Transportation Authority of Marin

What Transportation Authority of Marin does

The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) is a public-sector congestion management agency and special district established in 2004 under California law and headquartered in San Rafael, California. TAM was created following voter approval of Measure A, a half-cent countywide transportation sales tax, and was further empowered by the 2010 Measure B vehicle registration fee and the 2018 renewal of the sales tax as Measure AA (76.7% approval). The agency administers dedicated local transportation funding — approximately $35 million annually from Measure AA and $2-2.3 million annually from Measure B — and layers it with regional, state, and federal grants (OBAG, Regional Measures 2/3, SB 1, ATP, TFCA, STIP) to fund and coordinate transportation infrastructure across Marin's 11 cities and towns plus the unincorporated county. With roughly 14-16 staff organized into executive, project delivery, planning, programming/legislation, and finance/administration functions, TAM's "products" are physical infrastructure projects and community programs rather than commercial offerings: the Marin-Sonoma Narrows US 101 widening, US 101/I-580 multimodal connector, State Route 37 corridor planning, Sea Level Rise adaptation, Safe Routes to Schools (58 schools, 26,500+ students, 140+ infrastructure projects, 50% green-trip rate), Redwood Bikeshare, Connect2Transit on-demand service with Uber, North-South Greenway, Street Smarts safety education, and Marin Commutes employer programs. Revenue mechanics are voter-mandated recurring sales-tax and registration-fee streams rather than commercial pricing, with TAM acting as both fund administrator and program operator. Customers in the traditional sense are the 11 municipalities and County of Marin that receive funding allocations, plus end beneficiaries (residents, schoolchildren, seniors, persons with disabilities, employers); distribution occurs through formula allocation, inter-agency MOUs, and competitive grants rather than sales motions.

Name

Transportation Authority of Marin

Legal name

Transportation Authority of Marin

Website

https://tam.ca.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marin County's statutorily designated Congestion Management Agency, administering the voter-approved Measure AA sales tax (~$35M/year) and Measure B vehicle registration fee to fund and coordinate transportation infrastructure, transit, and safety programs across the county's 11 cities and towns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Measure AA Sales Tax Revenue: Marin's ½-cent transportation sales tax generates approximately $35 million annually. Approved by 76.7% of Marin voters in November 2018 as renewal of Measure A (2004). Funds road repairs, Safe Routes to Schools, transit service, and other transportation projects over a 30-year period.
2. Measure B Vehicle Registration Fee: $10 annual vehicle registration fee approved by Marin County voters in 2010. Generates approximately $2-2.3 million annually. Distributed as: 40% for bicycle/pedestrian/safety improvements, 35% for transit for seniors/disabled, 25% for congestion/pollution reduction.
3. Regional/State/Federal Funding: TAM receives One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program funds, Regional Measure 2/3 bridge toll funds, Senate Bill 1 funding, Transportation Fund for Clean Air, Active Transportation Program funds, and STIP funds as Marin County's Congestion Management Agency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TAM is the Congestion Management Agency for Marin County, administering voter-approved transportation sales tax (Measure A/AA) and vehicle registration fee (Measure B) revenues and coordinating countywide transportation projects and programs. It plans, funds, and delivers highway improvements (US 101, SR 37), active transportation infrastructure (bike/pedestrian), Safe Routes to Schools, commute alternatives, sea level rise adaptation, and transit support across 11 jurisdictions and the County of Marin.

Product overview

The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) operates as a congestion management agency administering transportation sales tax measures (Measure A/AA and Measure B) rather than offering a traditional software product. TAM's portfolio consists of infrastructure projects, safety programs, and planning initiatives including: highway improvement projects (Marin-Sonoma Narrows, US 101/I-580 connector, SR 37 corridor); the Safe Routes to Schools program; bike share and pedestrian infrastructure (North-South Greenway, Redwood Bikeshare); safety education programs (Street Smarts, Crossing Guard Program); climate resilience initiatives (Sea Level Rise Adaptation); and commute alternative programs (Marin Commutes, Alt Fuels/EV Program). These programs are funded through voter-approved tax measures and coordinated with partner agencies including Caltrans, MTC, and local jurisdictions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% green trip rate average achieved in Safe Routes to Schools program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marin TransitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarin Transit is the primary transit provider in Marin County. TAM coordinates with Marin Transit on transit funding, projects, and programs including Connect2Transit on-demand mobility service partnership with Uber.
• Golden Gate TransitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGolden Gate Transit provides regional transit services connecting Marin County to San Francisco and other Bay Area destinations. TAM coordinates on regional transportation planning and funding.
• Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMART provides passenger rail service in Sonoma and Marin counties. TAM coordinates on rail extension projects, station access improvements, and multimodal connectivity including bike share at SMART stations.
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMTC is the regional transportation planning agency for the nine-county Bay Area. TAM works with MTC on One Bay Area Grant programs, Regional Measures, and regional transportation planning through Plan Bay Area.
• California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaltrans District 4 oversees state highways in the Bay Area including US 101 and State Route 37 in Marin County. TAM coordinates on highway projects, maintenance, and state-funded transportation improvements.
• California Transportation Commission (CTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTC allocates state transportation funding including for projects like the $40.1M Marin-Sonoma Narrows funding approval.
• Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities (SCTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCTA is the congestion management agency for Sonoma County. TAM and SCTA collaborate on regional projects including State Route 37 improvements and Marin-Sonoma Narrows that span both counties.
• Gotcha MobilityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGotcha Mobility was selected as the operator for the Redwood Bikeshare Pilot Program serving Marin and Sonoma counties along the SMART corridor.
• County of MarincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarin County Board of Supervisors and County departments work with TAM on transportation projects, local roads, and countywide transportation planning.
• Marin County Office of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarin County Office of Education participates in Safe Routes to Schools program and is represented on the Expenditure Plan Advisory Committee.
• League of Women Voters of MarinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeague of Women Voters of Marin is represented on the Community Oversight Committee which reviews Measure A/AA and Measure B expenditures.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA): CCTA is the Contra Costa County CMA and self-help tax authority with a much larger portfolio but identical role: county-level transportation funding, programming, and project delivery. CCTA's growth trajectory offers a peer benchmark for TAM.
• Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC): Alameda CTC administers Alameda County's transportation sales tax and serves as CMA, with a portfolio structurally identical to TAM's but at larger scale. Direct peer for sales-tax-funded programming and project delivery comparison.
• Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authority (SCTA): SCTA is Sonoma County's designated congestion management agency and TAM's closest geographic and functional peer. The two authorities jointly program regional projects such as State Route 37 and Marin-Sonoma Narrows and administer parallel county-level sales-tax measures.
• San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA): San Mateo County TA administers a similar half-cent sales tax for transportation in San Mateo County. As a Bay Area self-help county transportation authority, it is a directly comparable peer in funding scale and governance model.
• Solano Transportation Authority (STA): STA is Solano County's CMA with a near-identical mandate: administering a local sales-tax measure, programming regional/state funds, and coordinating multi-modal projects. STA's role on SR 37 makes it a direct collaborator and structural peer to TAM.
• Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA): NVTA administers a similar county-level transportation sales tax in Napa County and operates as the CMA. Comparable scale, governance, and funding model make NVTA a tight functional peer to TAM.

Others

• Marin Transit: Marin Transit is the public transit operator in Marin County and a direct funding recipient of TAM. While not a peer in planning/funding, it is the most operationally adjacent partner — TAM allocates Measure B transit dollars to Marin Transit for senior/disability transit and Connect2Transit.

Broad incumbents

• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA): VTA is the much larger CMA and transit operator for Santa Clara County. While VTA combines planning with bus/light rail operations (which TAM does not), it is the obvious broader incumbent peer for Bay Area CMA programming and project delivery.
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC): MTC is the regional transportation planning and funding agency for the nine-county Bay Area, directly overseeing Plan Bay Area, OBAG, and Regional Measures. MTC is the larger regional layer that TAM must coordinate with and program through.
• California Department of Transportation (Caltrans): Caltrans is the state DOT that owns the highways TAM helps fund and improve (US 101, SR 37). As the project delivery partner and a key funding conduit, Caltrans is the incumbent state-level peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transportation-authority-of-marin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transportation Authority of Marin