TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: MTC Plan Bay Area 2050 Telecommuting Mandate
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider the adoption of Resolution No. 20-057 opposing Plan Bay Area (PBA) 2050 Strategy EN7: "Institute Telecommuting Mandates for Major Office-Based Employers."
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Financial Stability and Resiliency
Initiative - Financial Efficiency and Revenue Maximization
The resolution indicates AC Transit's concern about policies which are likely to reduce the District's ridership and fare revenues and impede transit-oriented development and associated revenues.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) policy and this subsequent resolution will have no immediate fiscal impact. In the long term, implementation of the policy could result in lost ridership and fare revenue. People who would otherwise have taken the bus to their workplace may stay home. If business and employment districts have fewer employees, this could, in turn, reduce ridership further.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
MTC, in conjunction with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), prepares a regional plan every four years. This plan includes policies, projects and strategies to improve the economy, the environment, housing, and transportation for the nine-county Bay Area region. MTC and ABAG are currently preparing a new plan, known as Plan Bay Area 2050.
The Plan is under a mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions. CARB seeks a 19% reduction in per capita greenhouse gas emissions. In an effort to meet this goal, MTC set forth a number of strategies, including expanded use of electric vehicles, expanded transit service, and increased transit-oriented development. However, their modeling results indicate that these would still not meet the target. Because of this, MTC moved from proposing telecommut...
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