If the regional transit funding measure does not pass, BART is looking at severe cuts beginning in 2027, including reducing service by more than 60%, closing 10+ stations, ending service at 9pm, and eliminating entire lines. Help pass the Connect Bay Area transit initiative to prevent cuts.
Read MoreThis blog post will provide an overview of what Service-Led Planning is and why it has been so successful in generating ridership in the places where it’s been deployed effectively. Then we’ll summarize in greater detail the steps the Bay Area has taken toward more coordinated service, and what additional steps are needed to get to Service-Led Planning that can make transit significantly more convenient and cost-effective. Finally, we’ll share how riders can speak up for these changes in 2026.
Read MoreAdvocates fought throughout all of 2025 to make this victory possible. This loan will keep transit running in the immediate short-term, but to save transit service and ensure stable finances will require passing both a regional and a San Francisco transit funding measure in 2026.
Read MoreAs of December 10th, 2025 Bay Area transit riders no longer need to pay extra when they transfer between two or more agencies. This is a big moment worth celebrating! Getting to this moment took nearly a decade of advocacy. In this post, we’ve compiled a summary of the years’ long battle that led to this victory - but also some remaining issues that still aren’t resolved, and where rider advocacy will be needed to make this long-awaited improvement permanent and as impactful as possible.
Read MoreThe primary goal was to provide North Bay riders with real-time information for their connecting transit to and from SMART. A related goal was to show information about connecting service for new and occasional riders of SMART to discover and understand potential transit connections to and from the station. The connecting information will become even more useful when North Bay transit service is reorganized under the MASCOTS plan.
Read MoreIn 2025, the LOSSAN Corridor Resiliency Subcommittee brought together panelists from various fields to suggest reforms to the Southern California rail corridor that will address challenges and increase ridership. Fare and schedule integration, capital project streamlining, and governance were discussed as potential solutions.
Read MoreIn December, the State Transit Transformation Task Force issued its final report (which still isn’t posted on the website). The Task Force had been established as part of the 2023 budget agreement with goals to consider long-term strategies to fund rail and transit, increase ridership and improve cost-effectiveness to achieve the state’s goals.
Read MoreLooking back on 2025, we’re seeing steady progress toward more seamless transit across the region - a direct result of Seamless Bay Area’s effective advocacy over the last six years. Here’s a summary of what we’ve accomplished this year and the opportunities in 2026 that will need your help and support.
Read MoreNew “mobility wallet” programs are offering subsidies for low-income people to use transit along with other transportation modes. Innovation is welcome, but also the proliferation of programs adds inconvenience for low-income people.
Read MoreThe Bay Area transit funding measures can pass with a signature-gathering effort, according to new polling. Voters highly value public transit and perceptions have improved since 2023.
Read MoreFunding shortfalls threaten to reverse Caltrain's dramatic ridership boom following the start of faster, more frequent electric train service. The agency could be forced to run only hourly service, run no weekend service, and more.
Read MoreCounty Connection's 4 bus from Walnut Creek BART to downtown has an opportunity to improve service and seamless transfers. Seamless Bay Area supports local advocacy for improvement.
Read MoreThe governor recently signed AB1250 (Papan), a new bill to streamline the paratransit recertification process. This bill reduces a longstanding inconvenience for paratransit users. By simplifying the recertification process, people with disabilities won't have to go through lengthy processes to prove their disability over and over again.
Read MoreGetting around the Bay Area by transit is about to become simpler, cheaper, and more convenient. Starting December 10th, transit agencies are rolling out Clipper 2.0, upgrading the decades-old Clipper Card with a modern and effective fare payment system.
Read MoreSweden’s division into 21 metropolitan regions, each with its own elected government, plays a critical role in delivering excellent and widely used public transportation. Sweden’s diverse regions have different transportation needs, and its region-led system of governance allows for significant variation in approaches to public transportation, while maintaining consistent integration of fare, schedule, and wayfinding within regions.
Read MoreIf approved by voters at the November 2026 ballot, this measure will prevent deep service cuts to BART, Caltrain, Muni, AC Transit, and other transit services, fund regional transit integration initiatives, and generate flexible funds for counties to spend on other transit-related priorities. Now, the work begins to kick off a massive signature gathering effort to get this measure on the November 2026 ballot and then the work of getting voter approval.
Read MoreIllinois may be leapfrogging ahead of California with a bill to reform governance, funding and transit project delivery for Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. SB 3438 would replace the existing Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), the MPO for the Chicago region, with the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) to coordinate schedules and fares for these services. NITA’s full set of responsibilities and authorities would make arguably the first true ‘network manager’ in the US - and could thus be transformative in leading toward a seamlessly integrated network in the greater Chicago region.
Read MoreUnfortunately, riders who qualify for discounts - senior, low income, youth and disability - cannot yet get access to their discounts if they pay with a credit, debit, or prepaid card. BART’s data shows that 15.6% of riders use one of these discounts. MTC says that the capability for people to get access to their discounts when paying with a credit or debit card is planned for the future, but no schedule details are available yet.
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