7/26/23: Celebrate state funding win, learn lessons from Swiss transit - and more events this month
July 30 - Transit double feature: Regional measure popup and volunteer celebration in San Francisco
Can’t get tickets to Barbenheimer? Instead, make it a transit double-feature this Sunday, July 30th in San Francisco.
First, between 11am and 2pm, come to MTC’s popup at Sunday Streets in the Mission (Valencia Street between Duboce Avenue and 26th Street) and share your priorities to help plan a Regional Funding Measure in 2026 for frequent, fast, well-connected, seamless transit. This is an official public input opportunity for anyone in the Bay Area - so your comments in support of seamless transit are especially important.
This is a Buy Your Own Beer event. The location outside is kid friendly, with a nearby playground. Bring your loved ones!
Please register to make sure we save enough space at the park!
August 10, 1pm - Lessons from Switzerland for Bay Area and US Public Transit (Zoom Webinar)
Join us for our panel of Bay Area transit leaders who traveled to Switzerland taking part in a study tour. We will learn key insights about Switzerland’s internationally-renowned transit system – with one of the highest ridership rates in the world – and how they operate such an effective and integrated transit network in a complex environment with many transit agencies at multiple levels of government involvement at the federal, state, and local levels.
The webinar is from 1-2 PM (PDT) on August 10th with panelists from BART, WETA, MTC, SPUR, and Seamless Bay Area. You can RSVP for the event here.
Help Plan the Bay Area’s future with a frequent, connected transit network
In addition to the Sunday Streets event on July 30, there are 14 more pop-up events across the Bay Area through September 6th to share your thoughts and lived experience about your needs for a frequent, well-connected transit network. MTC will also have an online survey starting Friday though September 8th.
Due Monday July, 28th - Bay Area Wayfinding Survey
MTC’s wayfinding survey to inform how to develop a new and improved wayfinding system in the Bay Area was extended to July 28th and is now available in Spanish and Mandarin. Take the 6 minute survey now.
August 24th - Next-generation integrated, equitable bikeshare at Silicon Valley Bike Summit
Silicon Valley Bike Coalition is hosting their 13th Annual Summit on August 24th in Mountain View. Adina Levin of Seamless will moderate a panel on achieving an equitable and seamless public micromobility system. Panelists will discuss ideas to increase affordability, improve the fragmented system to increase ease of use, and meet diverse user needs.
The Summit will be at the Mountain View Community Center (201 South Rengstorff Avenue) from 8:30am to 6:00pm on August 24. Register for the Summit here.
New on our Blog
Seamless Bay Area’s Policy Director Ian Griffiths’ latest piece explains how the Swiss transit turnaround involved both raising more funding for transit and getting governance right – establishing a transportation network manager with the mandate to oversee coordination at both the national and regional scales.
VTA approves visionary plan for abundant service but doesn’t mention rider-requested connections
At full implementation, the Visionary Network would offer 83% more service compared to current 2023 service, attracting 45-70% more riders anticipated to cost 44% above the current operating budget. Read more about VTA’s Visionary Network here.
Bay Area Ferry operators diverge in ridership regrowth strategies: How things are panning out.
By providing more frequent all-day and all-week service, integration with other parts of the transit system, and competitive fare prices, the San Francisco Bay Ferry (operated by WETA) has one of the highest transit ridership recoveries among services providing regional trips. Read more about how they are forging a new path for regional transit here.
Discounted fare program for low-income riders poised for extension
Clipper START, a low-income transit discount program, is poised for extension through 2025. Learn more about the program’s history, its effectiveness, and changes for the future here.