1/19/24: Exciting Progress toward a Swiss-Style Networked Transit System
A belated happy new year to you all! Instead of New Year resolutions we are following social media trends and creating our ‘INs’ and ‘OUTs’ for 2024.
IN at Seamless Bay Area - taking more public transportation; walking, biking, and rolling around town; and building a diverse movement advocating for bold change.
OUT - car-dependency, fragmented public transit, and the status quo. Read on to see just how we are moving the needle towards abundant and robust public transit.
Monday, Jan 22: Public gets first peek at unified transit signage pilots, networked transit concepts, report on findings from Bay Area Switzerland delegation
On January 22nd from 11:30am to 12:30pm, the recently established Regional Network Management Council of transit agency General Managers will receive three important updates on key projects to advance coordination - on regional transit wayfinding signage pilots, connected network planning, and the findings from a recent delegation of Bay Area transit leaders to Switzerland.
The update on Transit 2050+, the region’s new long term transit plan being developed as part of Plan Bay Area 2050+, includes new maps that indicate a conceptual network of regional hubs and corridors, and analysis of “service gaps and needs”. This gap analysis is an important step in the development of an aspirational transit service vision that Seamless Bay Area has long advocated for, and which is reflective of international best practices. Riders may wish to comment on what corridors and hubs they perceive to be most important to plan increased service and connectivity for.
If you have time - tell MTC Commissioners during public comment that you support progress being made towards regional transit wayfinding signage. Review the connected network plan and weigh in about options that meet the needs of your community with robust and well-connected transit.
If not - there will be many more opportunities in the next several months to speak up on these initiatives. Stay tuned for updates!
The Council will receive a report and presentation on the findings of the recent study delegation to Switzerland that Seamless Bay Area participated in alongside representatives from the Bay Area’s major agencies. Seamless Bay Area collaborated on the report with transit agency staff - download the full report here. It documents key Swiss practices of integrated timetables, service-based planning, infrastructure planning, and fare integration that are key to the country’s success, and offers lessons learned for applying those practices to the Bay Area.
For more information about the Swiss delegation, see Seamless Bay Area Policy Director Ian Griffiths’ prior blog posts on Switzerland’s nation-wide system of coordination, fare integration, and new funding and governance reforms.
This report adds to Seamless Bay Area’s body of work in bringing international best practices in public transportation back to the Bay Area – including a convening of Swedish and California senior policymakers and transport professionals, a conversation with the European association of network manager authorities, and Singapore’s transportation network.
Check our new blog posts!
MTC Commissioners discussed proposed policies to increase voter confidence and improve agency accountability in the context of a regional transportation funding measure. Staff recommended the authorizing legislation strengthen MTC’s role as a transit network manager to accelerate the region’s “Transformation Action Plan” initiatives for integrated fares, schedules, wayfinding and other system coordination improving rider experience. Read more here.
Notes from Singapore, a transit mecca
Singapore both exemplifies well-known transit best practices and challenges oft-held assumptions of how transit ‘should’ work. Of course Singapore and cities in California have many differences - but now more than ever California needs to be looking abroad at successful practices in other parts of the world as we seek to transform transit. Singapore offers plenty of lessons. Read more here.
State of California kicks off Transit Transformation Task Force
The SB125 Transit Transformation Task Force – charged by the state legislature with studying the costs to operate and maintain public transportation and making recommendations regarding how to improve mobility and increase ridership on transit – hosted their inaugural meeting on December 19th. The task force’s 25 members includes Seamless Bay Area, with representation from transit agencies, labor, business, academics, other nonprofits, as well as key staffers from the state administration and legislature. Read more here.
More discounts available with open payment from California Integrated Travel Project
In November, Monterey Salinas Transit announced that veterans can access their transit discounts by paying with a contactless credit or debit card. Seniors in the Monterey-Salinas area gained the ability in September of 2022. Seniors in Santa Barbara gained access in 2023. These developments open up the possibility that transit riders in the Bay Area might be able to access discounts for which they are eligible while paying with a credit or debit card, some time after the launch of the next-generation Clipper system in the Fall of 2024. Read more here.
Seamless Bay Area 2023 #Wrapped
We’ve compiled the data and here’s a #wrap of some key numbers showing Seamless Bay Area’s major accomplishments of 2023. Read more here.
There is a lot on the horizon in regards to a regional transportation funding measure, so stay tuned to learn how you can get involved and support Bay Area transit!