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Fare Free Alliance

Fare Free Alliance

Using Fare Free Transit and On-Demand Carpooling to solve the Bay's transit challenges

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About Fare Free Alliance

Fare Free Alliance is a non-profit fighting for fare free public transportation, complemented by on-demand carpooling and other mobility solutions, throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Problem

Transportation consumes too much of our time and our paychecks, and has devastating environmental impacts. Our streets are crammed with congestion, yet cars on the road are mostly empty, while even in our cities busses average only 12.8 occupants. With car exhaust being the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, the impact of those empty seats is clear. We could get so much more for our transit dollars instead of spending more and more money widening freeways only for congestion to keep increasing.

Our Vision

We want to remove as many barriers to using public transit as possible. To do this we will:

  • Make all public transit Fare Free throughout the Bay Area.
  • Create a government-run program, utilizing rideshare technology to provide low-cost on-demand carpooling ($1.50 a trip) to fill the empty seats in cars already on the road and to get riders to transit hubs (like BART) as well as areas where public transit is lacking. This will solve the First Mile/Last Mile issue by turning our problem (cars) into part of the solution.
  • Compensate drivers for their driving expenses for picking people up along their intended route.
  • Create a technology platform where all modes of transit are seamlessly integrated in a smartphone app, for easy end-to-end transportation.
  • Allow micromobility (scooters, bike-share, etc) to join the platform at no cost to riders.
  • Incorporate new technologies (such as autonomous vehicles) as they become available.
  • Replace fares paid to transit systems, so they can operate uninterrupted.
  • Arrange for funding by carbon taxes, additional fuel tax, and auto registration fees.

Benefits of our proposal

  • Massively reduce transportation costs, and eliminate the need for many people to own cars.
  • Reduce congestion and the number of cars on the road, while making more parking available.
  • Provide transit options for underserved neighborhoods.
  • Reduce fossil fuel consumption and environmental impacts.
  • Free-up land dedicated to cars for roads and parking.
  • Increase mobility and quality of life for seniors, people living with disabilities, families with children, and others for whom transportation can be a challenge.
  • Improve transit safety by redirecting resources from fare enforcement to sanitation and safety.
  • Revitalize commercial corridors by increasing customer access without the need to drive/park.
  • Reduce drunk driving, by providing a simple way for people to get home late at night.
  • Strengthen communities throughout our region by introducing neighbors to each other.

Cost Savings

The total amount of waste as a result of empty seats in Bay Area cars is over $62 billion per year. Replacing all transit fares would cost $1 Billion and if we replace even 5% of car trips, residents would save $3.2 Billion in total costs. See our full proposal for details.

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Ken Schmier

Ken Schmier
A life-long transit activist, Ken is responsible for the San Francisco Muni Fast Pass, bringing all you can use transit pricing to the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also the inventor and founder of NextBus – the system that lets riders know exactly when their busses are arriving – used by AC Transit, Muni and transit agencies around the world. Ken is a well-known bay area real estate developer and affordable housing advocate. Ken is a graduate of UC Berkeley School of Business and UC Hastings College of Law. His offices are in Emeryville, California.

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