TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: BART-to-Bus Paper Discount Transfer Ticket
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider waiving the two-hearing requirement specified in Board Policy 110 and set a public hearing on September 23, 2020 at 6:00 PM to receive public comment on the proposed elimination of the paper version of the BART-to-Bus discount transfer ticket.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
The elimination of the paper transfer between BART and AC Transit removes a very under-utilized and antiquated form of fare discount and further encourages use of the Clipper card system, which is a quicker and more convenient form of fare payment that has the ability to reduce transit delays due to fare payment.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
Setting the public hearing does not have a fiscal impact on the District, other than the costs associated with publicizing the hearing.
Use of the BART-to-Bus paper discount transfer is very low and has declined in recent years. It is believed that this decrease is largely a result of BART eliminating the sale of paper tickets. Although ridership is down significantly since mid-March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Table 1 below illustrates that use of the BART-to-Bus paper transfer had declined to between 33 and 41% before the pandemic Shelter-in-Place (SIP) order.
Table 1: BART-to-Bus Paper Transfer Usage
Ridership (cash)
BART-to-Bus Transfer
% of ridership
Year Over Year change
Jan 19
887,828
5,060
0.57%
Feb 19
821,497
4,393
0.53%
Mar 19
906,325
4,943
0.55%
Jan 20
752,145
3,000
0.40%
-40.71%
Feb 20
754,266
2,932
0.39%
-33.26%
Mar 20*
423,688
1,372
0.32%
-72.24%
*Shelter-in-Place order began March 17, 2020
This finding is reinforced by the substantial reduction in the amount of paper ticket stock requested by BART to supply the transfer ticket dispensing machines. Given the requirement to use Cli...
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