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Task force reopens debate over TDA performance rules and farebox standard; some members urge elimination of farebox requirement
Summary
Members and legislative staff debated whether to revise or remove the Transportation Development Act's farebox‑recovery and efficiency tests, how to measure service effectiveness, and whether to attach conditions to TDA funds or use incentives. A straw‑man proposal to replace metrics with a checklist of user‑experience standards was circulated for discussion.
Hunter Owens introduced an overview of topics for TDA reform: claimant priority order, farebox recovery ratio, SCA efficiency standards, unmet‑needs hearings and the transparency of local TDA allocations. The ensuing debate touched on the statute’s 1970s origins, the modern policy case for service integration, and how performance metrics should be framed.
Several members and stakeholders urged removing the farebox‑recovery ratio as a statutory condition that can push agencies to cut service or raise fares. “Farebox recovery as a metric doesn’t fit that mold at all,” San Diego MTS representative Sharon said, arguing the metric can discourage ridership growth and burden transit‑dependent riders. Legislative staff and members described decades of incremental fixes to TDA and encouraged a comprehensive rethinking rather than piecemeal changes.
Juan Matute circulated a straw‑man concept (displayed to the task force) that would replace punitive performance triggers with a flexible approach: a baseline checklist of interoperability and user‑experience items (real‑time information, open‑loop payment readiness, service connectivity and regional coordination) that an agency could meet to secure TDA funds, or alternatively demonstrate superior ridership or satisfaction outcomes. That model would also allow regional waivers and a clearer role for regions to define context‑sensitive standards.
Next steps: staff will continue to develop TDA recommendations and provide a funding assessment; members asked staff to return with options that show tradeoffs between accountability metrics and funding flexibility.
