Make Public Transit Work Across California
The Issue
Frequent, reliable public transit can make getting around much more affordable for Californians. It gives people access to jobs, schools, health care, and new economic opportunities. But, for too many Californians, transit isn’t meeting these needs.
California spends less than
on transit operations
as New York, Massachusetts, New Jersy or Maryland
The Solution
For Californians who don’t drive, including many people with disabilities and lower-income Californians, reliable transit and para-transit can be the difference between being able to get where they need to go and being left without an affordable way to get around. Yet California has historically funded transit capital projects while leaving transit service, operating funding, and project planning and delivery largely to local and regional agencies. The next administration should take a stronger role in funding transit agencies and ensuring that California’s transit systems deliver better service to the people who depend on them.
Here are three actions your administration can take:
Fund Public Transit Operations
ACTION Identify and enact a long-term, dedicated, stable state funding source for public transit and paratransit operations in communities of all sizes. Make transit operations a top priority when deciding how to spend transportation and climate dollars, so agencies have the predictable funding they need to maintain and improve service over time.
WHY IT MATTERS The state provides only about 20% of transit funding in California, leaving agencies heavily reliant on local taxes and fares for operations. Since the pandemic, agencies around the state have turned to temporary emergency funding and regional ballot measures to address fiscal cliffs and avoid service cuts. Dedicated state funding would give transit agencies across the state the stability to maintain service and make improvements that riders can count on.
Set Service Standards and Tie Them to Funding
ACTION Create clear goals for the frequency, speed, and reliability of transit service, while incentivizing coordination of service among transit agencies that share riders. Tie state operating dollars to these goals, and provide technical assistance to help agencies modernize how riders plan and pay for trips to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience.
WHY IT MATTERS The state has a vested interest in ensuring that transit funding delivers sustainable, safe, fast, reliable, connected, and accessible service. But its main accountability tool, the farebox recovery ratio, does little to drive better service for riders. CalSTA’s Transit Transformation Task Force spent two years building consensus around better service principles but stopped short of tying them to funding. The next administration can make those principles a condition of state operating dollars.
Deliver Transit & Rail Capital Projects Faster
ACTION Dedicate Caltrans staff and expertise to help plan, design, and deliver transit and rail projects. Create a multi-year funding framework and a single application for state capital funds. Streamline permitting and review for projects that advance state transportation, environmental, and equity goals.
WHY IT MATTERS California takes too long to build transit and rail projects, driving up costs and delaying benefits for riders. Fragmented planning, funding, and permitting — combined with limited public-sector capacity — contribute to delays and an overreliance on consultants. Building more expertise within the state and simplifying funding and approvals would help projects move faster and keep costs down.