Effect of Pandemic on Ridership

[NewFlyerMCI]

https://medium.com/transit-app/whos-left-riding-public-transit-hint-it-s-not-white-people-d43695b3974a

I found this to be an interesting read. No information we probably couldn't have speculated, but the graphs are nice and the written format is concise and easy to read.

[MetroShadow]

I'm pretty gung ho with ensuring that recovery funding in the Bay Area addressed mobility justice and more service towards the communities that need it. One of the tenets with Seamless Bay Area.

[NewFlyerMCI]

1 hour ago, MetroShadow said:

I'm pretty gung ho with ensuring that recovery funding in the Bay Area addressed mobility justice and more service towards the communities that need it. One of the tenets with Seamless Bay Area.

I got into a reddit discussion about this the other day, are you a proponent of a merged BART & Caltrain (as a start to this SBA)? I personally think it wouldn't work (for instance, how would you begin to combine the fare structures), but I see the appeal. In regards to at least the bus network, I definitely think there would be a benefit to one overall agency. Or at least a RTA like governing body put into place.

[MetroShadow]

On 5/6/2021 at 4:36 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

I got into a reddit discussion about this the other day, are you a proponent of a merged BART & Caltrain (as a start to this SBA)? I personally think it wouldn't work (for instance, how would you begin to combine the fare structures), but I see the appeal. In regards to at least the bus network, I definitely think there would be a benefit to one overall agency. Or at least a RTA like governing body put into place.

Yes to all of the above. You'd think 3 agencies are bad. Try 27.

The problem with the status quo is that the networks are balkanized to the degree that you can't move from one mode to the next without double paying or taking a transfer penalty (never mind the scheduling, which was a big problem prior to this past March where if you missed a train, it's an hourish wait).

I'll defer to the fare chart on that website that it should straighten out the ideal approach for fares, although more tweaks should help. A better Clipper Card and some governance reform may make the status quo better while policies might be reflective on an equitable system. A regional rail system (BART, Caltrain, SMART, Amtrak - ran in house technically with BART, ACE, Valley Link, and CAHSR) could address scheduling and fares to the degree of making the services frequent and affordable. Compared to driving, we should make the attempt to align forces where needed.

As for the local buses...after working as a planner on the peninsula and working with an agency on the East Bay (from my position at Cal) these six years, connecting to rail should be a priority; to hark on fares too, a more integrated network (think Sound Transit, TransLink, or Metrolinx) would help with mobility locally but also regionally. Unfortunately, the boards within the Metropolitan Urbanized Area prefer local control, and aren't behooved to make changes (when the last Regional Ballot Measure, RM3, barely got approved because of the lack of transparency and project delivery).

I also have riders from BART that would want to see some integration from AC Transit and Muni. It's an easy sell, just have to get movement from those agencies.

Tl;Dr - governance is a pain in the butt and reforms are necessary to curb the bleeding of ridership but also we have to think regionally to get it done.