The city of Oakland, Calif., has begun distributing debit cards loaded with up to $160 to low-income west Oakland residents or workers as part of the West Oakland Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) Pilot. Eligible participants must live or work in west Oakland, earn less than the “area median income” of $103,500 annually for a single person and up to $192,250 for an eight-person household.
The city says eligible participants can sign up for one of the 1,000 cards on a first-come, first served basis by taking a brief survey. After using the funds, participants can take a second survey to have another $160 loaded onto their cards for a total of $320. The funds can be loaded onto Clipper cards or used to purchase fares from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), AC Transit, BayWheels bike share, Lime and VeoRide E-scooters, Amtrak and other forms of public transportation.
The project is funded by $400,000 of the $2.7 million West Oakland Transit Investments grant from the Alameda County Transportation Commission. The grant will also fund upgrades to up to 14 bus stops and remove abandoned railways.
“The West Oakland UBM project is an example of OakDOT’s focus on transportation equity. Too many west Oakland residents struggle to afford their transportation costs. This innovative project will help 1,000 low-income west Oaklanders afford sustainable modes of transit like BART, AC Transit, BayWheels and E-scooters while reducing auto dependence and wear and tear on our roads,” said Oakland Department of Transportation Director Josh Rowan.
The West Oakland UBM project builds upon an earlier UBM pilot in east Oakland that distributed up to $150 to 500 East Oakland residents. The results of that project showed that 40 percent of participants changed the way they traveled as a result of the program, with 23 percent driving alone less. Participants in the West Oakland UBM are asked to take a “before” and “after” survey about their transportation patterns.
More information on the pilot can be found on the city of Oakland’s website.
