Wheels Administrative Office Again Open to the Public Effective February 28, 2022

The Wheels Administrative Office is again open to the general public beginning Monday February 28, 2022. The office is located at 1362 Rutan Court, Suite 100. The downtown Livermore Transit Center is also open for pass sales and Clipper transactions.

RTC card applications, renewals, etc. can only be done at the Wheels Administrative Office.

About the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority

The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) was created in 1985 by the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton and Alameda County to serve area transit needs. In 2018 and 2019, LAVTA was named Transit Agency of the Year by the California Transit Association and the California Association for Coordinated Transportation, respectively. In 2020, LAVTA was named the top transit agency of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association.

LAVTA supports environmental sustainability by reducing vehicle trips and traffic congestion on local streets and improving air quality in the Tri-Valley region. In addition to passenger fares, the agency is supported financially by federal, state and local agencies, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Measure B and BB.

For the 25th consecutive year, the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) has earned the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This award was received for LAVTA’s excellence in financial reporting in their FY2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) established this award in 1945 to encourage state and local government agencies to exceed the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles in preparing their annual financial reports. The award program assesses whether the financial statements of participating agencies provide the detail necessary for users of the information to adequately evaluate the financial health of the organization.

Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown, who serves as Chair of the LAVTA Board of Directors, said “It is quite an honor for LAVTA to receive this award. To have won the award for 25 consecutive years is a testament to the LAVTA staff’s efforts to be effective stewards of the public trust and ensure that our precious tax dollars are accounted for in an exemplary manner.”

For a copy of LAVTA’s FY2020 financial report, visit the “Reports” section of our website, under the “About Us” tab. For more information on GFOA, visit www.gfoa.com.

About the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority

The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) was created in 1985 by the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton and Alameda County to serve area transit needs. In 2018 and 2019, LAVTA was named Transit Agency of the Year by the California Transit Association and the California Association for Coordinated Transportation, respectively. In 2020, LAVTA was named the top transit agency of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association.

LAVTA supports environmental sustainability by reducing vehicle trips and traffic congestion on local streets and improving air quality in the Tri-Valley region. In addition to passenger fares, the agency is supported financially by federal, state and local agencies, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Measure B and BB.

At their June 7, 2021 meeting the LAVTA Board approved the Tri-Valley Hub Network Integration Study and authorized LAVTA’s Executive Director to forward the report to the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), which had funded the study.

The goal of the Study was to provide the strategic and technical requirements to move forward toward initiating future regional transportation services via a hubbed model at the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station and for the near-term evolution of that station into the Tri-Valley Hub as envisioned in the 2018 California State Rail Plan.

Among the Study’s conclusions:
• Move forward with implementing I-680 Express Bus service between Martinez and the Tri-Valley Hub, i.e. Dublin/Pleasanton BART
• Establish a governance structure
• Secure an operator and a funding source
• Work with operators at Dublin/Pleasanton BART to build consensus on improvements enhancing the facility’s ability to serve as a successful Tri-Valley Hub

To see the full Tri-Valley Hub Network Integration Study, click here.

About the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority

The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) was created in 1985 by the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton and Alameda County to serve area transit needs. In 2018 and 2019, LAVTA was named Transit Agency of the Year by the California Transit Association and the California Association for Coordinated Transportation, respectively. In 2020, LAVTA was named the top transit agency of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association.

LAVTA supports environmental sustainability by reducing vehicle trips and traffic congestion on local streets and improving air quality in the Tri-Valley region. In addition to passenger fares, the agency is supported financially by federal, state and local agencies, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Measure B and BB.

Low income riders on the Wheels bus system will become eligible for reduced fares beginning Monday January 25. Wheels is participating in a pilot program administered by the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) called Clipper START. The pilot will continue through the end of the year at a minimum.

Applicants to the pilot program can provide a copy of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card or Medi-Cal card, a county benefits eligibility letter, their Muni Lifeline card number or a copy of their last federal tax return to demonstrate their eligibility. Once approved, they will receive a personalized Clipper card that must be loaded with cash value before use.

The Clipper START discounts are automatically applied whenever the card is used. On Wheels buses, the discount is 20 percent off of the regular $2.00 one-way fare. Clipper START is not a transit pass — it is a program that offers discounts for single rides on 22 participating Bay Area transit systems.

Riders interested in Clipper START can learn more about the program and apply online at clipperstartcard.com. The website guides customers through the application process, details what documents customers need to upload, and will save applicants’ progress to allow them to return later to complete the application if necessary.

Cards can only be obtained through the Clipper website and are not available at the Livermore Transit Center, the Wheels Administrative Office or at any of the other Tri-Valley retail locations where Clipper Cards are available.

Income guidelines for the program are listed below.

Clipper Start Income Guidelines

Add $8,960 for each additional household member over eight.

About the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority

The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) was created in 1985 by the cities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton and Alameda County to serve area transit needs. In 2018 and 2019, LAVTA was named Transit Agency of the Year by the California Transit Association and the California Association for Coordinated Transportation, respectively. In 2020, LAVTA was named the top transit agency of its size in North America by the American Public Transportation Association.

LAVTA supports environmental sustainability by reducing vehicle trips and traffic congestion on local streets and improving air quality in the Tri-Valley region. In addition to passenger fares, the agency is supported financially by federal, state and local agencies, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Measure B and BB.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced the selection of the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) as the recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. The annual award acknowledges excellence among public transportation providers in North America. In LAVTA’s 35-year history, this the first time it has received this honor.

In announcing the award, APTA Chair Nuria Fernandez said “This is a prestigious and well-deserved honor for your organization. It also spotlights your outstanding leadership, working with your Board, your team members and your community. Your success is a model that our industry can emulate.”

LAVTA’s award is for rail or bus transit systems providing 4 million or fewer passenger trips annually. Agencies are evaluated by APTA’s Awards Committee based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative criteria. The qualitative criteria include safety, operations and maintenance, customer service, financial management, diversity and inclusion, marketing, and community relations. Quantitative measures include ridership, cost effectiveness, and road call data.

Livermore Vice Mayor Bob Woerner, currently LAVTA’s Board Chair, recognized the LAVTA staff and thanked the other members of the LAVTA Board of Directors. Woerner noted “In the past three years, this agency comprised of a 14-person staff and a seven-member Board of Directors has been named Transit Agency of the Year in California by two different organizations and has now been selected as the top transit agency of our size in North America. These honors are truly a testament to the quality of our small staff and the effective collaboration between that staff and our Board of Directors. In the midst of the current pandemic, during which our employees are busy providing an essential service to the residents of our region, it is nice to be able to take a moment and reflect on all we have accomplished recently as an organization.”

Among the accomplishments which led to LAVTA receiving the award:

• An increase in ridership of 12.1% over the two-year period from 2017 to 2019

• The successful passage of a Student Mobility Initiative at Las Positas College (LPC) to fund unlimited access transit passes for all LPC students

• Launching a Shared Autonomous Vehicle (SAV) project in proximity to the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station to help provide first and last mile connections with BART

• Serving as executive and administrative support for the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority (Valley Link), which held its first Board meeting in January 2018

• Partnering with the city of Livermore to relocate and rehabilitate the Southern Pacific Railroad’s historic train depot for use as LAVTA’s Livermore Transit Center sales and operations building

• Initiating Go Dublin, an on-demand real-time mobility alternative for Dublin residents utilizing a unique partnership with Uber and Lyft

LAVTA and the rest of this year’s award winners will be honored at an APTA Virtual Meeting in October and again in March at APTA’s annual TRANSform Conference.