(a) Prior to the allocation of revenue for transit operating assistance under subdivision (d) of Section 30914, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission shall adopt performance measures related to fare-box recovery, ridership, and other performance measures as needed. The performance measures shall be developed in consultation with the affected transit operators and the commission‘s advisory council.

(b) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission shall execute an operating agreement with the sponsors of the projects described in subdivision (d) of Section 30914. This agreement shall include, at a minimum, a fully funded operating plan that conforms to and is consistent with the adopted performance measures. The agreement shall also include a schedule of projected fare revenues or other operating revenues to indicate that the service is viable in the near term and is expected to meet the adopted performance measures in future years. For any individual project sponsor, this operating agreement may include additional requirements, as determined by the commission, to be met prior to the allocation of transit assistance under subdivision (d) of Section 30914.

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(c) Prior to the annual allocation of transit operating assistance funds by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 30914, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission shall conduct, or shall require the sponsoring agency to conduct, an independent audit that contains audited financial information, including an opinion on the status and cost of the project and its compliance with the approved performance measures. Notwithstanding this requirement, each operator shall be given a one-year trial period to operate new service. In the first year of new service, the sponsor shall develop a reporting and accounting structure for the performance measures. Commencing with the third operating year, sponsors shall be subject to the approved performance measures.

(d) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission shall adopt a regional transit connectivity plan by May 1, 2006. The connectivity plan shall be incorporated into the commission’s Transit Coordination Implementation Plan pursuant to § 66516.5 of the Government Code. The connectivity plan shall require operators to comply with the plan utilizing commission authority pursuant to § 66516.5 of the Government Code. The commission shall consult with the Partnership Transit Coordination Council in developing a plan that identifies and evaluates opportunities for improving transit connectivity and shall include, but not be limited to, the following components:

(1) A network of key transit hubs connecting regional rapid transit services to one another, and to feeder transit services. “Regional rapid transit” means long-haul transit service that crosses county lines, and operates mostly in dedicated rights-of-way, including freeway high-occupancy vehicle lanes, crossing a bridge, or on the bay. The identified transit hubs shall operate either as a timed transfer network or as pulsed hub connections, providing regularly scheduled connections between two or more transit lines.

(2) Physical infrastructure and right-of-way improvements necessary to improve system reliability and connections at transit hubs. Physical infrastructure improvements may include, but are not limited to, improved rail-to-rail transfer facilities, including cross-platform transfers, and intermodal transit improvements that facilitate rail-to-bus, rail-to-ferry, ferry-to-ferry, ferry-to-bus, and bus-to-bus transfers. Capital improvements identified in the plan shall be eligible for funding in the commission’s regional transportation plan.

(3) Regional standards and procedures to ensure maximum coordination of schedule connections to minimize transfer times between transit lines at key transit hubs, including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) Policies and procedures for improved fare collection.

(B) Enhanced trip-planning services, including Internet-based programs, telephone information systems, and printed schedules.

(C) Enhanced schedule coordination through the implementation of real-time transit-vehicle location systems that facilitate communication between systems and result in improved timed transfers between routes.

(D) Performance measures and data collection to monitor the performance of the connectivity plan.

The connectivity plan shall focus on, but not be limited to, feeder transit lines connecting to regional rapid transit services, and the connection of regional rapid transit services to one another. The connectivity plan shall be adopted following a Metropolitan Transportation Commission public hearing at least 60 days prior to adoption. The commission shall adopt performance measures and collect appropriate data to monitor the performance of the connectivity plan. The plan shall be evaluated every three years by the commission as part of the update to its regional transportation plan. No agency shall be eligible to receive funds under this section unless the agency is a participant operator in the commission’s regional transit connectivity plan.

The provisions of this subdivision shall only be effective if the voters approve the toll increase as set forth in Section 30921, and the expenditures incurred by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) that are related to the requirements of this subdivision, including any study, shall be reimbursed from toll revenues identified in paragraph (33) of subdivision (c) of Section 30914.

(e) The TransLink Consortium, per the TransLink Interagency Participation Agreement, shall, by July 1, 2008, develop a plan for an integrated fare program covering all regional rapid transit trips funded in full or in part by this section. “Regional rapid transit” means long-haul transit services that cross county lines, and operate mostly in dedicated rights-of-way, including freeway high-occupancy vehicle lanes, crossing a bridge, or on the bay. Interregional rail services, originating or terminating from outside the Bay Area, shall not be considered regional rapid transit. The purpose of the integrated fare program is to encourage greater use of the region’s transit network by making it easier and less costly for transit riders whose regular commute involves multizonal travel and may involve the transfer between two or more transit agencies, including regional-to-regional and regional-to-local transfers. The integrated fare program shall include a zonal fare system for the sole purpose of creating a monthly zonal pass (monthly pass), allowing for unlimited or discounted fares for transit riders making a minimum number of monthly transit trips between two or more zones. The number of minimum trips shall be established by the plan. The integrated fare program shall not apply to fare structures that are not purchased on a monthly basis. For the purposes of these zonal fares, geographic zones shall be created in the Bay Area. To the extent practical, zone boundaries for overlapping systems shall be in the same places and shall correspond to the boundaries of the local transit service areas. A regional rapid transit zone may cover more than one local service area, or may subdivide an existing local service area. The monthly pass shall be created in at least the following two forms:

(1) For the use of interzonal regional rapid transit trips without local transit discounts.

(2) For the use of interzonal regional rapid transit trips with local transit discounts. The plan may recommend the elimination of existing transit pass arrangements to simplify the marketing of the monthly pass. The integrated fare program shall establish a monitoring program to evaluate the impact of the integrated fare program on the operating finances of the participating agencies. The integrated fare program shall be adjusted as necessary to ensure that the program does not jeopardize the viability of local or regional rapid transit routes impacted by the program, and to the extent feasible, provide an equitable revenue-sharing arrangement among the participating agencies. This subdivision shall only be effective if the voters approve the toll increase as set forth in Section 30921, and any expenditures related to the implementation of this subdivision incurred by the TransLink Consortium shall be reimbursed by toll revenues designated in paragraph (34) of subdivision (c) of Section 30914.

(f) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) shall, by September 29, 2007, adopt a Bay Area Regional Rail Plan (plan) for the development of passenger rail services in the San Francisco Bay Area over the short, medium, and long term. Up to six million dollars ($6,000,000) of the funds described in paragraph (33) of subdivision (c) of Section 30914 may be expended by MTC, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) for the plan. A project management team comprised of staff from MTC, Caltrain, the High-Speed Rail Authority, and BART shall provide day-to-day project management of the technical development of the plan. The plan shall formulate strategies to integrate passenger rail systems, improve interfaces with connecting services, expand the regional rapid transit network, and coordinate investments with transit-supportive land use. The plan shall be directed by a steering committee consisting of appointees from the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), BART, Caltrain, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, the Altamont Commuter Express, the High-Speed Rail Authority, MTC, the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART), the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the Solano Transportation Authority, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, the Port of Oakland, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the Transportation Authority of Marin, the Napa County Transportation Planning Agency, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the San Mateo City-County Association of Governments, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the owners of standard gauge rail. Under direction from the steering committee and with input from Bay Area transit agencies, MTC shall act as the fiscal agent for the study and oversee consultant contracts on behalf of the project management team. The plan proposals shall be evaluated using performance criteria, including, but not limited to, transit-supportive land use and access, ridership, cost-effectiveness, regional network connectivity, and capital and operating financial stability. Additional performance criteria shall be developed as necessary. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Identification of issues in connectivity, access, capacity, operations, and cost-effectiveness.

(2) Identification of opportunities to enhance rail connectivity and to maximize passenger convenience when transferring between systems, including the study of the feasibility and construction of an intermodal transfer hub at Niles (Shinn Street) Junction.

(3) Recommendation of improvements to the interface with shuttles, buses, other rail systems, and other feeder modes.

(4) Identification of potential impacts on capacity constraints and operations on existing passenger and freight carriers.

(5) Identification of bottlenecks where added capacity could cost-effectively increase performance.

(6) Recommendation of potential efficiency improvements through economies of scale, such as through joint vehicle procurement and maintenance facilities.

(7) Recommendation of strategies to acquire right-of-way and station property to preserve future service options.

(8) Identification of potential capital and operating funding sources for proposed actions.

(9) Identification of locations where the presence of passenger rail could stimulate redevelopment and thereby direct growth to the urban core.

(10) Recommendation of technology-appropriate service expansion in specific corridors. Technologies to be considered include conventional rail transit modes, bus rapid transit, and emerging rail technologies. Identify phasing strategies for the implementation of rail services where appropriate.

(11) Examination of how recommendations would integrate with proposed high-speed rail to the Central Valley and southern California. The intent of this element of the study is to help reduce the number of alternatives that the High-Speed Rail Authority would need to evaluate as part of any follow-on environmental assessment of future high-speed rail system access to the Bay Area. Selection of a preferred alignment for the Bay Area shall remain the responsibility of the High-Speed Rail Authority pursuant to § 185032 of the Public Utilities Code.

(12) Recommendation of a governance strategy to implement and operate future regional rail services.

This subdivision shall only be effective if the voters approve the toll increase as set forth in Section 30921. Any expenditures incurred by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission or the project sponsors identified in paragraph (33) of subdivision (c) of Section 30914 related to the requirements of this subdivision, including any study and administration, shall be appropriate charges against toll revenue to be reimbursed from toll revenues.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 491, Sec. 34. (SB 1318) Effective January 1, 2011.)