Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan Status Update

Meeting Bodies

The Fare Integration Task Force (FITF) was formed in early 2020 as a special subcommittee of the Clipper Executive Board (CEB) to oversee the Fare Coordination and Integration Study. 

The CEB is a complementary body to the Regional Network Management (RNM) Council that provides policy, oversight, direction and authorization on significant business matters for the Clipper fare payment system. The FITF oversees and guides ongoing work to advance transit fare policy initiatives. 

Vision Statement

In November 2021, the FITF adopted a Fare Coordination/Integration Policy Vision Statement that endorsed:

• An all-transit agency pass, which became the Clipper BayPass pilot.
• No-cost and reduced-cost interagency transfers.
• Work to evaluate a common fare structure for regional rail, ferry and express bus service.

Clipper BayPass

The Phase 1 of the Clipper BayPass pilot, an unlimited-use transit pass, was launched in August 2022 to two groups:

• Four higher education institutions (UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University and Santa Rosa Junior College).
• Twelve MidPen Housing managed affordable housing properties.

Phase 2 of the pilot will include up to 10 employers, with a combined total 20,000 people. This phase launched in early 2024 with the first three employers:

• UCSF.
• The City of Menlo Park.
• The Alameda Transportation Management Association (which includes numerous employers and residential buildings in the western areas of the City of Alameda).

The project team closely monitors impacts of the Clipper BayPass pilots on transit use, travel patterns and attitudes and perceptions of transit. Phase 1 of the pilot is scheduled to end mid-2024, and discussions are underway with partner organizations and transit agency staff to figure out next steps beyond June 2024. 

The project team continues to recruit additional partners for Phase 2. 

Reduced/No-Cost Transfers

The Reduced/No-Cost Transfer Policy is expected to launch with the next generation Clipper system (Clipper 2.0) later in 2024. Under this policy, riders transferring between two (or more) transit agencies using Clipper receive a discount of up to $2.50 within two hours of their first tag. This pilot is expected to run for 18-24 months, depending on available funding. The FITF will endorse a memorandum of understanding in spring 2024. Agency staff will then seek agency board approvals to authorize participation. 

Title VI

MTC staff is working to support completion of Title VI fare equity analyses required for these pilot fare programs. 

The Clipper BayPass pilot is underway for selected students, residents of affordable housing communities and employees. 

Initial results from Phase 1 of the study show that students and affordable housing residents with Clipper BayPass rode transit 40% more than people who only have a one-operator transit pass (for example, an AC Transit-only pass for UC Berkeley students). 

The Clipper BayPass pilot expanded in 2024 to make the unlimited free pass available to up to 20,000 people at 10 different employers.

Watch the video to see how Clipper BayPass is making a difference.

Testing New Wayfinding Signs

In 2022, MTC’s Operations Committee approved a contract with Applied Wayfinding Inc. to develop a single mapping and wayfinding system for use by all Bay Area transit agencies. 

In 2023, MTC began conversations with transit users and transit agencies to develop design standards and a regional transit network identity that can be used across the region. 

The project team is now creating demo prototypes (physical signs and digital wayfinding tools) that will be set up and tested at two transit stations in 2024. Feedback will be collected on how the new signs help people get to and around the transit stations. This information will inform larger-scale pilot projects that will roll out to additional locations in 2025 and 2026. In 2027, after testing is complete, the Bay Area will be ready to install new, easier-to-understand maps and signs at transit stations and stops throughout the region. 

Shared Data for Better Maps

In 2023, MTC started to develop a digital platform for regional mapping data services, which will provide the underlying data for the Regional Mapping and Wayfinding project. The platform will streamline the process for MTC, transit agencies and other government entities to create consistent transit maps across the Bay Area.

Later this year, look for physical prototypes of new wayfinding signage and materials at two stations that serve multiple transit agencies: El Cerrito del Norte BART station and the Santa Rosa Transit Center Mall/Downtown Santa Rosa SMART station. 

Once installed, MTC will collect public feedback to help evaluate and improve the wayfinding standards. The feedback from the initial prototypes will be included when larger-scale pilots launch in 2025 and 2026.

Regional Transit Priority Policy

MTC is working with transit agencies and other partners to draft a Regional Transit Priority Policy to support more efficient and effective delivery of transit priority throughout the Bay Area. 

In early 2024, an ad-hoc Policy Development Working Group made up of staff from MTC, transit agencies, cities, counties, Caltrans and advocates will meet to develop a draft Regional Transit Priority Policy.

Forward Commute Initiatives

The Forward Commute Initiatives are adding transit priority treatments along key highways and freeways.

In particular, Bay Bridge Forward includes physical improvements and policy changes for faster and more reliable transit:

• Infrastructure investments, such as transit signal priority, bus queue jump lanes, HOV lane extensions, bus-on-shoulder lanes and interchange reconfigurations
• HOV lane policy changes, including occupancy requirements and hours of operation

Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID)

For the Bus Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery (BusAID) program, 20 Bay Area bus, light rail and streetcar operators identified "hotspot" locations that regularly experience transit delay or reliability issues due to traffic congestion. 

In early 2024, the BusAID program will prioritize funding for quick-build projects to improve transit speeds, based on which projects are most feasible and ready to begin construction.

Partnership with Caltrans

In 2022, Caltrans District 4 reorganized and formed a new planning office dedicated to advancing transit and active transportation efforts in the Bay Area. 

This reorganization has expanded staff roles and capacity for transit planning and has created opportunities for MTC to partner with Caltrans to streamline state policies and procedures related to transit priority. This includes review of:

• The statewide Director’s Policy on Transit Priority and Focus, anticipated in 2024; and
• Caltrans’ Bay Area Transit Plan, a first-of-its-kind district-level plan anticipated to be finalized in early 2025 that will identify transit priority infrastructure needs and access improvements on the State Highway System.  

By mid-2024, MTC expects to award funds for near-term transit priority projects through the BusAID program. The first BusAID-funded projects could break ground in 2025 and be completed as early as mid-2026. 

Bay Bridge Forward will improve speed and reliability for express buses along the Interstate 80 corridor, through strategies such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane policy changes, transit signal priority and bus queue jump lanes. Some Bay Bridge Forward projects have already been completed, such as the West Grand Avenue Bus and HOV Lane. Others are currently in the planning and design stages.

Transit Regional Network Management

MTC completed a Network Management Business Case Study in February 2023. 

Since then, MTC has worked with transit agencies to create a Regional Network Management (RNM) function at MTC that will establish structures for policymaking. The three RNM bodies – the RNM Committee, RNM Customer Advisory Group and RNM Council – had their first meetings in summer and fall of 2023. 

Transit Integration Studies

In 2021, MTC provided funding to Solano, Sonoma and Contra Costa counties to complete subregional transit integration efficiencies studies:

• The Sonoma County Transportation Authority’s Transit Integration Efficiency study was completed in 2019, and implementation is currently underway. Sonoma County Transit, Santa Rosa Transit and Petaluma Transit are working to coordinate schedules and transfers, and are working on ways to harmonize their websites. 
• The Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s Integrated Transit Plan and Solano Transportation Authority’s Connected Mobility Implementation Planning effort are currently underway and involve coordination between the transit agencies serving those counties.

Regional Rail Partnerships Study

MTC and regional partners completed the Bay Area Regional Rail Partnerships Study in March 2023. The study identified ways to collaborate and coordinate more efficiently and effectively on rail megaprojects and system operations. Near-term implementation of recommendations from this study will be integrated into the RNM work.  

The Regional Network Management framework and the three new RNM committees provide a formal setting for collaboration on and advancement of regional initiatives. 

In particular, the RNM Council provides an open forum where members of the public can engage with transit agency representatives on a broad range of customer-focused initiatives. 

Transit 2050+

Transit 2050+ is part of the refresh of Plan Bay Area 2050, the region's adopted long-range plan, and will build on the six transit-related strategies in Plan Bay Area 2050’s Transportation Element.

Transit 2050+ is applying a connected network approach to re-envision the future of the Bay Area’s public transit network. The project will make recommendations for strategies and investments (both capital and operating) – near-term through the next decade and long-term from 2036 through 2050.

Transit 2050+ is being co-managed with transit agencies. By working together, the team put together the problem statement, goals and desired outcomes (identified in summer 2023). The Transit 2050+ team recently reviewed existing conditions and created a preliminary list of transit service needs and gaps.

Other Coordinated Planning Efforts

Meanwhile, transit agencies are developing their own potential solutions for improved transit coordination in the near-term (such as subregional transit integration efficiencies studies).

In summer 2023, Bay Area residents were asked what they would like to see in the future – including for public transit – as part of the public engagement activities for Plan Bay Area 2050+ and Transit 2050+. MTC staff hosted 15 in-person pop-up workshops across the Bay Area and launched an online survey in four languages. 

A second round of outreach will be conducted in summer 2024. Feedback from the public will be integrated into Transit 2050+ and Plan Bay Area 2050+.

511 San Francisco Bay Area

511 is a single source for traffic and transit data that helps residents and visitors plan their travel in the Bay Area.

All Bay Area transit agencies provide their General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) schedule data to 511, and most also produce and share real-time transit feeds. 511 combines the information and provides traffic and transit data to public- and private-sector partners such as Google Maps and the Transit App.

Several new features designed to improve information about the regional transit network have been added to 511 since 2020:

• GTFS Pathways delivers directions for navigating 35 rail stations and other transit hubs around the region to all travelers, including people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices
• GTFS Fares v2 data provides fare information, including fares by rider categories, passes and transfer discounts, for all Bay Area transit agencies

RNM Performance Measures

The RNM framework and the RNM Council’s fiscal year 2023-24 and fiscal year 2024-25 work plan call for the development of performance measures to:

• Shed light on the transit rider experience. 
• Inform continuous improvement of the RNM framework and transit operations. 

MTC and transit agency staff are working together to develop RNM performance measures, which will include feedback from a regional transit rider survey.

More and better data will lead to more consistent and accurate information for riders that improves the overall transit experience.

Some transit agencies are also improving their own GTFS data. For example, BART is developing additional GTFS Pathways data for additional stations as part of a larger effort to improve the BART passenger experience. 

And in March 2023, VTA received a federal grant that can help provide real-time information about space on buses for wheelchairs/mobility devices and bicycles.

One-Seat Paratransit Rides

Several one-seat paratransit ride models already exist in the Bay Area:

• Within Sonoma, Solano and Contra Costa counties.
• Limited trips between San Francisco and Marin or the East Bay.
• Limited trips between San Francisco and San Mateo or Santa Clara counties. 

MTC is working to identify opportunities to pilot new one-seat ride paratransit pilot programs. MTC staff are also working with transit agencies to update cost-sharing agreements and best practices for cross-jurisdictional trips.

Standardized Eligibility Practices

MTC and transit operators are working to standardize eligibility processes for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-paratransit and the Clipper Access Regional Transit Connection (RTC) program that allows riders under age 65 with qualifying disabilities to ride on fixed-route, rail and ferry for a discount fare. Additionally, MTC is streamlining the RTC application process for ADA paratransit riders who can use fixed-route, ferries and rail under certain circumstances.

Integration with Clipper

Clipper and transit operator staff have identified the next steps for integration of ADA paratransit services within the Clipper payment system and system development is underway.

Other Coordination Activities

MTC – together with each county – is assessing the current condition of mobility management which provide information and transportation services to older adults, people with disabilities and people with lower incomes. This work along with further Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (Coordinated Plan)  engagement will continue into 2024 to inform recommendations and implementation steps.

One-Seat Rides

One-seat paratransit ride programs provide transfer-free trips across existing transit operator service-area boundaries. MTC is working to identify additional opportunities to pilot one-seat rides will make cross-jurisdictional trips easier for paratransit riders.

Easier to Apply

Standardizing eligibility processes and timelines across operators will provide more consistency for paratransit riders throughout the Bay Area.

Additionally, ADA paratransit riders will qualify for discounted fares for fixed-route, rail and ferry services through the Clipper Access RTC program.

An Easier Way to Pay for Paratransit

After the launch of next generation Clipper, riders will be able to pay for paratransit with Clipper. In 2024, a pilot with San Francisco Paratransit will test the system before it rolls out to other transit operators.

Survive & Thrive Coalition

MTC, transit agencies, advocacy organizations, the business community, labor and other groups worked together in 2022 and 2023 to coordinate advocacy and communication to both address the transit funding shortfall and fund transformative initiatives to attract new riders.

The coalition secured new state funding in the FY 2023-2024 budget to hold back the "fiscal cliff." In December 2023, the Commission adopted a Short-Term Financial Plan outlining how MTC will use its portion of the state funds, as well as additional regional funds, to address Bay Area transit agencies’ biggest funding shortfalls and help them avoid service cuts. 

Potential 2026 Ballot Measure

In 2023, MTC continued to engage with stakeholders to inform a transportation revenue measure and hosted several pop-up public workshops across the region to learn about the transit improvements that residents want and need, and how to prioritize spending the money that is available for transit.

In January 2024, the Commission voted to seek enabling legislation for a potential 2026 transportation revenue measure. A regional transportation revenue measure could support current transit operations and make the key customer experience improvements that have been outlined in the Transit Transformation Action Plan.

The fiscal 2023-24 California state budget includes $1.1 billion in flexible transportation funding to help support transit operations. 

This critical funding will help transit agencies avoid a near-term "fiscal cliff" that could lead to major service cuts by Muni, BART and other agencies whose fare revenues remain well below pre-pandemic levels.