The Almanac News
By Eli Walsh, Bay City News Foundation
State Sen. Josh Becker introduced a bill Thursday that would require Bay Area transit agencies to coordinate their fare structures and schedules in an effort to entice riders back to public transit.
Senate Bill 917 would require the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the region's 27 transit agencies to utilize a universal fare system, coordinate their schedules and develop a single transit map and trip planning system by mid-2024.
Becker, D-Menlo Park, noted that the transit agencies operating across the Bay Area's nine counties have multiple different fare structures, discount and loyalty programs and trip planning systems and lack integrated schedules and live transit data.
As a result, he argued, transferring between multiple public transit systems can be unreliable and leave riders waiting for needlessly long periods of time.
"Right now, riding transit in our region can be a disjointed and unreliable experience," Becker said. "This legislation will help transform our system into a world-class, seamless experience for the public, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving access to jobs and housing for residents."
Article also carried by SFGate and the Pleasanton Weekly