California's Cap-and-Trade program provides billions in funding for public transportation in the Bay Area and statewide. In the Bay Area, funds have supported a range of needs including major rail and bus projects, bus electrification, and student transit discount programs. Reauthorizing the Cap-and-Trade program before its 2030 expiration date is a key piece of the puzzle with statewide, regional, and local funding and reforms needed to save and improve transit.

MTC and transit agencies have opportunities to increase transit ridership by promoting the upcoming capability to pay by credit/debit cards and Apple/Google wallets for tourists and for people taking trips to sports and entertainment who aren’t frequent transit users.

How can California deliver its State Rail Plan, with goals to electrify 1500 miles of rail and create a well-connected network of rail and transit across the state, in a cost-effective and timely manner? This blog post shares the video and slides.

In 2025, policymakers and advocates are working on a set of public transportation funding measures and policy reforms at the local-, regional-, and state-level that could work together to prevent transit service cuts, create a more rider-friendly system, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The recently updated California State Rail Plan is an exciting and ambitious long-term vision for improved, seamlessly connected rail network across the state - but it is particularly notable because it includes, as a fundamental element, an international best practice to plan capital projects based on the service outcomes delivered to riders.

New polling about a potential regional transportation funding measure showed results that could pass with a citizens’ signature gathering effort, and the mood of Bay Area lifting somewhat. Voters continue to value an improved system more than just stemming cuts.  All of the options polled better than 50% - the threshold needed to pass a measure with a citizens’ signature gathering effort. However, none of the options reached the two-thirds threshold that would be needed if a government agency puts a measure on the ballot.

Public transportation (and clean energy and housing) are held back by chronic challenges that make things take too long and cost too much to build in California and the US.  This fall, Assembly Member Buffy Wicks took the lead in convening a Select Committee on Permitting Reform. The discussions will queue up legislation in 2025 - and has the potential to open the door for more discussion, coalition-building, and potential for larger reforms.

Increased ridership on electric trains, lower costs for electricity than forecasted, and financial discipline have improved Caltrain’s financial outlook. Going forward, fare policy will play a key role in efforts to regrow Caltrain ridership, with the region’s coordinated fare and payment initiatives posing promising opportunities.

Looking back on 2024, we’re seeing steady progress toward more seamless transit across the region - a direct result of Seamless Bay Area’s effective advocacy over the last five years. Here’s a summary of what we’ve accomplished this year and the opportunities in 2025 that will need your help and support.

In December, the MTC forwarded recommendations for regional transit funding to the legislature and to its pollster. The legislature is expected to put its stamp on legislation to authorize regional transit funding, which could take the region toward maintaining and improving transit service with progress toward seamless transit, or toward options that would ask voters to raise taxes and receive service cuts. 

The Clipper BayPass all agency transit pass pilot will expand from a maximum of 20,000 participants to 80,000 participants, as approved in December by the region’s Fare Integration Task Force. The second phase of the pilot, serving employers and transportation management associations, is being expanded because there is a long queue with over 100 organizations interested in joining.