State Transit Transformation Task Force Concludes Its Work with Unsatisfying Final Meeting - Streetsblog California

"The state's Transit Transformation Task Force recently met for the final time. The two-year TTTF process was charged with producing recommendations - for the legislature and governor - on developing policy reforms aimed at growing transit ridership, improving the rider experience, and addressing long-term operational and funding challenges. The Task Force was mandated by legislation passed by the Legislature and signed into law in 2023."

"If you think this sounds more like a starting point than an ending one, you're not alone. "I think the Task Force both failed to meet the objectives that were given to it by the Legislature and has started a longer-term process to transform transit in California that will involve the Legislature, executive branch, regional agencies, and transit operators," said Juan Matute, Deputy Director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies."

"The Transit Transformation Task Force was a statewide panel created by Senate Bill 125 (SB 125) in 2023 to develop strategies for revitalizing and modernizing public transit across California. The Task Force was established in response to declining ridership and financial instability at many transit agencies-problems worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its mission was to identify both short- and long-term reforms to make transit more efficient, equitable, and financially sustainable."

The Transit Transformation Task Force completed a two-year effort charged with recommending policy reforms to grow ridership, improve rider experience, and address long-term operational and funding challenges. The Task Force was mandated by 2023 legislation and convened as a 25-member panel including transit agencies, local governments, labor, environmental organizations, business groups, and rider advocates. The Task Force recommended that the state find new ways to raise money for transit and that greater coordination is needed to make the riding experience seamless for people who rely on multiple agencies. Stakeholders characterized the recommendations as a beginning of a longer-term transformation requiring legislative and executive follow-up.

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