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WEST SAN LEANDRO SHUTTLE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT FY 2021-22 <br />Annual Report <br />LINKS Shuttle Service <br />The LINKS Shuttle provides free transportation from the San Leandro BART station to the <br />industrial area west of I-880 and Marina Blvd., a major employment center of the City and the <br />region. LINKS operates Monday — Friday during peak commute hours (5:45 — 9:45 am and 3:00 <br />— 7:00 pm). The service operates two buses each on a North and South Loop. Historically, <br />Links provides 200,000 rides per year with an average of 770 rides per day. Like all <br />transportation services, the number of rides has dropped since Covid. Ridership is gradually <br />increasing and is currently 380 rides per day. <br />LINKS provides critical "first and last mile" connection between transit and employers in West <br />San Leandro, serving major employers including Amazon, Walmart and Costco, as well as small <br />employers. There are over 800 businesses and almost 15,000 employees in the LINKS service <br />area. LINKS also provides transportation to commercial nodes including Marina Square <br />Shopping Center and community services such as Davis Street Family Resource Center which <br />serves 10,000 low-income people each year. <br />Participation in the LINKS BID service area helps businesses comply with the BAAQMD <br />Commuter Benefit requirements. In 2014, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District <br />(BAAQMD) implemented the Commuter Benefits Program that requires all employers with 50 <br />or more full-time employees to provide commuter benefits to their employees. To comply with <br />the Program, employers must select one (or more) of four commuter benefit options and register <br />with BAAQMD. Participation in the LINKS BID satisfies Option 3 ("Employer Provided <br />Transit") under the requirements, allowing businesses to save time and money. <br />Backeround <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 SLTMO <br />administers the LINKS Shuttle program. <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 />3 1 P a g e <br />