By Transit California Staff
WTS Sacramento announces awards
WTS Sacramento is thrilled to announce the remarkable award winners who will be honored at our upcoming Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner:
Woman of the Year: Autumn Bernstein, Yolo Transportation District
Member of the Year: Kira Caselli, Mark Thomas
Honorable Ray LaHood Award: Michael Pimentel, California Transit Association
Employer of the Year: Sacramento Regional Transit
Innovative Transportation Solutions: Arcade-Cripple Creek Trail (ACCT), City of Citrus Heights
Each year WTS is amazed by the caliber of applications received and the incredible work being led by women in the Sacramento Region. Each of the winners will be honored at the Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner on January 30, 2025.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission: San Francisco, San Jose win $27 million in EV grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced $635 million in grants(link is external, opens in a new window) to continue building out electric vehicle (EV) charging and alternative fueling infrastructure.
Two Bay Area projects won funding:
- The Environment Department of the City and County of San Francisco will receive nearly $15 million to install up to 300 EV charging ports in publicly accessible garages, lots, and curbside locations, primarily serving disadvantaged and other underserved communities. The project deploys both Level 2 and DC Fast Chargers to increase the total number of charging ports in the city by 30%. The city will have 1,275 publicly available EV charging ports by the conclusion of this project.
- The City of San Jose, representing several cities in Santa Clara County, will receive $12 million to install EV charging stations in underserved communities throughout the county. The project will install 237 EV charging ports across San Jose and neighboring cities within the Silicon Valley Clean Energy service area. In San Jose, 120 EV charging ports will be installed at 12 city-owned public libraries, community centers, and parks. The project will serve many locations throughout the region, including parks, a public health clinic, community centers, public parking lots, and municipal fleet facilities
Funding for the projects came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s signature zero-emission refueling infrastructure programs. Across the country, the grants fund 49 projects that will deploy more than 11,500 EV charging ports and hydrogen and natural gas fueling infrastructure along corridors and in communities across 27 States, four Federally Recognized Tribes, and the District of Columbia.
President Joe Biden set a goal of building out 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030, a goal that is expected to be achieved early. As of today, there are more than 206,000 publicly available EV charging ports with 38,000 new public chargers turned on in 2024 thanks to private sector investment, and a combination of direct federal funding, federal tax incentives, and state and local funding.
“The Biden Administration has made historic investments to support the EV transition and make sure it’s made in America,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These investments will help states and communities build out a network of EV chargers in the coming years so that one day, finding a charge on a road trip will be as easy as filling up at a gas station.”
VTA Hosts Nationwide Equity in Infrastructure Coalition With 18 New Members at Bay Area Pledge Signing
Eighteen leaders, including those of more than a dozen major Bay Area transit agencies and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, signed the Equity In Infrastructure Project Pledge today, joining a national coalition committed to increasing contracting opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) in the infrastructure sector. This increases competition for public contracts, saving taxpayer dollars and delivering better value for infrastructure investments while building generational wealth and reducing the racial wealth gap.
The signing grows the EIP’s voluntary coalition to 92 transit authorities, airports, ports, water districts, and engineering, financial and construction firms from across the country – representing hundreds of billions of dollars of power to improve people’s lives.
The pledge signing was held at the Milpitas Transit Center on January 13, hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP).
“VTA's transit connects one of the most diverse and economically vibrant metropolitan areas in the nation,” said VTA Board Chair, Sergio Lopez. “Today's commitment is a recognition that this diversity is key to success — whether to the economic vitality of Silicon Valley or to the successful operation of a complex transit agency — and will create opportunity in our communities for generations to come.”
“EIP is an economic development program. When we are intentional about prime, joint venture, and equity participation opportunities for historically underutilized businesses, we put people to work, and we grow businesses and community wealth,” said EIP Co-Chair Phil Washington, who is CEO of the Denver International Airport. “These are tough economic times across our nation. What we are rallying people around is leveraging infrastructure investments into investments in people’s financial security.”
Leaders representing 18 entities signed the EIP Pledge today: VTA; BART; City of Milpitas; SFO; SFMTA; MTC; COMTO Nor Cal; AC Transit; Caltrain; SamTrans; San Francisco Bay Ferry; Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District; Transbay Joint Powers Authority; Denver Water; Valley Water; The Allen Group; BUILDIT; San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
The Equity in Infrastructure Pledge calls on signers to:
- Increase the number, size and proportion of contracting opportunities going to HUBs.
- Increase the number, size and proportion of contracting opportunities going to HUBs as prime contractors.
- Streamline the administration of contracting with HUBs to centralize certification, improve payment time, and standardize transparent data collection.
- Increase the amount and type of financing available to HUBs aiming to meet infrastructure contracts by working with private and public partners; and
- Expand the number of signatories to this Pledge.
SacRT Announces Soft Launch of New Shared-Use Mobility Service: SacRT Flex
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is pleased to announce the soft launch of its new shared-use mobility program. SacRT Flex is a limited subsidized neighborhood shuttle service for a limited group of qualified riders, including seniors (age 62+), low-income individuals, and persons with disabilities.
SacRT Flex, a new program operated by Via, will officially start service on Thursday, January 2, 2025. SacRT Flex is a limited shared-use service designed to provide greater accessibility and mobility for riders with the greatest transportation needs. During the soft launch phase, eligible riders are invited to test the new service and familiarize themselves with its features.
“This new program, although not a replacement for SmaRT Ride, ensures that we continue to meet the mobility needs of our community while maintaining fiscal responsibility and optimizing resources,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “We are excited to introduce a program that prioritizes accessibility and convenience for those who need it most.”
SacRT Flex is operated by Via, the same vendor previously responsible for scheduling the SmaRT Ride service. For the SacRT Flex program, Via manages the app, schedules the trips, maintains the vehicles, provides the drivers, and collects the fare revenue – ensuring a seamless experience for riders. SacRT Flex is being funded by Measure A as a pilot for the next 18-months. Measure A is a Sacramento County program that funds transportation projects and services through a half-cent sales tax.
Key details about SacRT Flex:
- Operating Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (excluding most holidays).
- Service Areas: SacRT Flex will operate in the same nine zones as SmaRT Ride: Citrus Heights-Antelope-Orangevale, Arden-Carmichael, Downtown-Midtown, Elk Grove, Florin-Gerber, Folsom, Franklin-South Sacramento, Natomas-North Sacramento, and Rancho Cordova.
- Ride Requests: Rides must be booked at least 24 hours in advance (up to two days in advance) using Via’s SacRT Flex app or by phone. Same day requests are not available at this time.
- Cost: $2.50 per trip for eligible riders and adult companions; free for children riding with parents.
To ride Via’s SacRT Flex service, individuals must first complete an eligibility process. Applications can be submitted online at sacrt.com/applyflex. Via’s SacRT Flex app is also available to download on Google Play and the App Store.
BART: Bay Area transit agencies coordinate the Big Sync to unify schedule changes
Bay Area transit agencies are now syncing schedules in a whole new way with a focus on improving transfers between systems and making schedule changes at the same time. Transit riders who use more than one system will see a variety of improvements across the Bay Area this month, saving some riders up to 16 minutes on their trips.
Many Bay Area transit agencies are rolling out new schedules mid-January in coordination with each other and have now aligned the timing of schedule changes twice each year, once in summer (mid-August) and once in winter (mid-January). Since 2022, the number of transit agencies with full schedule change alignment (changing schedules at the same time in August and January) has increased from four to 20 – a 400% increase.
Advancing schedule change alignment is a key priority for Bay Area transit general managers who meet on a weekly basis to make transit more rider-focused and efficient.
The Big Sync reduces travel time
Agencies meet several months in advance of each schedule change to share planned changes and to look for opportunities to improve transfers.
Specific service coordination efforts for January include:
- BART is timing its late evening Millbrae service that runs every 15 minutes to line up with Caltrain’s service every 30 minutes. In September 2024, Caltrain’s new electric service schedule significantly improved transfer times. Both agencies have coordinated on a helpful transfer timetable to show which trains connect and their transfer wait times.
- VTA is making changes to match both BART’s and Caltrain’s schedule changes to ensure timed transfers are maintained at various locations across the South Bay and Peninsula.
- In San Francisco, Muni is restoring the 30X Marina Express bus for two morning trips at 7:15am and 7:45am, beginning in February. Morning commuters will be able to enjoy a fast, direct connection from the Marina to BART and the Transbay Center connecting to various bus lines.
- For transit riders traveling during the morning commute from Napa County’s Redwood Park n Ride on the Napa Valley Transportation Authority’s bus 29 to El Cerrito del Norte Station to catch the Red Line into San Francisco between 5:30am and 8am, their trips will be six minutes faster on average and up to 16 minutes faster.
- For transit riders returning home on their evening commute from the San Rafael Transit Center in Marin County to the Richmond Parkway Transit Center in Contra Costa County between 3pm and 6:30pm on the Golden Gate Transit #580 or #580X and the AC Transit #76 (transferring at Cutting Blvd and Harbour), their trips will be 5 minutes and 40 seconds faster on average and up to 16 minutes faster.
- Transit riders departing the Salesforce Transit Center between 9pm and midnight on the Golden Gate Transit bus 130 and the Marin Transit bus 35 (transferring at the San Rafael Transit Center), will arrive at the Canal Area of San Rafael (Kerner and Larkspur) 15 minutes faster.
“These are examples of how Bay Area transit agencies are acting as one network to better serve the Bay Area to help reduce traffic and improve the quality of service,” said Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer at BART. “Making transit faster than driving a car and easier to navigate is possible when the Bay Area invests in transit and we all work together.”
Bay Area Transit in 2025 is anything but business as usual
Riding transit will be more affordable in 2025 as Bay Area transit agencies are working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on the upcoming Next Generation of Clipper, which will give transit riders free or discounted transfers between systems. A unified approach to maps and directional signs across the region is also being tested and expanded. And agencies are participating in Clipper BayPass to test the concept of a prepaid unlimited transit pass and fare capping. Clipper BayPass is being sold to interested organizations who would like to offer their employees an all-you-can-ride transit. These programs will help increase transit ridership and will help meet local and state climate goals.