California’s large metropolitan areas, particularly greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, are each served by dozens of distinct transit operators. This fragmentation creates a disjointed experience for many riders—who face different fares, schedules, and route maps—and can create inefficiencies in service delivery. Accordingly, we reviewed international and U.S. studies of organization and coordination for insights on the most effective governance structures for public transit. Specifically, we examined whether consolidating transit agencies into larger entities or coordinating specific functions across existing agencies can improve ridership, cost-efficiency, and equity.
