Insights on UC Berkeley’s Clipper BayPass six months into unlimited transit pass pilot
For the UC Berkeley community, launching the Clipper BayPass pilot has been a critical tool to increase transit use and decrease single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) as a primary mode of transport, according to early results of the Clipper BayPass pilot. The Universities participating in the BayPass program had previously provided single-agency transit passes. For example, UC Berkeley had previously provided passes for AC Transit (but not BART or any other agency).
Initial data shows that students with BayPass have been taking significantly more transit trips (now 40% as a percentage of their total commute). Riders with BayPass use even more AC Transit service than students who have a single-agency AC Transit pass, showing how Clipper BayPass in this time period has broadened access to other transit systems.
A two-year pilot for an unlimited, all-agency transit pass in the Bay Area, the Clipper BayPass has now been up and running for six months. In UC Berkeley’s Clipper BayPass Phase 1 implementation, 12,000 students were randomly selected to be upgraded to the unlimited Clipper BayPass. The pilot is showing positive results despite early glitches during the implementation process; for instance, some cards did not work when issued and the app had some technical problems with the uploading of passes.
David Sorrell (UC Berkeley) and Ryan Reeves (BART) at UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies Seminar
On February 3, 2023, UC Berkeley Institute for Transportation Studies (ITS) hosted a seminar focused on the ongoing pilot, with program insights and next steps presented by David Sorrell (Mobility Manager and Campus Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Administrator at UC Berkeley, Seamless Bay Area Board Member) and Ryan Reeves (Principal Planner at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)).
The seminar began with background on how the BayPass pilot came to be. To address the complexity and cost of using transit to travel around the Bay Area, the Clipper Fare Integration Task Force developed an all-agency transit pass pilot with free and reduced cost transfers. Phase One of the Clipper BayPass was launched in August 2022 with four universities and community colleges (UC Berkeley, San Jose State, San Francisco State, and Santa Rosa Junior College) and 12 affordable housing developments run by MidPen Housing. (For more information on the Clipper BayPass pilot launch, read Seamless’ blog post here.)
Ryan Reeves presenting Phase 1 of Clipper BayPass
Insights on Clipper BayPass Pilot at UC Berkeley
Aiming to improve the quality of life for the UC Berkeley community with transportation, Sorrell’s transportation demand management (TDM) team balances parking management and alternative transportation strategies to meet the diverse commute needs for 55,000 students, faculty, and staff. In their operations, they strive to promote safety, user-friendliness, and innovation in their programs, communications, and partnerships with agencies and cities.
In addition to seeing increased transit use for those with the pass, the Berkeley TDM office’s annual campus commuter survey found a reduction in drive alone rate from 2019 - 2021, with transit services continuing to recover ridership (i.e. AC Transit is 88% of pre-pandemic ridership), using telecommuting as a critical TDM strategy to decrease SOV use.
Drive Alone Rate from 2016 - 2022 at UC Berkeley, Slide from David Sorrell
Transit Use at UC Berkeley from 2016 - 2022, Slide from David Sorrell
Moving into Phase 2 of Clipper BayPass Pilot
Though the region is just six months into the Clipper BayPass pilot, Reeves’ team at BART is planning for the next phase. Phase 2 of the pilot involves distributing passes via employers, especially those with many workers with jobs outside of offices such as hospitality, manufacturing, and retail employers. Workers in these fields continue to commute every day, while many more office workers now work from home some or all of the time.
Purchased by employers, the unlimited transit pass would be offered similarly to health benefits for employees at a fraction of the retail cost of a typical transit pass. Launching in summer 2023, Phase 2 implementation is incremental with 10 employers participating on a rolling basis over the following year. Beyond 2023, Clipper BayPass is looking to onboard additional employers in other cities, and effectively manage revenue distribution with the Bay Area’s 27 transit operators.
The pilot data collected from both phases will inform the potential future ramp up the pilot to a full unlimited transit pass program. Surveys will continue to be deployed every six months to understand the transit habits of those using BayPass and those who are not utilizing the pass.
“Does your commute spark joy?” Sorrell’s Work as Campus Advocate
Sorrell, who works to be a good steward and advocate for the UC Berkeley community, is interested in using Clipper BayPass pilot’s data to eventually increase the number of people who can access the unlimited transit pass. He has seen the positive impact on transit use on not having to purchase multiple passes for different systems - students can use one pass to ride any transit system. So his ongoing question has been on mobility justice - how can his team meet the needs of those who cannot take advantage of the ongoing two-year pilot? In a time of rising costs, how can we make sure people do not have to worry about how to get around their community?
David Sorrell presenting on basic needs work at UC Berkeley’s Transportation Demand Management office
Since the end of 2021, the campus TDM office has been working with the Basic Needs Unit to meet the needs of those who need transportation the most in addition to needs like housing and food. They have received a $47,000 grant for Q2 FY 2023 to distribute emergency Clipper cards, BART tickets, and carshare. They are working on getting scootershare to be included as an offering.
Beyond the grant, they updated the 2011 Strategic Plan, which originally had no principles or policies regarding bikeshare, carshare, or scooters. It was rewritten in 2018 as a living document that included these shared mobility modes, but a way to bring back transit options in a post-COVID lockdown model. Sorrell with the Mobility and Equity Committee, also aims to address student and teacher gaps and transportation initiatives beyond AC Transit offerings (especially active transportation). The TDM team has also focused on closing information gaps and parking equity to support those who have to pay for a parking permit. Thinking strategically about the future, Sorrell supports fare integration as a key tool for affordable transportation that can facilitate upward mobility for both employees and students at UC Berkeley.
Want to learn more about the BayPass pilot? Watch the full Feb. 3 presentation on YouTube, or read more about the program on the MTC website.