The agency unveils its reNEW Plan, which outlines a rollout of onboard PPE, social distancing requirements, air filters, and protective shields for bus operators.
The program will allow low-income transit riders to qualify for a discount through the use of a Clipper card.
The extended contract period is from Nov. 2019 to Nov. 2024, and is valued at approximately $25 million per year.
During a three-year period (210-2014), the number of shuttle vehicles on Bay Area roadways jumped by more than 60 percent and ridership increased by 45 percent.
With more people riding Bay Area Rapid Transit and Caltrain rail lines and fewer using Bay Area buses, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is unable to explain why the trend is occurring, however, service cuts and sprawling growth in suburban areas were cited as possible factors.
With intercity routes forming the core of the agency's route network, the new fleet features high-back reclining seats and Wi-Fi.
The $7.5 million contract from Metropolitan Transportation Commission to expand the fare payment system to more than a dozen suburban transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Gives Clipper Card customers the convenience of checking their card balance, adding fare products to their cards, registering their cards and ordering new cards, all using a mobile phone.
The initial operating segment, between Railroad Square in Santa Rosa and downtown San Rafael, is the first phase of a project that will create a new North Bay “backbone” to complement existing transit options.
Since they spend nearly 20 percent of their collective budgets on administrative functions, and the national average for such spending is closer to 15 percent, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission says Bay Area agencies could merge their admin operations to cut costs.