With some 27 different transit agencies [1] serving the region, few of which have transfer and fare-sharing agreements in place, the Bay Area suffers from severe transit fragmentation. This state of affairs undermines goals around mobility and sustainable transportation, cleaner air and lowered carbon emissions, and equitably providing economic opportunity for all. Potentially, one simple idea could go a long way towards addressing all of those challenges, and make the commuting experience less confusing and more convenient: regional fare integration. For Silicon Valley in particular, now stands to be a particularly promising time to work on the issue, as MTC looks to update its Clipper card in the next few years [2]; BART’s extension to San Jose, now under construction, is likely to dramatically increase transit interchanges; and leading stakeholders in the region are publicly interested in transit improvements [3], possibly seeking to place a transit funding measure on the 2016 ballot.
With those challenges and opportunities in mind, our group deeply studied the following questions, focusing on Santa Clara County :
If our data did not exactly demonstrate an absolute need of integrated fare, we could still draw some pretty consistent conclusions :
Working on this project was for all of us a great experience, as a fascinating opportunity to apply the concepts we studied in class to real-life challenges. As for our project, in our bibliography we were able to identify some key factors in any future plans for fare integration in the Bay Area. On the survey side, even with only 191 respondents, we were able to identify and analyze several clear patterns in commuters' habits. We hope this project will only be the beginning of a more broad study, and that people will be able in the future to use our data to improve public transportation in the broader Bay Area.
[1]http://www.spur.org/publications/article/2012-03-17/six-ideas-saving-bay-area-transit
[2]http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/05/13/clipper-card-upgrade-could-miss-big-regional-transit-improvements/
[3]http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_27307809/carl-guardino-silicon-valley-and-region-want-caltrain
Acknowledgements
In carrying out this project, we received the help and guidance of respected persons, who deserve our greatest gratitude. We would first and foremost like to thank our instructor Deland Chan, who has provided this unique opportunity for Stanford students to collaborate with government agencies and NGOs in the Bay Area to support their efforts towards creating sustainable, healthy, and equitable cities. Specifically, we would like to thank Adina Levin from Friends of Caltrain and Charisse Ma Lebron from Working Partnerships for offering guidance throughout this entire process and through numerous consultations. We would also like to expand our deepest gratitude to all those who helped directly or indirectly gather survey responses: Watercourse Way, Philz Coffee (Facebook & Middlefield Location), SJSU Transportation Solutions, Stanford Habla, Stanford Stepping Stones to Success Program, Working Partnerships and SIREN.
Of course, we would have not been able to analyze the data if we did not have survey respondents willing to help our efforts. Thus, we feel an immense gratitude towards all of our anonymous survey respondents who participated. We hope that our findings can help improve the public transportation system in your community.
With those challenges and opportunities in mind, our group deeply studied the following questions, focusing on Santa Clara County :
- Is regional fare integration possible, and is it needed?
- Can we as a county simultaneously simplify journeys for commuters by making it easier to switch between transit modes and agencies, while also making transfers between transit providers more affordable?
If our data did not exactly demonstrate an absolute need of integrated fare, we could still draw some pretty consistent conclusions :
- Time is the factor that matters most to commuters;
- Non-transit riders in the area tend to have quicker commutes than transit riders, making a shift away from driving towards transit challenging;
- Lower-income commuters tend to drive more; and
- Commuter benefits, or subsidies, seem to have great influence on transit use.
Working on this project was for all of us a great experience, as a fascinating opportunity to apply the concepts we studied in class to real-life challenges. As for our project, in our bibliography we were able to identify some key factors in any future plans for fare integration in the Bay Area. On the survey side, even with only 191 respondents, we were able to identify and analyze several clear patterns in commuters' habits. We hope this project will only be the beginning of a more broad study, and that people will be able in the future to use our data to improve public transportation in the broader Bay Area.
[1]http://www.spur.org/publications/article/2012-03-17/six-ideas-saving-bay-area-transit
[2]http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/05/13/clipper-card-upgrade-could-miss-big-regional-transit-improvements/
[3]http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_27307809/carl-guardino-silicon-valley-and-region-want-caltrain
Acknowledgements
In carrying out this project, we received the help and guidance of respected persons, who deserve our greatest gratitude. We would first and foremost like to thank our instructor Deland Chan, who has provided this unique opportunity for Stanford students to collaborate with government agencies and NGOs in the Bay Area to support their efforts towards creating sustainable, healthy, and equitable cities. Specifically, we would like to thank Adina Levin from Friends of Caltrain and Charisse Ma Lebron from Working Partnerships for offering guidance throughout this entire process and through numerous consultations. We would also like to expand our deepest gratitude to all those who helped directly or indirectly gather survey responses: Watercourse Way, Philz Coffee (Facebook & Middlefield Location), SJSU Transportation Solutions, Stanford Habla, Stanford Stepping Stones to Success Program, Working Partnerships and SIREN.
Of course, we would have not been able to analyze the data if we did not have survey respondents willing to help our efforts. Thus, we feel an immense gratitude towards all of our anonymous survey respondents who participated. We hope that our findings can help improve the public transportation system in your community.