA) Board of Directors is committed to improving mobility options for historically underserved communities. The SMCEL-JPA conducted an Equity Study to learn more about potential mobility improvements the San Mateo 101 Express Lane project could help address in these communities. The study recommended an equity program designed to help with those needs. 

The Equity Study took a multi-pronged approach to understanding the underlying issues facing underserved communities as a basis for recommending an equity program. Building off the work conducted through the US-101 Mobility Action Plan, which included an extensive list of equity-oriented actions that address barriers to transportation, the Equity Study took the next steps of evaluating equity options and strategies, including a pilot program that can evolve over time, in parallel with the traffic conditions of the Express Lanes and in response to changing community needs.