Alameda County endorses the Seamless Transit Principles. Will San Francisco be next?

This morning, Alameda County became the latest jurisdiction to endorse the Seamless Transit Principles, which call on local and regional leaders to pursue a more integrated, efficient, and rider-friendly regional transit system. 

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the resolution endorsing the principles, authored by Supervisor Scott Haggerty. Haggerty is the current Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and is on the Board of the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) and the Livermore Amador Valley Transportation Authority (LAVTA). 

Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor and current chair of the Metropopolitan Transportation Commission, speaks in support of the Seamless Transit Principles.

Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor and current chair of the Metropopolitan Transportation Commission, speaks in support of the Seamless Transit Principles.

Alameda County is home to more than 1.6 million people and 14 cities, including Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland. Roughly one-third of regional Bay Area commutes involve travel within, to, from, or through Alameda County. There are 320,000 average weekday riders in the county, including many making connections between the seven transit agencies that serve the county: BART, AC Transit, Amtrak, LAVTA, ACE, Union City Transit, and the San Francisco Bay Ferry.

“I’m totally supportive … I applaud [Seamless Bay Area] for bringing this forward,” said Supervisor Haggerty at the Board’s Transportation and Planning Committee meeting on February 3. “[Transit integration is] something that needs to be pushed to the forefront.”

Supervisor Nate Miley echoed Haggerty in voicing his support for the principles. 

“We need to move in the direction of [transit integration],” said Miley, noting the importance of robust public transit for Alameda County seniors, many of whom rely on public transportation for mobility.

In endorsing the principles, Alameda County has agreed to support principles such as integrated fares and schedules, improved pedestrian and bicycle connections, and broad regional cooperation on current and future transportation planning. 

There is growing momentum among Bay Area cities and counties to endorse and implement the Seamless Transit Principles. 

Alameda County joins the the cities of Millbrae and Berkeley, and the Cities Association of Santa Clara County, in endorsing the Seamless Transit Principles. Together, these jurisdictions represent over 3.4 million residents, or approximately 45 percent of the Bay Area’s population. The principles have also been endorsed by non-profit groups including SPUR, TransForm, the Greenlining Institute, San Francisco Transit Riders, and Friends of Caltrain. 

The City and County of San Francisco will be the next major jurisdiction to consider endorsing the Seamless Transit Principles. A draft resolution will go before the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) on Wednesday, February 26. The item is expected to go to the full SFCTA Board - made up of the eleven members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors - on March 10 for information, with a final vote and approval on March 24.

People who live or work in San Francisco can show support for the SFCTA Seamless Transit resolution by making a public comment at the Feb. 26 CAC meeting or the March 10 SFCTA Board meetings, or by writing their Supervisors to ask them to support the resolution.  

The Bay Area has one of the most fragmented public transportation systems in the country, with over 27 different separate transit agencies operating in the region with no requirements for coordination or integration. 

One-third of regional commutes involve Alameda County in some way, including many riders transferring between the seven transit agencies that serve the area. (Photo by Jim Maurer)

One-third of regional commutes involve Alameda County in some way, including many riders transferring between the seven transit agencies that serve the area. (Photo by Jim Maurer)

The Seamless Transit Principles, developed by a coalition of local non-profit groups, are designed to encourage transit agencies and municipalities to work together to create a better integrated, better functioning regional transportation network in the Bay Area. The principles are:

  1. Run all Bay Area transit as one easy-to-use system 

  2. Put riders first 

  3. Make public transit equitable and accessible to all 

  4. Align transit prices to be simple, fair, and affordable 

  5. Connect effortlessly with other sustainable transportation 

  6. Plan communities and transportation together

  7. Prioritize reforms to create a seamless network

Any member of the public can also show support for the Seamless Transit Principles by signing the public petition at seamlesstransitprinciples.org. 

Stephanie Beechem