MTC Looks Back at 2025 Work

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission in 2025 made big strides toward fulfilling its vision of a vibrant Bay Area, with notable achievements in housing, the environment and accessibility as well as transportation. MTC and its partner agencies look back at some of the highlights of the past year:

"Accessible Futures" Conference Addresses Critical Issues

More than 150 people took part in MTC's and the Association of Bay Area Governments' "Accessible Futures: Sharing. Listening. Learning"  — a disability-led community conversation on housing, transportation, the environment and other critical issues at the Bay Area Metro Center in San Francisco held in June over two days.

Clipper Sails into Next Generation

Clipper®, the Bay Area's electronic transit-fare payment card, began its long-awaited shift to a cloud-based system in December, with each of the nearly two dozen transit agencies that accept Clipper for payment now also accepting contactless credit and debit cards in addition to plastic Clipper cards and mobile Clipper cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Clipper® START Becomes Ongoing Fare Product

MTC in May approved a resolution to transition the Clipper® START pilot program — which provides transit-fare discounts for lower-income adults age 19 to 64 — to an ongoing fare product that offers a uniform 50% discount for rides on all systems that accept Clipper for fare payment. 

Plan Bay Area 2050+ Final Blueprint Underscores Progress

MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments in July advanced the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Final Blueprint into the environmental review phase. This followed the release of the Final Blueprint analysis for Plan Bay Area 2050+, the region’s long-range plan update guiding growth and investment through the year 2050. The analysis demonstrates how the region can accommodate over 900,000 new households and more than 1.3 million new jobs by 2050, while fostering a more affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant Bay Area. 

Fifth Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy Finishes with a Flourish

The summer marked a major milestone for the Norman Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy: its fifth year of empowering and inspiring the next generation of Bay Area leaders. With more than 250 high school students completing the program — a new record — the 2025 Academy was the largest and most dynamic yet.

Work Begins on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Transformation

Changes are coming to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll plaza, the first of the state-owned toll bridges to be transformed as part of a multi-year conversion to Open-Road Tolling (ORT). ORT is the future for all toll bridge plazas in the Bay Area. Completion of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge conversion is expected in the fall of 2026.

New Community of Practice Highlights Digital Housing Tools 

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA), in partnership with the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University, launched a new virtual community in October to support government and nonprofit agency staff using digital innovations to improve affordable housing placement. The community of practice was developed to exchange ideas with other communities in the U.S. and Canada on how to address shared challenges and further affordable housing advocacy. 

MTC Awards Grants for Community-Focused Initiatives

MTC is awarding Community Action Resource and Empowerment (CARE) Power-building and Engagement (Pb+E) grants to 16 applicants totaling $1.5 million across three project categories. This inaugural CARE Pb+E grant program provides funds for community-based organizations (CBOs) to strengthen community leadership, build partnerships and implement community-driven housing and transportation projects. Funded by state Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) funds, the Program advances implementation activities that accelerate infill housing development, reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and affirmatively further fair housing. 

35th Anniversary Gala Marks New Direction for Bay Trail

MTC and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Director Andrew Fremier and other Commission staff were among the celebrants at a San Francisco event in November marking the 35th anniversary of the San Francisco Bay Trail; honoring the years of work done by members of Bay Trail Board of Directors to expand and maintain the 350-mile active transportation network overseen by MTC; and opening a new chapter in Bay Trail history during which Oakland-based nonprofit Save the Bay will work to lead advocacy efforts to complete the remaining 150 miles of the planned 500-mile system.  

New & Improved Bay Area Census Website Debuts

MTC in April announced the launch of the refreshed Bay Area Census website at BayAreaCensus.ca.gov. The site features the latest data available from the United States Census Bureau, with a focus on the needs of the Bay Area.