MTC Commissioners champion an integrated transit recovery strategy

At a Wednesday meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to allocate federal CARES Act relief funding for Bay Area transit, multiple Commissioners endorsed Seamless Bay Area’s proposals to connect future emergency funds with actions that would immediately create a more connected and affordable transit network.  

“We are faced with an opportunity that we haven’t had in all the years I’ve served on the commission, which is to look at how transit operates the region,” said Commissioner and Solano County Supervisor Jim Spering. “I think a lot of the issues around how we connect these services, and many of the things that Seamless [Bay Area] has brought forward really need to be considered.”

Seamless Bay Area submitted a letter, co-signed by seven other non-profit groups, calling on MTC and Bay Area transit agencies to immediately advance several initiatives, including developing a regional “core network transit plan” within 30 days that would provide a blueprint for how transit service across the region should be structured and connected over the coming months and years. The plan would also support access to transit for essential workers and transit-dependent riders as service is incrementally restored, and help rebuild Bay Area transit ridership over the long term.

The virtual MTC meeting was an important first step in a lengthy recovery process for Bay Area transit agencies, which have been forced to slash service in the face of record-low ridership and fares. 

MTC is conducting meetings via Zoom during the shelter-in-place order. Participants from Wednesday’s meeting included (from top left, going clockwise): Alix Bockelman (Deputy Executive Director, Policy), Kimberly Ward (Commission Secretary), Scott Haggerty (Chair & Commissioner, Alameda County), Therese McMillan (Executive Director), Nick Josefowitz (Commissioner, San Francisco), Jim Spering (Commissioner, Solano County), and Gina Papan (Commissioner, San Mateo County). Additionally, over 15 members of the public called in to provide public comment on the CARES Act item.

The federal CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, provided $25 billion to support public transit, including $1.3 billion for Bay Area operators. On Wednesday, the Commission allocated the first tranche of $780 million, or about 60 percent of the total funds, among 26 different agencies. The funds are expected to enable the continuation of transit service until at least July 2020.

In order to ensure the second tranche of CARES Act funding is connected a more coherent strategy for ensuring a connected and equitable transit network, Spering called for the creation of a special “blue ribbon” task force to work over the coming weeks and months to recommend a comprehensive transit recovery strategy, including how to distribute future allocations of funding and implement policies and reforms to promote greater integration. The task force, which was approved by the full Commission, will likely include MTC Commissioners, staff, transit agencies, advocates, and workers.

Commissioner Nick Josefowitz supported Spering’s proposal, adding “[We need to] to look at how we can make sure the [next tranche of CARES Act] funding sets the foundation for as successful of a recovery as we can have, and doesn't just put us in a place where we are getting between 50 to 60 percent of the old service without really thinking about what we really want to keep.”

Without a proactive strategy to rebuild ridership as the Bay Area emerges from the COVID crisis, transit operators risk a downward spiral of service cuts and lower ridership, punishing riders with the least means, inhibiting economic recovery, reinforcing car dependence, and leaving the region vulnerable to future emergencies. 

The proposals from Seamless Bay Area and partners – which also include eliminating transfer fees and making transit free for all riders 12 and under – are actions that Bay Area Transit leaders could implement immediately to support essential workers, rebuild regional transit ridership, and restore confidence in the transit system in the weeks and months ahead.  

“The proposals set forth by Seamless Bay Area make sense in that they will bring everyone together for once,” said Commissioner Gina Papan. “The schedules are all up in the air, they’re not working. I propose we give [transit agencies] these [Seamless] guidelines, and [ask] ‘when you come back in May, we want to see you’ve done some of these things.’  We need to guide the funding to get people back on transit as soon as possible.”

Seamless Bay Area joined other labor and transit advocates in requesting that MTC prioritize worker and rider protection and safety in this allocation of relief funding. The Commission declined to allocate funding specifically for this purpose, suggesting that transit agencies would manage these issues individually.

In the weeks and months ahead, Seamless Bay Area will continue to advocate for agencies to implement emergency safety standards for workers and riders, as well as a coordinated “core network plan” to maintain reliable access to transit across the region, and institutional reforms needed to enable a strong recovery.