2/4/25: Transit events to keep you warm this winter
Looking for ways to get involved in the fight for better transit? Ways you can make a difference locally? Join us this Saturday for a joint transit and housing social and advocacy event in South San Francisco! Additionally, this year we’re heading on a 9-county tour of the Bay Area to talk to residents about the need for seamless transit - sign up here. And join us February 13th for our 2025 Kickoff and Fundraiser event in San Francisco for inspiration about the progress we’re making and the opportunities in the coming year to bring about seamless transit.
February 8th, 2:00pm – Transit and Housing Advocacy + Social (South San Francisco)
Robust public transit service and dense housing are essential for making the Bay Area an affordable, climate-friendly, and vibrant place to live - but both are at risk if we don't take action.
Join us as we talk to residents, urging them to send letters to their elected officials in favor of transformative housing and public transportation funding and reform measures. Afterwards, we'll grab some food and drinks!
February 13th, 5:30-7:30pm – Seamless Bay Area 2025 Kickoff and Fundraiser (San Francisco)
Join us for an exciting event where we’ll dive into the progress we’re making and the next steps we’re taking to transform transit in the Bay Area and California to drive progress on housing, climate, equity, and economic prosperity.
While this event is free, we are a small nonprofit and hope you can donate at a level that is right for you to support better public transit.
Volunteer Opportunities: We are going on tour around the Bay Area and we need your help!
This year, we’re going to be on the ground talking to as many residents as possible about the importance of public transit and future funding models and policy reforms needed to make the system fast, frequent, and widely-used. Help build support for transit across the Bay Area by joining us!
Sign up for the upcoming events in Santa Clara, Marin, and Oakland! Additionally, we need your help finding community events and places in your neighborhood where we can reach a lot of people!
Additionally, we’re developing a Transit Rider Story Project to help share the stories, challenges, and desires of transit riders. Too often, their voices go unheard by decision makers and we need your help to change that. Sign up if you want to get involved.
February 8th, 10-11:30am – Community Open House: New VTA Transit-Oriented Development project in San Jose
Help push for more dense housing near transit! VTA is proposing a Transit-Oriented Development project on the Hostetter Station Park & Ride lot. Join this session to guide the development of this TOD project and share your thoughts with project staff. A light breakfast will be served and this event will have family-friendly activities for kids.
Shoutout to our friends at Catalyze SV who are working with VTA at this open house!
New from our blog
Assembly Member Wicks leads legislative Select Committee on Permitting Reform
Public transportation (and clean energy and housing) are held back by chronic challenges that make things take too long and cost too much to build in California and the US. This fall, Assembly Member Buffy Wicks took the lead in convening a Select Committee on Permitting Reform. The discussions will queue up legislation in 2025 - and has the potential to open the door for more discussion, coalition-building, and potential for larger reforms.
Fare integration opportunities for Caltrain ridership growth
Increased ridership on electric trains, lower costs for electricity than forecasted, and financial discipline have improved Caltrain’s financial outlook. Going forward, fare policy will play a key role in efforts to regrow Caltrain ridership, with the region’s coordinated fare and payment initiatives posing promising opportunities.
Notes from Taiwan: Regional fare integration programs fuel Taiwan's strong ridership growth
Taiwan’s new regional multi-agency transit pass programs, offering unlimited travel on all agencies and modes within metropolitan areas, have been key to the country’s strong ridership regrowth post-pandemic, boosting ridership by 16% nationally and reducing driving trips by 7% in the Taipei region.
Marin and Sonoma Counties Launch Transit Coordination Plan
Marin and Sonoma Counties recently launched a plan to create a coordinated and cohesive transit system. Nine agencies are collaborating to reimagine the network, which has largely stayed unchanged since the opening of the SMART train in 2017.
The Bay Area is finalizing its multi-decade plan for the future of public transportation. For the first time in history the region’s long-range plan focused on creating a network with improved service frequency and filling in missing link connections. Seamless Bay Area organized 7 community workshops throughout the region to better ensure the plan met the needs of transit riders.