We can create a unified and world-class transportation network by reforming the Bay Area's flawed transportation governance.
The Problem
Public transportation in the Bay Area does not work for people.
Unreliable service, slow speeds, poor connections, run-down stations: Bay Area public transportation is often so miserable that many people avoid it completely. It's no wonder only 12% of people in our region take transit to work.
The Bay Area's lack of a connected, convenient public transportation system hurts us all. It leaves many people with no option but to drive everywhere, spending more of their paycheck on transportation costs, and more of their time in long commutes. As the Bay Area continues to grow, inadequate public transportation is exacerbating our region's most pressing problems:
Increasing congestion
Decreasing housing affordability
Rising greenhouse gas emissions
Deepening inequality
Root Causes
The heart of the Bay Area's transportation problem is fragmented transportation governance.
27 different agencies provide transit service separately with little coordination and no regional vision. By most measures, the Bay Area has the most fragmented public transit network in the country.
Service areas of the Bay Area's 27 fragmented transit agencies (courtesy: SPUR)
Fragmentation contributes to:
- An incoherent network that, for riders, is inconvenient to use and nearly impossible to understand.
- Shortsighted planning, where piecemeal transportation projects are favored over larger systematic improvements that would serve more people.
- Little public accountability for our lack of regional transit connectivity.
- High operating costs, paid for by riders, and duplication of many overhead functions that could be shared.
- Poorly managed transit expansion projects where severe delays and cost overruns are the norm.
If we don't fix our inefficient and unaccountable system of transportation governance, public transit will continue to decline. We will all suffer the environmental, social, and economic consequences.
Our Vision
We need a single lead authority with the mandate and resources to integrate and expand public transportation in the Bay Area.
We envision a Seamless Bay Area where it's easy to get around on a frequent, connected network of excellent public transit and other forms of mobility.
With clear leadership from an accountable and modern transportation authority, we can create a world-class system in less than a decade that will provide us with:
More transit service for every dollar spent --
in every part of the region
A consistent, high quality customer experience
Effortless, dependable transfers between services
A simple fare structure and transit passes that work everywhere
An easy-to-use website, app, and transit map
New technology and forms of transportation as they become available
Ready to get involved?
