The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) will hold a public hearing to gather comment on the proposed continuation of a pilot program offering free rides on weekend Routes 311, 314, and 316, as long as funding remains available for the program through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) or another similar funding source. This is an expansion of the existing Monument Free Program providing free fares on corresponding weekday Routes 11, 14, and 16. These routes serve low-income communities along the Monument Corridor and connect from Concord BART to various destinations in Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, including BART stations, Martinez Amtrak and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.
Comments can be submitted in writing via mail, email, or online, or at the scheduled public hearing. Written comments must be received by December 7, 2022.
It is anticipated that the Board of Directors will take action on the proposed fare program at their regular meeting scheduled for December 15, 2022, following the public hearing.
The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) will hold a public hearing to gather comments on the draft Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) covering fiscal years 2023-2028.
About the SRTP
The SRTP is County Connection’s operations and financial planning document. In order to effectively execute planning and programming responsibilities, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) requires each transit operator receiving federal funding through the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to prepare, adopt, and submit an SRTP to MTC every four years in order to remain eligible to receive federal funding.
County Connection’s last Full SRTP was completed in 2016 and the current effort will result in an updated SRTP covering FY2023 through FY2028. Revised guidelines were established as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and narrow the scope to a five-year planning horizon with a focus on financial and service planning.
The plan focuses on evaluating existing service and developing future service plans based on three scenarios of varying revenue recovery over the next 5 years. The operating budget assumed for each scenario is based on the level of federal stimulus available, recovery of revenue from other sources, and ridership recovery. The service plans are aimed to align resources available in each of the scenarios with ridership demand as well as feedback received from the passenger survey conducted during September 2022.
Comments can be submitted in writing via mail, email, or online, or at the scheduled Public Hearing. Written comments must be received by December 7, 2022.
It is anticipated that the Board of Directors will take action on the draft SRTP at their regular meeting scheduled for December 15, 2022, following the public hearing.
The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) will hold two public meetings and one public hearing to gather comments on the proposed implementation of two one-year pilot programs offering a 20% discount on single-ride Clipper fares for eligible low-income adults as part of the regional Clipper START program, and for youth ages 6-18.
Proposed Program
In May 2018, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved implementation of a pilot Regional Means-Based Fare Program (later named Clipper START) to provide discounted fares for low-income adults. The initial 18-month pilot, which launched in July 2020, was limited to four of the larger transit systems in the Bay Area: BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate, and Muni. Adults (ages 19-64) with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the discount, which is provided using a specially encoded Clipper card. MTC is providing funding to partially offset the cost of the program.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MTC has elected to use funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to expand the Clipper START program to other transit operators in the region, including County Connection.
County Connection is proposing to join the regional Clipper START program and offer a discount of 20% off the regular, single-ride Clipper fare for qualifying individuals. Since the program is limited to adults and County Connection does not offer a discounted fare for youth, staff is also proposing the implementation of a 20% discount off the regular, single-ride Clipper fare for youth riders (ages 6-18) when using a Youth Clipper card. The table below summarizes the proposed discounts.
Fare Type
Current Clipper Fare
Proposed Clipper START & Youth Fare
Local route
$2.00
$1.60
Express route
$2.25
$1.80
BART transfer
$1.00
$0.80
All cash fares, as well as passes on Clipper, will remain the same. Fares would also remain unchanged for low-income riders who elect not to apply for the Clipper START discount, as well as youth who choose not to use a Youth Clipper card. Seniors (ages 65+) and people with disabilities would continue to receive a 50% discount, and children under 6 will continue to ride free.
If approved, County Connection would begin offering the Clipper START and youth fare discounts as a one-year pilot starting in January 2021. The program will be evaluated in partnership with MTC and the other participating operators to determine the feasibility and potential funding sources for continuing the program beyond December 2021. Due to current uncertainty around schools reopening and ridership demand among youth, the pilot period for the youth fare discount may need to be adjusted in order to ensure adequate usage data is available for evaluation.
Comments can be submitted in writing via mail, email, or online, or at the scheduled public meetings. Written comments must be received by November 10, 2020.
It is anticipated that the Board of Directors will take action on the proposed fare discounts at their regular meeting scheduled for November 19, 2020, following the public hearing.
The Public Hearing originally scheduled for March 19, 2020 has been cancelled and rescheduled for April 16, 2020.
DUE TO COVID-19, THIS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED AS A TELECONFERENCE. Click here for more info.
Notice of Public Hearing
The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection) will hold a public hearing to gather comment on the proposed continuation of a pilot program offering free rides on weekday Routes 11, 14, and 16, as long as funding remains available for the program through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) or another similar funding source. These routes serve low-income communities along the Monument Corridor and connect from Concord BART to various destinations in Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, including BART stations, Martinez Amtrak and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.
Comments can be submitted in writing via mail, email, or online, or at the scheduled public hearing. Written comments must be received by March 11, 2020.
At the public hearing: Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 9:00 am County Connection Board Room 2477 Arnold Industrial Way Concord, CA 94520
It is anticipated that the Board of Directors will take action on the proposed fare program at their regular meeting scheduled for April 16, 2020, following the public hearing.
