Driving Transit Ridership: The Vital Role of Caltrain-City Partnerships 


The transition to hybrid work for many office workers has reduced the number of commuters who have been the historic backbone of Caltrain ridership. In response, Caltrain has adopted a new service model that increases the number of trains provided throughout the day and evening which has helped increase ridership during those periods. In addition, full electrification next year will provide an historic transformation in Caltrain service. However, the ability of Caltrain to sustain and expand service will depend in large part on cities actively supporting expansion of ridership to groups beyond Caltrain’s traditional core riders. 

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has been embraced throughout the corridor with tens of thousands more workers and residents with easy access to Caltrain and future development is following that model. Cities that have combined active transit participation programs have seen far greater Caltrain ridership than merely locating people near transit. At the same time, those cities with higher transit ridership benefit from reduced traffic, less parking demand, greater employee retention, and more greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction progress. 

Since COVID, there is another strong reason to embrace these strategies. Companies are working to incentivize workers to return to their offices, and cities are working to help their downtowns recover their vibrancy and tax revenues. Transit passes have proven a valuable inducement for this purpose, as well as aiding employee recruitment and retention.            

Caltrain is seeking to partner with cites by providing a Toolkit and Go Pass incentives to make Caltrain a more attractive and available transportation choice for residents and workers of all incomes. Local governments hold significant power in transforming commuting habits.  Through cities adopting the most appropriate policies and programs selected from the Toolkit, we can create a future where cities thrive, residents and workers enjoy a higher quality of life, Caltrain can thrive, and we all benefit from reduced GHG emissions and enhanced sustainability. 

We need to change how we calculate our bottom line to fully weigh safety, equity, climate action, and economic prosperity…we are moving from being symbolic to being systemic.” 
– Toks Omishakin, California Secretary of Transportation 

The policies below are models of ways local governments can partner with Caltrain on our shared goals to create vibrant, diverse people-centered communities where people gather, work and connect.  

CONTACT US

Feel free to reach out to Caltrain staff at CaltrainGCA@caltrain.com to be connected to the right team to talk about your projects or initiatives and how we could partner together.  

City Worker Go Passes

The Go Pass program empowers cities to invest in annual unlimited ride passes for their staff. Many city halls are located within a short distance from Caltrain stations and Caltrain provides a stress-free commute option across all Caltrain zones, seven days a week. This innovative solution not only helps cities alleviate traffic congestion and reduce emissions but also serves as a powerful tool to enhance employee retention and attraction.  

Learn more about the Go Pass program and the companion Pass Forward community extension of the program that provides unused passes to community serving organizations.

Caltrain GoPass​

TDM initiatives and programs aim to reduce congestion, parking needs, and the vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and aim to improve air quality generated by new development project by encouraging transit use. TDM measures can include: 

  • Free or subsidized public transportation passes like Caltrain’s Go Pass for employees or residence of
    a new development, 

  • Charge for parking or provide no parking at the development, 

  • Public private partnership micromobilty and bus or shuttle routes connecting longer distance transit
    like Caltrain to employment residential hubs. 

Example: A) The City of San Francisco’s TDM program supports the city’s emission reduction goals through reductions in vehicle miles traveled. Transportation and land use agencies partner to ensure new development result in more sustainable transportation options for building’s tenants, employees, residents, and visitors. San Francisco’s TDM measures include fewer parking spaces relative to surrounding neighborhoods, more bicycle parking and amenities, subsidized transit passes, and delivery services facilities.  

Development Agreements can be used for both commercial and residential developments. Municipalities should consider consulting with Caltrain on DA’s early in the process to explore the most effective approaches. For example Go Pass could be built into one of the Agreements.  

Indirect DA’s can restrict vehicles and/or trips associated with a project enabling a project developer the latitude in how to reduce their single-occupancy vehicle trips.  

Example: Starting in 2000, Stanford University was required to have “no net new trips” resulting from their
added on-campus development. The result has been an award-winning expansion of their TDM program.
Caltrain is a key backbone of their Transportation Demand Management (TDM).   

Direct DA’s can mandate the implementation of a Transportation Demand Management program which could include a requirement to purchase Go Passes or other transit passes for residents or employees in the development. DA’s may also include station access improvements such as pedestrian safety, bike and transit connections, and parking management. 

Example: The Stanford University Medical Center Renewal and Replacement Project included a DA that included a requirement for 51 years to provide annual Caltrain Go Passes to all medical center employees.

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Municipalities can create legislation that requires employers to provide a commuter benefits program that supports and encourages employees to use public transit, bike, or carpool to work. These ordinances are designed to help cities reduce single-occupancy driving trips to reduce congestion and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.  

Example: The City of San Francisco Commuter Benefits Ordinance requires employers with 20 or more employees to provide commuter benefit programs.  Under the ordinance, employers must offer either pre-tax benefits, employer-paid benefits for transit or vanpool, provide transportation for their employees, or offer some combination of those benefits.  

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TMA’s are non-profit, public private partnerships that provide information and resources to commuters. TMAs are normally established by groups of stakeholders who have a shared interest in improving the commute conditions and opportunities within a certain geographic area. 

  • Normally established with both public and private stakeholders. 

  • Funded by cities, private sector, and grants. 

  • Benefits such as free rides on public transit utilizing programs like Caltrain’s Go Pass and cash
    incentives for bicycling.  

Examples: A) The Palo Alto TMA offers qualified (primarily modest income service and retail workers) employees with a Clipper Card loaded with their choice of a Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA or AC Transit Dumbarton Express monthly pass. B) The City of Mountain View has a TMA that is dedicated to reducing traffic congestion by providing free or low-cost transportation alternatives that make commuting convenient for employees, residents, and visitors in Mountain View. The service provider MVgo offers a free shuttle connecting commuters with the Mountain View Transit Center (Caltrain and VTA Light Rail) and various locations around Mountain View. C) Stanford Research Park (SRP) provides a comprehensive TMA serving the over 20,000 employees in the SRP. The program includes provision of transit passes, a Transit Hub facility, and assistance to employees to determine the best commute option. 

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Station access is an essential point of collaboration for municipalities and Caltrain. In order to reach its full ridership potential, a variety of access improvements need to be made across Caltrain station areas. These improvements may be coordinated through a city’s station area plans or DA’s. Municipalities should consider engaging Caltrain when developing and updating station area plans and pedestrian and bicycle plans.  

Customers hoping to access a Caltrain station by bike often encounter compromised or intimidating routes that discourage them from riding a bike. Low quality facilities near Caltrain stations include bike lanes that end at city limits, bike lanes that get dropped where they’re needed most (like at freeway ramps), bike lanes that disappear a few blocks away from a station, and car lanes cyclists are forced to share with high volumes of fast-moving traffic. Any of these designs, even for a short segment, are enough to prevent a large portion of the population from riding a bike.  

Cities that prioritize car parking and traffic flow over bike, pedestrian, and micromobility safety and convenience see lower numbers of people biking to Caltrain stations. Cities that install continuous, high-quality facilities that are designed for all ages and abilities are those that see the most bike access to Caltrain stations.  

Example: In Redwood City on Arguello Street, the city made a quality bike facility improvement.  The city converted angled parking along the tracks into a curbside bike lane that is protected from traffic by parallel parking. The physically separated bike facility is much more inviting to use than the previous condition of sharing a traffic lane with cars and leads people the whole way to Redwood City Station. 

Snow


Arguello Before, with angled parking and sharrow.

Forest

Arguello After, with protected, curbside bike lanes installed.

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Providing parking is an expensive amenity. The availability of free or affordable parking can play a large role in commuter’s decisions to drive or take transit. People tend to not take transit if there is free parking at their destination, so managing parking is a way to increase transit use. Parking Management programs can include: 

  • Reduce parking minimums (reducing the number of parking spaces required for new developments) or
    implement parking maximums (capping the number of parking spaces allowed at new developments)
    in City regulations,  

  • Paid (market rate) on-street parking, and residential parking programs (for example, requiring parking permits), and 

  • Using the revenue from paid parking to fund public services, like transit pass programs and pedestrian
    safety improvements. 

Example: The SFMTA implemented parking demand management as part of their TDM measures to manage on-street and off-street parking pricing to ensure optimal usage and availability. Revenue from parking is invested into the sustainable transportation network (like transit). The SFMTA’s demand-responsive parking pricing program, called SFpark, periodically adjusts meter and garage pricing to match the level of demand, encouraging drivers to park in underutilized areas and garages, reducing demand in overused areas. 

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TODs are housing or mixed-use developments located near transit stations that are designed to be pedestrian friendly neighborhoods with easy access to transit. TOD is a great way to address the Bay Area’s housing needs. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission developed a Transit Oriented Communities Policy within Plan Bay Area 2050 that calls for a higher density of housing, jobs, services, and shopping around public transit stations. This strategy will help the region reach ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Caltrain is supportive of TOD near our stations and encourages cities to engage with us throughout the development process.  

Example: A) The San Mateo Rail Corridor Transit Oriented Development Plan was developed by the City of
San Mateo to allow, encourage, and provide guidance for the creation of TOD within a half-mile from Hillsdale
and Hayward Park Caltrain station areas. The Plan area included transit supportive policies, land uses, development
densities, height standards, and design guidelines. 

B) Caltrain is currently working with the City of San Jose on a TOD project next to the Diridon Station in San Jose.
The project would activate the space by converting to parking lots in building and community areas. It is a key
transit hub that could be improved with connections to VTA light rail, Amtrak Capitol Corridor, Altamont Corridor
Express and eventually BART.   

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