Transit Pass Pilot Program: free or reduced-fare transit passes.

Existing law declares that the fostering, continuance, and development of public transportation systems are a matter of statewide concern. Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to administer various programs and allocates moneys for various public transportation purposes. This bill would, upon an appropriation of moneys from the Public Transportation Account by the Legislature, create the Transit Pass Pilot Program to be administered by the department to provide free or reduced-fare transit passes, directly or through a 3rd party, including a transit agency, to specified pupils and students by supporting new, or expanding existing, transit pass programs. The bill would require the department to develop guidelines that describe the application process and selection criteria for awarding the moneys made available for the program, and would exempt the development of those guidelines from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require the department to develop performance measures and reporting requirements to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and would require the department to submit a report to specified committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2020, on the outcomes of the program and the status of transit pass programs statewide. The bill would provide that its requirements become effective only upon an appropriation that would trigger the creation of the program. The pilot program would be repealed on January 1, 2022.