Universal Basic Mobility Pilot - Lessons and opportunities for Seamless Transit
Source: Smart Cities Dive Article
In March, the Oakland Department of Transportation published a report on the outcomes of a yearlong universal mobility pilot program intended to increase transit, walking, bicycling, and shared mobility, with a focus on low-income residents in East Oakland. The pilot was a success, with 40% of participants reporting that they changed how they travel, with 23% saying they drove alone less often.
This pilot could serve as a powerful precedent for improving equitable access to public transportation and increasing use. And the outcomes of follow-on programs could be even better if the services provided were more seamless.
Background on the Program
The project was launched by OakDOT with a $215,000 grant from the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), which was received in 2017 and ended December 21, 2021. This was matched by an additional $28,000 local grant from the City of Oakland. These funds were used to produce 500 restricted prepaid Visa debit cards, each with up to $300 of funds to be used to purchase trips or passes on public transit, bikeshare, or e-scooters.
The project began, centered in East Oakland, in support of the newly established AC Transit Tempo rapid transit line. But as the Covid crisis brought greater transport challenges to the forefront, the focus shifted to providing relief for both existing transit riders and potential transit and shared mobility users, as well as reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips in East Oakland.
Three quarters of the households served by the program earned less than $40,000 a year, and the majority of the population served by the program identified as Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American. Public transit was the primary mode of transportation for program participants, and most used it primarily for work or school purposes.
The program was marketed through tabling and handing out flyers at transport centers, trusted pillars of the community such as local libraries and the Vietnamese-American community center, as well as at community events such as bike rides with Cycles of Change. OakDOT also mailed 12,000 flyers to all addresses within ¼ mile of the BRT Corridor.
The project’s progress and effectiveness was tracked through pre- and mid-program surveys, with data showing that 40% of participants changed the way that they traveled, and 23% drove alone less since receiving the card. Overall, participants drove less and used public transportation more for both commuting and other trips after receiving the card. These results showed that the program was a success and provides inspiration for moving forward with long-term universal basic mobility programs in the future.
Turbocharging Future Universal Basic Mobility Projects with Seamless Transit
Fare integration: The region is moving forward toward more integrated fares, and equity programs would benefit riders more if they provided discounts on top of an integrated fare system.The Bay Area’s Fare Integration Task Force voted in favor of a Fare Policy Vision on Monday, November 15 2021, which included a pilot all-agency pass for organizations in 2022, showing a clear endorsement for further fare integration in the Bay Area. A recently completed regional fare study showed that integrated fares would be a very cost-effective strategy to increase transit ridership, so standardizing regional fares and creating an all-agency pass for individuals would undoubtedly increase the effectiveness and usability of transportation equity measures such as the OakDOT Universal Basic Mobility Pilot
For example, a rider with $300 in transit “basic mobility money” still faces the choice of whether to purchase $84 monthly AC Transit Pass - only good on AC Transit - or a $60 High Value Discount (HVD) for BART trips; having multi-agency pass that’s good on all agencies would vastly simplify the choice of what to purchase and would allow riders the most freedom to use the modes that work best for them. When paired with a transportation system with an all-agency pass and standardized fares, these funds and discounts allocated for transportation for low-income and underserved communities will go further and will be easier to use, increasing transit ridership and reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips further than equity programs without integrated fares.Shared mobility: The region is currently studying options for how to provide “network management” to coordinate public transportation. Today, public transportation includes not only trains and buses, but also bikeshare and e-scooters which now serve as easily accessible public transport options for many, especially in dense urban areas. As the Universal Basic Mobility Pilot’s mid-program survey states, bicycling accounted for around 8% of non-commute trips for those who participated in the trial, so it is clear that it would be helpful to consider not only buses and trains, but also bikeshare and e-scooters in providing network management to coordinate public transportation. That way, equity measures such as the OakDOT universal basic mobility pilot will meet a wider range of public transport needs for more people.
Standard eligibility: Currently, the region is piloting a “Clipper START” program that provides transit discounts to people in households with an income below 200% of the federal poverty line. While this program does not provide transit-specific funds like the OakDOT project, it does accomplish the same goal of increasing equitable access to transit and encouraging higher ridership. In order to accomplish these goals long-term, it would be helpful to grow that program to fund more sustainable mobility for people with financial needs. That way, when paired with programs like the OakDOT universal basic mobility program, the combined effect will be even more pronounced and will reach more people.
Summary
The evidence from the OakDOT universal basic mobility pilot is clear; allocating government funds towards transit fares for low-income households will not only increase transit ridership and decrease single-occupancy car trips, but will boost transportation accessibility and equity for low-income and underserved communities as a whole. However, these funds are only as useful as the transportation they’re paying for, and inconsistencies in fares and transportation systems in the Bay Area still provide large obstacles for many trying to travel effectively on public transit. For that reason, in order for these equity programs to be the most effective, the underlying transit systems must be more connected, instituting policies such as fare integration and network management for trains, buses, bikeshare, and e-scooters.