Following its April 2020 action to approve federal emergency funds for public transit, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) released on May 7, 2020 a framework for creation of a 32-member Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force to guide the future of the Bay Area’s public transportation network as the region adjusts to new conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Task Force, chaired by MTC Commissioner and Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering, includes other local elected officials as well as advocates for people with disabilities; representatives from the state Senate and Assembly; the California State Transportation Agency; transit operators; business and labor groups; and transit and social justice advocates.
The Task Force is assisting MTC in understanding the scale of the crisis facing all Bay Area transit systems because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It helped to guide MTC's regional response through expedited distribution of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Phase 2 funds. The first distribution of $780 million in CARES Act funding was approved by MTC in April 2020.
Additionally, the Task Force shall submit a Bay Area Public Transit Transformation Action Plan to the Commission by mid-2021 for its consideration and possible adoption. The Plan should describe the actions needed to re-shape the region’s transit system into a more connected, more efficient, and more user-focused mobility network across the entire Bay Area and beyond.
The Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force adopted goals and objectives in November 2020 to guide the development of a Transformation Action Plan.
Bay Area transit agencies established a Healthy Transit Plan Dashboard to monitor their performance in carrying out the Riding Together—Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan.