This measure provides financial incentives or subsidies to reduce the cost of non- Single Occupancy Vehicles travel modes such as transit, micromobility services (e-bikes, e-scooters), and bike-sharing programs through the use of “mobility wallets,” or preloaded cards that allow access to transit and micromobility programs.
Providing monetary incentives to use alternative modes of transportation reduces vehicle trips and therefore VMT. One survey showed that monetary incentives led to a 10-20% vehicle trip reduction in high transit areas and 1-5% vehicle trip reduction in low transit areas.
For more details, see CAPCOA, T-29. Reduce Transit Fares, pg. 204-207 for VMT reduction quantification.
Prioritize funding for low-income households and communities with low vehicle ownership rates. Ensure incentives support access to affordable and reliable multimodal options such as transit, biking, and walking. Monitor equity outcomes using disaggregated data on program usage by income and geography.
Developing a regional mobility wallet would require initial funding and an ongoing revenue source. Potential funding sources include the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP), Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), Clean Mobility Options, California State Transportation Agency and Caltrans transportation planning programs, local transit agency resources, and partnerships with employers and educational institutions. StanCOG has already programmed TDM funding through CMAQ for StanisCruise and StanRTA TDM, providing an existing regional framework that could potentially support components of a broader incentive program.
StanRTA provides several reduced or free fare opportunities that demonstrate how transportation subsidies can be used locally to reduce financial barriers to transit. Youth ages 0–18, veterans and active military members, and MJC students with valid identification can ride free, while seniors, people with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders receive reduced fares. StanRTA also supports mobile fare payment through Token Transit.
Modesto Junior College provides students with free access to StanRTA buses using their current MJC mobile student ID. The program provides a local example of an institution-funded transportation benefit that reduces the cost of transit and can replace automobile trips to campus, work, and other destinations.
