13979.3.
(a) On or before January 1, 2024, the agency shall establish and convene the Transit Transformation Task Force.
(b) The task force shall include, but is not limited to, representatives from transit operators, both small and large operating in urban and rural jurisdictions, the Department of Transportation, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning organizations, transportation advocacy organizations with expertise in public transit, labor organizations, academic institutions, the Senate Committee on Transportation, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, and other stakeholders, as appropriate, at the discretion of the agency. Transit operators included on the task force shall include a mix of
agencies that provide bus-only service, rail-only service, ferry-only service, and multimodal service.
(c) The task force shall develop a structured, coordinated process for engagement of all parties to solicit and develop policy recommendations to grow transit ridership and improve the transit experience for all users of those services.
(d) The agency shall, in consultation with the task force, prepare and submit a report of findings and policy recommendations, including identifying where statutory changes would be needed to implement recommendations, based on the task force’s efforts to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on or before October 31, 2025. The report shall identify the financial and technical feasibility of those recommendations.
(e) The report shall include, but is not
limited to, and to the extent feasible, a detailed analysis of the following issues:
(1) The services provided by transit agencies and the demographics of transit ridership, with detail on services provided, including persons with disabilities, or specific populations like low-income individuals and students.
(2) Existing funding sources for transit with a breakdown of funding available for capital and operations, including any constitutional and statutory limitations on these existing funding sources.
(3) The use of moneys from local transportation funds established pursuant to Section 29530 for other modes, such as streets and roads.
(4) The cost to operate, maintain, and provide for the future growth of transit systems for the next 10 years.
(5) The costs and operational impacts associated with federal, state, and local mandates, including, but not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132) and the State Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit regulations (Article 4.3 (commencing with Section 2023) of Chapter 1 of Division 3 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations), to the extent feasible.
(6) Workforce recruitment, retention, and development challenges, impacting transit service.
(7) Existing policies on state and local metrics to measure transit performance.
(8) State and local policies that impact service efficiency and transit ridership, including, but not limited to, transit prioritization on roads, land use, housing, and pricing
policies.
(9) Identification of state departments and agencies that have responsibility for transit system oversight, grant administration, and reporting.
(10) Information on how transit agencies modified their services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting drop in ridership and revenue.
(11) The division of transit funding between capital and operations.
(f) The report shall also include, but is not limited to, recommendations on the following:
(1) How to improve mobility and increase ridership on transit, including, but not limited to:
(A) Service and fare coordination or integration between transit
agencies.
(B) Coordinated scheduling, mapping, and wayfinding between transit agencies.
(C) Providing a safe and clean ride for passengers and operators.
(D) Increasing the frequency and reliability, through strategies that include, but are not limited to, the sharing of real-time transit information such as arrival and departure times and predictions, service alert data, and transit prioritization on roads.
(E) Strategies to provide first- and last-mile access to transit.
(F) Strategies to achieve fleet and asset management goals and needs, including funding approaches.
(2) Changes to land use, housing, and pricing policies
that could improve public transit use.
(3) Strategies to address workforce recruitment, retention, and development challenges.
(4) Reforming the Transportation Development Act (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 99200) of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code), including, but not limited to, replacing the fare box recovery ratios and efficiency criteria with performance metrics that better measure transit operations.
(5) Identification of the appropriate state department or agency to be responsible for transit system oversight and reporting.
(6) New options for revenue sources to fund transit operations and capital projects to meet necessary future growth of transit systems for the next 10 years.
(7) The potential of transit-oriented development and value capture of property around transit stations as a source of sustainable revenue for transit operations.
(g) The task force may consult with the California Transportation Commission to use its work on the needs assessment prepared pursuant to Section 14518 regarding the identification of future transit capital and operational needs. The task force may use data provided pursuant to Section 13987 to inform the analysis.
(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.
(Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 54, Sec. 1. (SB 125) Effective July 10, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2028, by its own provisions.)