Seamless Bay Area 2023 #Wrapped

What a year it has been.  As we enter the last days of 2023, here’s a #wrap of some of the key numbers showing Seamless Bay Area’s major accomplishments this year.

2023 In Numbers:

Scene from the ‘Funeral procession’ for Bay Area transit held in June 2023 and organized by the Save California Transit coalition, of which Seamless Bay Area is a member. Protests and other civic engagement like the transit funeral were crucial activism that secured $1.1 billion in new statewide funding for transit operations.

  • 10,000 — Letters written and public comments made in support of emergency funding to address fiscal cliff co-leading a statewide coalition

  • 66% — Overall Ridership recovery of Bay Area public transit, as of September 2023, compared to pre-pandemic levels

  • 40% — Average increase in ridership of University Students who have access to the BayPass when compared to  their peers that only have access to single agency transit passes

  • 44 — Blog Posts

  • 12 — Events (8 in person, 4 virtual)

  • 33 — Media articles mentioning or quoting Seamless Bay Area (see our press page)

  • 5.1 billion — In dollars, projected 5-year shortfall of California transit agencies due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

  • 400 million — In dollars, total amount identified for Bay Area transit agency operations in the July state budget, thanks to months of advocacy from thousands of riders, providing sufficient funding to prevent cuts for about two years

  • 42 — Number of Transit Month events spread across 8 of the 9 Bay Area counties – more than double the events held in 2022. 

  • 11 — Number of Bay Area Transit leaders who traveled to Switzerland to learn about the practices, governance and funding that enable hundreds of agencies to be able to work together to provide a seamless country-wide system, with coordinated schedules and integrated fares. 

  • 17,742 — Number of unique trips logged as part of Transit Month’s Ride Contest, more than doubling the number of rides logged in 2022. 

Some moments from Transit Month 2023. The events pictured are Meet the BART Anime Mascots, Downtown Berkeley Rally, All Aboard Peninsula!, Invest in Transit Accessibility, Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force Annual Event, Rosie Ride: A Riveting Ferry Adventure, Transit Stops Drunk Driving, and the Rider First Awards.

Integration and coordinated transit policies are underpinning transit recovery efforts with Seamless Bay Area receiving more media exposure and conversations with elected officials than ever before. You can view this particular CBS interview here.

Our vision for integrated and seamless transit reached new highs in 2023 with record levels of public awareness and grassroots support, successful advocacy at the local- and state-level, and initiatives to grow our coalition in the region and across the state. We are living through a watershed moment for public transportation in the Bay Area and California (let alone the rest of the country) and will continue advocating for change in 2024 and beyond.

Ian Griffiths