Title
Review the City of Alameda Transportation Program Plan for Older Adults and People with Disabilities for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 and Endorse a One-Year Extension of Pilot Programs (Action)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
From: Lisa Foster, Secretary to the Transportation Commission
Allen Tai, Planning, Building, and Transportation Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) provides a variety of transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities through its Paratransit Program, which has dedicated funding from the Measure BB Transportation Expenditure Plan administered by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC). The City Paratransit Program’s two flagship programs began operating as three-year pilot programs in fiscal year 2023: the City of Alameda Free AC Transit Bus Pass program (Free Bus Pass Program) and the Alameda Independent Mobility (AIM) program.
Staff recommends the Transportation Commission review the City of Alameda Transportation Program Plan for older adults and people with disabilities and endorse one-year extensions of both the Free Bus Pass and AIM pilot programs to allow for further refinement and program evaluation.
BACKGROUND
Every year, Alameda County Measure BB provides the City with a dedicated funding source for transportation programs serving seniors and people with disabilities. These funds are used to develop locally responsive paratransit and mobility programs that supplement East Bay Paratransit, a regional program jointly administered by BART and AC Transit. Information about the City’s transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities is available at AlamedaCA.gov/paratransit <http://www.AlamedaCA.gov/paratransit>.
Pilot Programs
In 2022, the City launched two pilot programs to provide better access and mobility services, and replace programs that were becoming outdated or had limited participation. Both pilot programs are now in the final year of their three-year pilot.
• Alameda Free AC Transit Bus Pass Program is a program for low-income residents of the City of Alameda who are ages 65+ and members of Mastick Senior Center or are between the ages of 18-64 and have a certified disability. This program replaced the Alameda Free Loop Shuttle in response to high costs, low ridership, and low customer satisfaction with the Loop Shuttle. In 2022, staff determined that most Loop Shuttle riders also rode AC Transit buses. With the new AC Transit Bus Pass Program, qualifying residents can ride all AC Transit routes at all times of day at no cost to them.
• AIM (Alameda Independent Mobility) is a concierge service providing subsidized same-day curb-to-curb transportation network company (TNC) services for City residents who are 70 years+ or at least 18 years old and East Bay Paratransit certified. The current concierge contractor, Eden I&R, also provides the 211 service in Alameda County. This program replaced taxi vouchers and serves as a curb-to-curb, on-call service to supplement East Bay Paratransit.
Regular Services
These pilot programs are part of a larger paratransit program with regular, ongoing services that are not part of the three-year pilot:
• Alameda Point Collaborative receives subsidized BayPass Clipper cards that allow for free transit on 23 public transit systems throughout the Bay Area.
• Travel Training provides community education in one-on-one sessions and monthly Transportation 101 workshops, including trip planning and transit app training. When staffing allows, it includes Hop on the Bus with Us to introduce and provide experience taking public transportation.
• Outreach includes multilingual customer service, creating and distributing marketing materials, press releases, community outreach, and presentations.
• Group Trips include trips for Mastick Senior Center members and Leisure Club transportation for adults with developmental disabilities who meet twice a month.
• Capital Improvements include ADA improvements in the public right of way and bus stop enhancements like shelters and amenities.
DISCUSSION
Extending the Pilot Programs
Since the two pilot programs began, staff has tracked participation, ridership, user feedback, and made observations on the overall program administration and operation. These factors inform the staff recommendation to extend both the Free Bus Pass and the AIM program pilots by one year.
Free AC Transit Bus Pass Program
The Free Bus Pass Program has proven to be a major success, with enrollment and ridership increasing every year and reaching full capacity within the existing budget. In 2024 alone, participants took 205,823 bus rides, and monthly ridership now exceeds 18,000 rides, which is a significant jump from the pre-COVID Loop Shuttle, which saw only 900 boardings per month. The program currently has over 960 participants, though this enrollment fluctuates. A detailed overview of program growth is shown in Exhibit 1.
While the program serves a diverse community, 73% of participants identify as Asian or Asian-American with 49% speaking Cantonese. Demographic details are provided in Exhibit 1.
Customer Satisfaction is exceptionally high. In the 2024 transportation survey for older adults and individuals with disabilities, participants reported that the free bus pass helped them gain independence, financial stability, and improved mental health. They use their passes to travel to destinations such as Park and Webster Streets, Oakland Chinatown, grocery stores, food banks, medical appointments, and recreational spots like the Oakland YMCA. Additional survey feedback is provided in Exhibit 2.
With the program’s popularity and growth, it has reached its budget limit and cannot accommodate more participants, though demand remains high. In addition, the AC Transit Board of Directors recently approved fare increases starting in July 2025. Currently, the City pays AC Transit the standard older adult Clipper fare per ride, with the contract on a “pay-as-you-go” model.
Staff is currently working with AC Transit to evaluate strategies for keeping the program within the current budget and serving as many low-income seniors and people with disabilities as possible. One option under consideration is transitioning to AC Transit’s EasyPass program, which utilizes a different and potentially more cost-effective payment model. The EasyPass program usually serves institutions with defined population pools, like universities, so using it for the City’s Free Bus Pass program would be unique and require analysis. City and AC Transit staff need additional time to refine the program design to ensure that it can be a sustainable, long-term program for the Alameda community. These program refinements will also need to be memorialized in an agreement between AC Transit and the City. Therefore, staff recommends extending the pilot program for one additional year, through summer 2026.
In the interim, staff has devised a plan to clear the current waitlist and offset the increased bus fares with no reduction in the number of rides currently offered by this program (over 200,000 annual bus rides). Steps include: 1) Prioritize as much Measure BB Paratransit funds as possible for the Free Bus Pass program; 2) Require supplementary proof of low-income status with the annual enrollment renewal planned for summer 2025; and 3) Recommend that the City Council allocate up to $70,000 in General Fund support as part of the Fiscal Year 2025-2027 Biennial Budget approval. This plan will allow the City to sustain this important service while staff analyzes the most effective program design to begin by Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
Alameda Independent Mobility
AIM has also been a success, although some aspects warrant further evaluation. Designed as a concierge service, AIM offers Uber/Lyft rides to residents aged 70 and older, as well as adults 18 and over who are enrolled in East Bay Paratransit. By offering more flexible, on-demand transportation, the program enhances access and mobility for vulnerable community members. AIM complements East Bay Paratransit, which requires advance reservation that can be challenging for users particularly when trying to schedule return trips. For example, an advance scheduled ride can work to go to a doctor’s appointment but is more difficult to arrange for the return trip. AIM helps close this gap by allowing participants to schedule return trips on-demand using Uber or Lyft and subsidizing the fare up to $25 per ride. Participants can take up to six AIM rides per month.
In 2024, AIM provided 1,576 rides to 166 participants, a 55% increase in rides and a 33% increase in participants compared to 2023. Survey responses from 2024 show that participants value the service and are generally satisfied with the program. However, some participants reported issues with bringing their mobility devices and service animals when using Uber and Lyft. Others expressed a desire for more than six rides per month. As of the writing of this staff report, there were 171 were participants enrolled in the program.
Given AIM’s overall success, the staff recommends extending the pilot program for another year to allow more time for evaluating user experience and operational needs, and to explore long-term options for the program. Specifically, staff plans to evaluate these topics:
• Vehicle Accessibility: Uber and Lyft had previously committed to making wheelchair accessible vehicles available, but this has not consistently been the case. Peer communities face similar challenges with TNC reimbursement programs, and the program evaluation will investigate the feasibility of alternatives to Uber and Lyft.
• Program Cost: Because of the cost of the Uber and Lyft rides and the program administration through Eden I&R, the average cost per ride is $16.60, with the rider responsible for the first $4. Alternative program models could decrease this cost and allow for more rides per user within the available program budget.
• Ease of Use and Customer Service: While feedback on the program has generally been positive, some users report long hold times or other challenges accessing the service. The evaluation will investigate customer experience with other service providers in peer cities.
• Eligibility Expansion: For Measure BB Paratransit funding, Alameda CTC requires that same-day transportation programs serve all adults 70 and older. The AIM program previously required participants to report low incomes and be certified in East Bay Paratransit, so this change expands the eligibility significantly. The program evaluation will assess how to structure the overall program to afford increased demand.
Regular Services Update
All regular services are progressing successfully. In the calendar year 2024, City Paratransit Program staff conducted 10 education workshops and trainings, including six Transportation 101 sessions and two Hop on the Bus with Us trainings. Notably, one Transportation 101 workshop was conducted in Cantonese. With a new Paratransit Coordinator now fully on board, even more workshops are planned in 2025.
Staff will continue to provide transportation outreach and community support out of Mastick Senior Center, including one-on-one support for community members in applying for and accessing mobility services. The program also continues to lead group trips through the Leisure Club for adults with developmental disabilities.
When Paratransit Measure BB fund balance is available, the Paratransit Program supports capital construction to increase accessibility, as fund balance is best used for one-time expenses. In 2024, funds were appropriated for bus stop and ADA access improvements as part of the Central Avenue Improvements Project, and in 2025 funds are expected to support construction of these features in the Clement Ave/Tilden Way Project. Fund balance is unlikely in future years, now that the pilot programs are fully established.
Staff is currently exploring opportunities to expand and enhance regular services. Staff plans to seek a partnership with Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) to provide travel training services and further expand translated and multilingual outreach.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The operational budget for the City of Alameda’s paratransit program in fiscal year 2024-2025 was $520,000, funded through Measure BB Paratransit funds. For fiscal year 2025-2026, Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) estimates that the City will receive the same amount. Staff recommends allocating $270,000 of these funds to the Free Bus Pass Program and $94,000 to support the AIM program.
Given the growing popularity of the Free Bus Pass program, its current waitlist and with increasing fare, staff is preparing a budget proposal for City Council consideration as part of the 2025-2027 biennial budget.
RECOMMENDATION
Review the City of Alameda Transportation Program plan for older adults and people with disabilities and endorse extension of its pilot programs.
Respectfully submitted,
Liz Escobar
Paratransit Coordinator
Susie Hufstader
Senior Transportation Coordinator
Lisa Foster
Transportation Planning Manager
Exhibits:
1. Presentation
2. Comments submitted with 2024 Transportation Survey