Prop 43, a ballot measure that will be on voters' ballots in November will make it harder to fund transit and other public services in the future, but will not directly impact the 2026 Bay Area transit measures that together are essential to prevent cuts and fund rider improvements.
Read MoreIn June, Monterey Salinas Transit purchased a system for reloadable open payment cards that can be used by low-income riders who are unbanked or underbanked. Of interest in the Bay Area, SFMTA participated in the RFP for the reloadable open payment cards. SFMTA’s initial focus is to use the cards specifically for parking, to provide payment options for individuals who are unbanked at parking meters and garages.
Read MoreThe Newsom Administration executive order on transit and rail would be a good start toward accelerating and coordinating improvements to rail and transit in the state – if the Newsom Administration wasn’t at the same time proposing to slash critical state fund programs for rail, transit, and affordable housing near transit.
Read MoreStarting on August 15, all 35,000 SJSU students will receive BayPass, the all-agency transit pass. And this May, employees at Caltrain, SamTrans, and SMCTA have been offered BayPass after moving to the agencies’ new headquarters at the Millbrae transit center.
Read MoreOn June 23, the California Senate Transportation Committee is expected to hear and vote on a good bill to standardize bus stop data, making transit more convenient for riders and enabling smarter planning. AB1599 (Ahrens), sponsored by Seamless Bay Area allies Move LA, AARP, and StreetsforAll, would implement one of the recommendations of the State Transit Transformation Task Force to make transit more seamless across the state.
Read MoreLast week, the SamTrans and VTA decided on their priorities for locally controlled funding from the regional transit ballot measure, with high priorities on maintaining and improving local transit service for riders. And next week, the Alameda County Transportation Commission will be making their decision about priorities for locally controlled funding. Read this blog to learn more and take action.
Read MoreThe House released a bipartisan markup of a Surface Transportation Re-Authorization called Build 250. This legislation would govern transit, rail and other modes for the next 5 years. Overall, the proposal has significantly lower investment in transit and rail relative to roads and bridges, as well as greater uncertainty for rail and transit year to year. There are some other beneficial policy provisions with opportunities to enable wiser and more cost-effective investments in planning and strengthening the ability to invest in the core capacity of existing rail and transit systems.
Read MoreChanges to the Cap-and-Invest program puts at risk billions per year in funding for critical transit, affordable housing, and climate investments. The decision by the California Air Resource Board gives away free allowances to companies to pollute and poses a major setback to our state's ability to fight climate change and make the state a more affordable place to live.
Read MoreThe success of this effort was built on one of the largest grassroots transit organizing efforts the region has ever seen. Seamless Bay Area and Transbay Coalition co-led this effort which mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers across 600 events in a four month period.
Read MoreThe imminent fiscal crisis provides urgency for reform. Metrolink is a regional system that will someday be part of the backbone of the state high-speed rail network. Its capital projects are primarily funded by the state. Fixing Metrolink’s dysfunction is in the state’s interest - and the state has intervened in local transit budget crises before, with the state’s 2025 loan to Bay Area transit agencies in crisis. But the state agency most poised to intervene seems instead poised to let us down.
Read MoreIn previous posts in this series, we discussed Metrolink’s imminent budget crisis and its struggles to maintain and expand service and ridership. These are exacerbated by its inability to deliver capital improvements, from basic maintenance to ambitious modernization programs like electrification.
Read MoreSouthern California's regional rail system, Metrolink, faces $30M shortfalls that threatens service cuts driven by political choices from specific counties. These cuts are part of broader flaws in Metrolink governance that have stymied a more ambitious vision since its founding, and threaten to curtail Metrolink’s most ambitious plans. But the current crisis offers an opportunity for change.
Read MoreMetrolink is in a dire situation in 2026. Dozens of trains across the system have been permanently cut due to equipment issues stemming from deferred maintenance - and more cuts could be coming in October thanks to a $30M operating budget deficit. While Metrolink had ambitious plans for service improvements, now riders could see mid-day, evening, and weekend trains eliminated instead.
Read MoreNearly a decade ago, Marin and Sonoma re-started passenger rail service with the launch of SMART. The train has been a massive success with millions of trips served. And now voters have the opportunity to continue funding SMART service and paving the way for future expansions to the north and east. Seamless Bay Area and Transbay Coalition urges a yes vote on Measure B.
Read MoreThis massive effort may be the the largest mobilization of Bay Area transit riders in recent history and is being co-led by Seamless Bay Area and Transbay Coalition. Over 900 volunteers have been trained at more than 500 events in the last three months.
Read MoreElected officials at every level of government in the Bay Area can play a vital role in making it easier, safer, and greener for more people to get in and around our communities. Over 80 candidates responded to this questionnaire about transit, traffic violence, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure. This includes candidates for the US House of Representatives, State Assembly, State Senate, County Supervisor, and City Council, Mayor positions in all 9-Bay Area Counties. See what the candidates vying for YOUR vote have to say about transportation issues.
Read MoreWithout new funding, AC Transit will have to cut service leading to a 31% reduction compared to 2019 levels. The approved plan calls for minimizing complete elimination of entire lines and focusing cuts on span of service and frequency reductions. Help prevent cuts to AC Transit and transit across the Bay Area by gathering signatures to get the Connect Bay Area regional transit ballot initiative on the November ballot.
Read MoreSweden has low transit capital costs among wealthy countries and a record of success in building excellent services that have led to high ridership. At the core of Sweden’s cost-effective project delivery are three key factors - centralized state capacity, multi-year funding framework, and business cases and ‘project sponsorship’. California should look to Sweden’s example as it considers strategies to reform project delivery.
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