At its meeting on February 11, the BART board discussed the region’s fare integration initiative. Board members expressed strong support for the initiative. Director Saltzman commented "this is our opportunity to be bold, and I hope you will join me in being open-minded."
Read MoreOn Thursday, January 28, the BART Board heard an agenda item about transit network coordination and the ongoing work of the Bay Area Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force. BART Board members, who recently voted to approve the Seamless Transit Principles, expressed strong interest in being engaged in the topic, and a desire for well-coordinated discussions on the topic of regional transit coordination.
Read MoreSeamless does not believe that the Clipper Executive Board is a good model to govern transit network coordination, fundamentally because it is a body composed of executive staff who report to separate boards, rather than being a board of policymakers.
Read MoreWe’re often asked why MTC isn’t already functioning as the Bay Area’s network manager, coordinating fares, service, and branding. In this post we explore what powers MTC already has, and three key problems with MTC and the region’s transit governance that prevent it from functioning as an effective network manager.
Read MoreReflections from interviews with essential travelers during the pandemic and opportunities for transformational change
Read MoreThe County Connection Board and General Manager responded to transit rider feedback with a positive and balanced approach, making it clear that they agreed with riders’ goals for seamlessly integrated transit and wanted to support solutions that achieved the goals while protecting local transit service.
At the beginning of the new year, we wanted to provide a quick update about Seamless Bay Area’s structure and name, as well as a guide to the best ways to support our charitable and educational work and our political advocacy and lobbying activities.
Read MoreImplementing a rider-focused integrated fare system is not possible without fundamental changes to Bay Area’s transit governance and funding structures. It requires establishing a central regional authority - a “Network Manager” - with the ability to set the region’s fare policy, and collect and distribute fare revenue fairly to agencies.
Read MoreImplementing Seamless Bay Area’s Integrated Fare Vision - or something like it - will require transformative changes to the way transit is funded and managed in our region. Fortunately, there are regional initiatives in the works that have the potential to advance change. With sustained public advocacy, major reforms are possible.
Last week, the BART Board of Directors became the first Bay Area transit agency to endorse the Seamless Transit Principles. BART joins a growing coalition of municipalities, non-profit and business supporters committed to building a more integrated, efficient, and rider-friendly transit system in the Bay Area.
Read MoreIn response to the unprecedented impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on public transportation ridership and operations, Seamless Bay Area collaborated with AECOM to envision how transit services could adapt.
Read MoreEarlier this year, our partners at East Bay for Everyone and YIMBY Action sent out a questionnaire to candidates running for Bay Area transit board seats in 2020. We’ve compiled excerpts from their responses that illuminate their positions on seamless transit, transit prioritization and safety, transit-oriented development, and more.
Read MoreToday, Seamless Bay Area released a map of our Integrated Transit Fare Vision — a fully unified system of transit fares that would enable riders to travel seamlessly across the nine-county Bay Area with a single transit fare and free transfers.
Read MoreMore than three dozen riders, transit agency staff, and advocates from across the Bay Area convened in an evening forum on October 15 to discuss the experience of riding transit in the COVID-19 era.
Read MoreA new report released today by Seamless Bay Area and the Voices for Public Transportation coalition shows how restoring and increasing transit service levels across the Bay Area will play a critical role in bringing back transit ridership after the pandemic lifts.
Read MoreRecent MTC polling and outreach finds that Bay Area residents strongly support efforts to create a seamlessly integrated public transportation network.
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