How do you entice riders back into taking public transit?

Task force comes up with ideas for trying to woo passengers back

How can the state’s public transit authorities woo passengers back to their trains, buses and metro lines in the middle of a pandemic?

Ridership across California’s major transit agencies is down. Revenues have slumped. And the state’s two biggest agencies — BART and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority — say they’re facing an uncertain future in the years ahead.

It’s what the California Transit Association calls an “existential crisis.”

A new report from the association’s COVID-19 Transit Crisis Relief Task Force has come up with a laundry list of recommendations and best practices that could be implemented across the state.

The report didn’t mention how much the improvements would cost — but it stressed that Congress should give more emergency funding to public transit agencies.

The recommendations range from installing protective barriers to introducing contactless payment systems.

“We need help,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers at a news conference last week. “COVID-19 has created a fiscal crisis that threatens public transit in the Bay Area.”

Powers’ agency is among the 12 members of the California Transit Association’s task force that published the recommendations.

BART projected more than 414,000 riders on a typical weekday in July. On Monday, it recorded just 42,000.

Still, transit authorities have reason to celebrate: At 10% of planned ridership, it’s among the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

But there’s a long way to go before public transit goes back to normal. It will take even longer to climb out of a billion-dollar revenue hit it sees ahead.

BART’s troubles are echoed across the state. The Los Angeles Metro says it’s seen around half the number of daily boardings it usually would expect.

And for SacRT, according to a spokeswoman, ridership is slowly growing — but it’s still at around 40% of regular numbers between bus and light-rail travel.

California’s largest transit agencies have joined others across the country in asking for federal financial aid, citing revenue losses and low ridership.

Already, according to the report, BART is taking steps to follow the mentioned best practices. It’s accelerating a plan to eliminate paper tickets from station kiosks and has required face masks for most passengers. A 15-step plan to welcome back riders also includes hospital-grade disinfectant, new seating layouts and more frequent train schedules.

L.A. Metro Chief Innovation Officer Joshua Schenk said he has been implementing low- to no-cost improvements to the public transit system, like opening bus windows and improving biking infrastructure. “A lot of these improvements can be made without a tremendous amount of cost,” he said.

Other recommendations mentioned in the report include dedicated bus lanes and traffic signal prioritization for public transit vehicles.

“The recommendations seek to improve the safety, efficiency, and viability of transit operations during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report states, “and aim to establish a more reliable and resilient public transportation network in the future that expands access to mobility and economic opportunity to all Californians.”