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WEST SAN LEANDRO SHUTTLE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT FY 2019-20 <br />3 | P a g e <br />Annual Report <br />Background <br />In 2000, the City of San Leandro evaluated the feasibility of implementing a commuter shuttle <br />service connecting west San Leandro employment sites with the San Leandro BART station. <br />Based on the results of that study, the San Leandro Transportation Management Organization <br />(SLTMO) and a Business Improvement District (BID) were formed to provide management and <br />funding for the LINKS Shuttle program. <br />The SLTMO is a 501(C) 4 non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors that includes <br />representation from businesses included in the BID and the City of San Leandro. The LINKS <br />Shuttle service provides free transportation from the San Leandro BART station to the industrial <br />area west of I-880, and the Marina Blvd. corridor. <br />Oversight of the BID is conducted by the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement <br />District Advisory Board (Advisory Board). The five to seven member Advisory Board includes <br />two City staff designees and three to five business representatives. The Advisory Board’s duties <br />include annual review of the LINKS performance for submission to the City Council. The <br />Ordinance authorizing the BID also provides that the City Council may increase the annual BID <br />assessment in an amount not to exceed the increase of the Consumer Price Index as part of its <br />review of the annual report. <br />BID Renewal <br />In 2015, the Business Improvement District was re-authorized for 15-years and the LINKS service area was expanded. BID fees are collected through the City’s business license process and the BID funds approximately half of the LINKS service. <br />When the BID was renewed, the service was expanded providing more frequent service with shorter wait times, shorter round-trip rides and connections to businesses that previously could not access LINKS. <br />Current LINKS Operation <br />The LINKS Shuttle provides free transportation from the San Leandro BART station to the industrial area west of I-880 and Marina Blvd., a major employment center of the City and the region. LINKS operates Monday – Friday during peak commute hours (5:45 – 9:45 am and 3:00 – 7:00 pm). The service operates two buses each on a North and South Loop. Links provides 200,000 rides per year with an average of 770 rides per day. <br />LINKS provides critical “first and last mile” connection between transit and employers in West San Leandro, serving major employers including Coca Cola Bottling Company, Walmart and Costco, as well as small employers. There are over 1000 businesses and almost 18,000employees in the LINKS service area. LINKS also provides transportation to commercial nodesincluding Marina Square Shopping Center and community services such as Davis Street Family Resource Center which serves 10,000 low-income people each year. <br />35