Private Shuttles Surging Part Of Bay Area Transit; Annual Ridership Hits 9.6 Million

BAY AREA, CA – Shuttles services now carry more passengers in the Bay Area than most public transit agencies in the region, according to a report released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Council.

The 2016 Bay Area Shuttle Census report found that the number of private and public shuttles on the road grew by more than 60 percent between 2012 and 2014, from 473 to 765, and ridership grew by 45 percent, with aggregate annual boardings rising to 9.6 million from 6.6 million.

This is more than all but the six largest Bay Area transit agencies, Muni, BART, AC Transit, VTA, Caltrain and Samtrans.

The new report marks the first comprehensive assessment of the region's varied shuttle resources ever conducted, and includes three years -- 2012 to 2014.

Santa Clara County was by far the biggest destination for shuttle trips, with major corridors operating between there and San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Major corridors also connect San Francisco and San Mateo counties and San Mateo and Alameda counties.

In San Francisco, shuttles have been a source of controversy, with residents complaining that the private buses block city bus stops, affect traffic on small streets not equipped to handle large vehicles, idle in
residential areas and violate traffic rules.

Some opponents have also blamed the shuttles for encouraging gentrification by making it easier for well-paid tech workers to live in the city far from their jobs on the Peninsula.

In response, the city introduced regulations, starting as a pilot program in 2014, allowing the private employer shuttles to use city bus stops in return for a fee.

The MTC expects to update the shuttle census regularly and use it to shape regional planning and the efforts of local agencies to manage the growth of shuttle services, according to MTC Chair and Santa Clara County
Supervisor Dave Cortese.

"Shuttles have become a much more important piece of the Bay Area transportation puzzle in the last five years," Cortese said.

See full report here.

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--Bay City News contributed to this report/Morguefile image