10/20/23: Rider First Awards, European Governance Models Webinar, and good news on fare integration
We have upcoming events you don’t want to miss and a nugget of good news about regrowing transit ridership and fare integration.
October 13th, 4:30-7:30pm - Rider First Award Celebration
Join Seamless Bay Area and the San Francisco Transit Riders for the Rider First Award Celebration, our party to round out the end of Transit Month. The festivities will be on Friday, October 13th from 4:30-7:30pm at the Bay Area Metro Center (375 Beale Street, San Francisco) with the Award Ceremony beginning at 6pm.
Come celebrate the people who have gone above and beyond to improve transit in the past year. Assemblymember Phil Ting and public transit advocate Nayeli Maxon will be our special guests - and drinks and food will be provided!
November 2, 12-1pm - Webinar: How do they do it? European governance models for seamless transit
Big changes are afoot for Bay Area public transportation. The upcoming 2026 regional transportation funding measure has the potential to supercharge our transition towards an integrated, reliable, connected, and accessible transportation network. Now is a pivotal opportunity to rethink and restructure Bay Area transportation governance and consider adopting a network management approach to regional transportation decisions.
Join Seamless Bay Area’s webinar on Thursday, November 2 from 12-1pm PST with special guest Thomas Geier, Policy Advisor with European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) - an association of 34 European regional network management authorities that includes London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and other major regions. We’ll discuss the variety of regional governance structures across Europe, how they affect service delivery, funding, and infrastructure development, and which models might work best for the Bay Area.
Good news on transit ridership, integrated fares!
Yes, fare integration builds ridership. That’s the finding one year into the BayPass pilot program, where students with the multi-agency pass make *40%* more trips than students with a single-agency pass.
Fare integration is an important part of building ridership on our transit networks by simplifying the user experience and reducing barriers to using transit.
Chart showing dramatic increase in transit trips among BayPass holders from three participating universities, compared to single-agency pass holders.
To learn more, check out the agenda packet for this Friday’s Regional Network Management Committee meeting at 1pm. Also, read our most recent blog post on the second phase of Baypass, where it’ll be rolled out to employers and workers. And while you’re at it, give our Twitter account a follow for more updates on Bay Area transit news.