Golden Gate Gazette Fall 2020

Golden Gate Bridge District sent this bulletin at 09/15/2020 04:29 PM PDT

Fall 2020

Golden Gate Transit continues to modify bus service levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and, effective Sunday, September 13, 2020, made additional regional bus schedule changes in an effort to further right-size our service to match current low ridership levels. These changes are a temporary restructuring of our service to give us the utmost flexibility to quickly add service back as public health orders are eased and ridership returns.

Bay Area transit agencies are uniting with the common goal of providing a safe ride for the public as the region responds to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The core of this effort is the newly released “Riding Together: Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan.” The plan outlines action items for frequent cleaning, personal protective equipment, face coverings, social distancing, ventilation, and touchless fares.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District) Board of Directors (Board) authorized the setting of a public hearing for Thursday, September 24, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., to receive public comment on a proposal to expand the Clipper START discount fare program to include Marin local rides on Golden Gate Transit bus service. The public hearing will be held via audio conference.

At their July meeting, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors (Board) adopted a resolution to honor the memory of George Floyd and countless others, to denounce systemic racism, and to affirm racial equity and justice. The resolution reads, in part, that "now is the time for us to listen, learn, and act as we stand in solidarity with the people and communities who are most affected by centuries of systemic racism and inequality that harm Black People, Indigenous People, and other People of Color’s lives today."

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the District financially. Today ridership is down on our buses by 80% (we are only carrying 20% of our normal bus ridership) and our ferry ridership is down 97% (we are only carrying 3% of our normal ferry ridership). Bridge traffic has been greatly affected as well - down by 70% at its worst after the Shelter-in-Place orders first went in to effect on March 17 and currently down about 35%. This loss in revenue was helped somewhat by federal stimulus funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act intended to help the District continue operating its bus and ferry transit services.

The pandemic and resulting economic fallout are lingering much longer than originally anticipated and much longer than we can afford to maintain current staffing levels, absent additional federal assistance or a return of our customers. The CARES Act funding the District received is set to dry up at the end of October and in light of a continuing ridership slump, a special meeting was held on Friday, September 11 where the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors voted 10-5 to approve a 60-day, federally mandated notice of potential layoff notices to 242 district positions, or about 29% of the district’s 840 budgeted employees. Fifty-seven positions are already vacant. The decision to send the notices is not a decision to lay off any employee. A decision to lay off employees would require a separate action by the Board at a future meeting. The District is still actively advocating and communicating with policy makers in support of securing additional financial assistance.

On August 15, Golden Gate Ferry (GGF) celebrated its 50^th anniversary of plying the San Francisco Bay. GGF’s history officially began in 1967, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors asked the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District (GGBHD) to explore the idea of ferry service between San Francisco and Marin County.

In June, the District conducted a bus and ferry passenger survey to collect information on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our customers. The District gathered data to help guide potential service changes and develop a plan for recovery once Shelter-In-Place (SIP) orders are lifted and the public gets back to their workplaces. The conclusion is that 85% of our customers are currently not riding public transportation. The good news is that most plan to come back to public transit once SIP orders are lifted. Unfortunately, most people indicated that they will not ride as frequently as they once did as they will continue to telecommute a greater portion of the time. Thanks to all of the riders that participated in the survey!

To see the full bus and ferry passenger survey results click here...

Due to COVID-19, Bike to Work Day has become a virtual event during the entire month of September! There are a lot of interactive events and prizes to win at https://bayareabiketowork.com/.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to participate in Bike to Work Day with The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District! Join in the fun!

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