Title
Adopt a Resolution to Accept the 2025 Annual Report of the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District (BID) and Approve and Authorize the City Manager to Impose the 2026 BID Assessment Rates Increased by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Body
COUNCIL PRIORITY
Infrastructure
Economic Development
Quality of Life
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommend that the City Council adopt a Resolution accepting the 2025 Annual Report of the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District (BID) and approve and authorize the City Manager to impose the 2026 BID assessment at the increased rates, as recommended by the BID Advisory Board.
BACKGROUND
Business Improvement District and Annual Report
The West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District (BID) was established in 2004, and renewed in 2014, to provide management and funding for the LINKS Shuttle Program. BID fees are collected through the City’s business license process. The LINKS Shuttle is administered by the San Leandro Transportation Management Organization (SLTMO), a 501(c)4 non-profit corporation.
The Ordinance defines the boundaries of the BID, the amount of the annual assessment, the approved use of the assessment funds, and the effective period of the assessment. The Ordinance requires that a BID Advisory Board annually review the performance of LINKS for submission to the City Council. In addition, the Ordinance provides that the City Council may increase the annual assessment in an amount not to exceed the increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose), as part of its review of the annual report.
The five-to-seven-member BID Advisory Board includes the City’s Public Works-Engineering and Transportation Director and the Director of Finance (or their designees). The business members appointed to the Advisory Board are Kristin Anderson, Eric F. Anderson, Inc., Steve Magidson, Docustream, and Gricelda Sanchez, Alameda County Industries, Inc. The Advisory Board’s duties include review of the LINKS’ performance and budget, and a recommendation for the BID assessment rate. On October 30, 2025, the Advisory Board met to complete the annual review of the LINKS Shuttle and provide a recommendation for the 2026 BID Assessment Rate. The 2025 Annual Report is attached to the Resolution.
The free LINKS shuttle operates Monday - Friday during peak commute hours (5:45 - 9:45 am and 3:00 - 7:00 pm). LINKS provides the critical “first and last mile” connection between BART and employers in West San Leandro, serving major employers including Amazon, Walmart, and Costco, as well as small employers. There are over 600 employers and 15,000 employees in the LINKS service area. LINKS also provides transportation to retail centers and the Davis Street Family Resource Center, which serves 10,000 low-income people each year. With 24 years of service to the community, LINKS has provided over 3 million rides.
Participation in the BID helps businesses comply with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Commuter Benefits program, which requires all employers with 50 or more full-time employees to provide commuter benefits to their employees. To comply with the Program, employers must select one (or more) of four commuter benefit options and register with BAAQMD. Participation in the LINKS BID satisfies Option 3 (“Employer Provided Transit”) under the requirements, allowing businesses to save time and money when compared to creating their own in-house program.
Annual Report
The Annual Report includes a review of the LINKS performance, planned operations, budget and a recommendation for the 2026 BID assessment.
LINKS Budget
Funding for LINKS comes from the BID, grants, the City of San Leandro and advertising revenue from Marina Square Shopping Center, in which they purchase advertising space on the LINKS buses. Details include:
• 2022 Alameda CTC CIP Grant (Vehicle Registration Fees & TFCA) - $1,180,088
The SLTMO received a 2022 Alameda CTC CIP grant for FY 2021-2022 - FY 2025-2026 of $1,180,088. Although the full grant request was allocated, the matching requirement went from 50% to 75%, reducing the allowable request and significantly impacting the LINKS budget for the next five years.
• 2024 Alameda CTC CIP Grant (Measure BB & TFCA) - $331,000
In May 2023, Alameda CTC approved the SLTMO’s application for FY 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 CIP grant funds for $331,000.
• 2026 Alameda CTC CIP Grant (Measure BB & TFCA) - $386,000
On October 21, 2024, the City Council authorized an application for FY 2028-2029 and FY 2029-2030 Alameda CTC CIP grant funds for $386,000.
• Business Improvement District Revenue - BID revenue over the last four years (2020/2021 - 2023/2024) has averaged roughly $414,256 per fiscal year.
2024-2025 Activities
Over the past year, SLTMO continued to provide reliable transportation for LINKS riders. The service maintained the Dual Interlaced Loop service that was implemented July 1, 2022, in which two buses alternate between the North and South loops. This design allows passengers to travel directly between any two stops on either route without transferring between vehicles.
Historically, LINKS provided an average ridership of 770 per day. Like most public transit systems, ridership declined sharply during the pandemic, reaching a low of 200 in April 2020. In response to the reduced ridership and a decrease in grant funding, the LINKS program restructured service in July 2022 to the Dual Interlaced Loop service, reducing the fleet from four buses to two. By the end of FY 2024-2025, LINKS ridership averaged 331daily rides, totaling 86,484 annually-representing a 45% recovery of pre-pandemic ridership levels. This recovery rate aligns closely with BART’s overall ridership trends.
Throughout the year, SLTMO continued to leverage established communication platforms such as social media, Google Maps, and the Transit App to provide riders with real-time service alerts, route information, and updates.
In the continued effort to enhance the passenger experience, LINKS launched a new real-time vehicle tracking system powered by Trakk. For riders, this system delivers more accurate, real-time bus tracking and service alerts through a branded, mobile-friendly interface-no app download required. For operations staff, the platform improves vehicle location accuracy and enables digital ridership tracking, supporting more detailed performance analysis, on-time reporting, and data-driven service planning.
In March 2025, SLTMO issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for continued shuttle operations beginning August 2025. After a competitive procurement process that drew multiple qualified submissions, MV Transportation, Inc. was selected to continue operating the LINKS shuttle program, ensuring ongoing service continuity and reliability for the community.
2025-2026 Planned Activities
The SLTMO plans to undertake the following activities in FY 2025-2026:
• Dual Interlaced Loop - Continue to monitor and modify the service to meet rider needs.
• Outreach - SLTMO Management will increase outreach to employers and employees to promote LINKS ridership now that riders are coming back to public transportation. Management will continue to develop SLTMO’s social media and digital presence to spread the word about LINKS.
• Budget Stabilization - Continue to work to stabilize the budget in the following ways:
• Grants - Aggressively seek local, state, and federal grant and other funding opportunities. The Board will continue to work with the City of San Leandro and Alameda CTC to secure critical funding.
• Revenue Diversification - Continue to diversify revenue sources by maintaining the current contract with Marina Square (advertising) and seek other revenue opportunities.
• Operations Diversification - SLTMO is actively exploring potential service enhancements and operational alternatives aimed at reducing costs and stabilizing the program’s budget. These efforts focus on identifying strategies that maintain the LINKS shuttle’s core purpose-providing essential first- and last-mile connections to BART and AC Transit-while improving efficiency and long-term financial sustainability
Possible approaches under review include optimizing route design, adjusting service frequencies to better align with demand, and exploring new technologies or partnerships that could lower operating expenses without compromising service quality or accessibility.
Annual BID Rate Recommendation - 2026 Business Improvement District Assessment
To ensure that funding for LINKS stays current with operating costs, it is recommended that the 2026 BID rate be adjusted by the applicable Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Per the approved Ordinance, the BID per employee rate may be increased annually by the increase in the CPI. For 2026 the applicable CPI factor for the period of October 2024 to August 2025 is 2.1 percent. This will result in the per-employee BID rate increasing from $29.65 to $30.27. Businesses with three or fewer owner/employees, landlords, and non-profits will continue to be exempt from the BID assessment. The CPI adjustment will raise approximately $16,811 in additional revenue.
After reviewing the Annual Report, the BID Advisory Board approved the 2025 Annual Report and recommended that the 2026 BID rate be adjusted by the applicable 12-month CPI.
Previous Actions
• Ordinance No. 2004-013, adopted June 21, 2004, amending Title 2 of the San Leandro Municipal Code to add a new Chapter 15 establishing the West San Leandro Business Improvement District
• Resolution No. 2004-153, adopted October 4, 2004, forming the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District Advisory Board
• Ordinance No. 2004-021, adopted October 18, 2004, specifying the time and manner of collecting the West San Leandro Shuttle BID assessments
• Resolution No. 2008-130, adopted October 20, 2008, amending Resolution No. 2004-153, modifying the membership of the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District Advisory Board
• Resolution No. 2009-014, adopted February 2, 2009, approving a Resolution of Intention to re-form the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District
• Ordinance No. 2009-002, adopted April 6, 2009, amending Title 2 of the San Leandro Municipal Code to add a new Chapter 15 re-establishing the West San Leandro Business Improvement District
• Resolution No. 2010-008 RDA, adopted September 20, 2010, the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of the City of San Leandro 2010-2014 Implementation Plan. The West San Leandro-MacArthur Boulevard Project Area identifies the maintenance of LINKS as Economic Development Priority Program
• Ordinance No. 2014-023 re-establishing the West San Leandro Business Improvement District for a period of fifteen years.
Applicable General Plan Policies
Goal 15.03 of the General Plan specifically encourages the use of shuttle buses as a viable alternative to driving and Action 15.03-A urges continuation of public/private partnerships to provide shuttle services and the pursuit of grant funding opportunities for such activities
Legal Analysis
Staff provided documents and records for this item were reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
Financial Impacts
This Council action will not impact the General Fund balance.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution Accepting the 2025 Annual Report of the West San Leandro Shuttle Business Improvement District (BID) and Directing the City Manager to Impose the 2026 BID Assessment Rates Increased by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
Attachment B: San Leandro Transportation Management Organization Annual Report
Attachment C: LINKS Route Map
PREPARED BY:
Lars Halle, Economic Development Specialist, Community Development Department