The Bay Area is served by 27 transit agencies. Twenty-seven.
From larger systems like VTA, BART, AC Transit, Capitol Corridor, SFMTA and Caltrain to more local systems like LAVTA, WestCAT, County Connection and Tri-Delta Transit, you have to deal with buses, trains and ferries. uncoordinated connections and different tariff structures.
No wonder that in 2018 Transit was only used for 12% of all commutes, while 75% used used cars. And then the pandemic struck – and patronage for transit collapsed.
Meanwhile, Bay Area residents are paying dearly through taxes, tolls, and transit agency tariffs, which are proportionally the highest Administrative expenses in the country and most expensive and slowest Major projects.
Without a complete overhaul of transit in the Bay Area, the region will continue to be dependent on polluting cars and costly highway construction – an inequality where those who can afford it drive comfortably while those with less resources are in the marginalized have to hobble transit.
So what do we do
Pensive analysis The transit driver-operated group Seamless Bay Area, released this month, offers a vision for integrating and unified management of the region’s transportation systems. It should serve as a starting point for serious discussions by local, regional, and state officials about how we can renew our failed public transportation.
After examining government structures across the nation and around the world, Seamless calls for the creation of a regional agency in the Bay Area, led by a 15-member, appointed Board of Transit Expert who has the mandate and resources to to coordinate the systems into a coherent, easy-to-use network.
On the one hand, it might be a political fantasy to believe that powerful transport officials would cede power for the good of the region. On the other hand, this is the only sensible option we have.
The seamless analysis fills a void left by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that has not been met his mandate Coordinate Bay Area Transit. The former managing director of the agency, Steve Hemingerfocused his 18-year reign on bridges, highways, and building a personal empire rather than transit reform. And Therese McMillan, who replaced Heminger two years ago, has not yet presented a plan.
Ultimately, however, the blame lies with the 21 MTC commissioners, who are mostly elected local officials who are more concerned with collecting taxes and cutting revenues than changing the ineffective transit status quo.
While MTC plays, BART rushes to fill in the void. That should alert anyone interested in public transportation. Has beard one of only four directly elected transit boards in the nation. Most directors focus on pleasing the unions they have elected rather than making significant changes.
As shown by its Passenger Satisfaction SurveysPrepandemic decreasing number of drivers, excessive employment contracts, Cheating the voters who approved their tax hikes and trials block a voter-appointed independent auditorBART cannot manage its own house, let alone that of the region.
With the expected funds from the Bay Area bridge fee hike approved in 2018 and the funds raised from the property tax hike, BART convinced voters to approve in 2016, and the rail system is pushing what it calls forward Link21.
Link21 is supposedly a 21-circle railroad coordination project with BART and Capitol Corridor at the forefront, running their selfish trains, allegedly to plan a second Transbay passenger rail tunnel which is the justification for the questionable use of toll and taxpayers’ money. This is not the objective, passenger-oriented policy planning that the region needs.
This is why Seamless Bay Area’s efforts are so critical. Seamless is a nonprofit organization funded by grants and contributions from groups such as the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the American Public Transportation Association.
The aim is a “seamless rider-first-transit system” with, for example, common tariff structures and integrated route planning. The group recommends a merger of BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s ferry system, and Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit.
This combined agency would be led by the appointed 15-person expert panel on transit experts. It’s similar to what was done in Seattle, Toronto and Manchester, England.
The first step in the seamless plan would be BART and Caltrain merge Providing a rail network that circles the bay south of the Golden Gate. The group stresses that BART should not lead any agency that emerges from this merger.
There’s a lot to chew here. The big question is whether we want to be a victim of our regional history which spawned 27 transit agencies. Or do we want to create a coordinated system that serves the interests of the passengers?
