Although there were a few creases to iron out, public transit for the Super Bowl will serve as a rubric for Levi’s Stadium’s FIFA World Cup games this summer.
In March, the Valley Transit Authority (VTA) Board heard an update on ridership during Super Bowl LX.
“This was our time to shine … VTA certainly did shine,” Carolyn Ganot, VTA general manager, said.
During the event, VTA saw record ridership, with roughly 31,000 people using its transit services. Following the game, VTA transported roughly 15,000 passengers offsite within 90 minutes.
Larry Bajwa, VTA’s project manager for special events, highlighted the collaboration between VTA and other agencies, saying it “doesn’t get any better.”
VTA deployed 29 extra service trains, upping that number from 22 in the eleventh hour.
Dino Guewarra, VTA’s marketing manager, told the board VTA’s new transit app offered an “integrated and streamlined customer experience,” providing customers the option to pay with their phone and wayfinding options.
Revenue from the event totaled $50,079.
But the day also had its hiccups. Increased security presence caused a service interruption from downtown to the stadium. Bajwa said VTA intends to create redundant systems to better respond to snags during the World Cup.
Further, he said VTA is hoping to have the ability to allow passengers to access assets more conveniently.
“The worst place you can have a service interruption is the downtown area,” he said. “There wasn’t a single moment where we saw overcrowding at our stations.”
Despite the interruption, passenger feedback was “overwhelmingly positive.” VTA only got eight complaints following the game.
One challenge VTA needs to solve for the World Cup, Bajwa said, is scheduling. Some games are scheduled late, and service is scheduled to run until 2 a.m. However, rail operators need to have at least eight hours off between shifts.
Guewarra said VTA aims to partner with CalTrain to inform people commuting from San Francisco that they scan QR code or download an app and pay in advance, allowing them to add people to a pass with just a tap.
Ganot said the final costs are still unknown, but VTA should have those numbers in the next month or two.
Council Member Suds Jain sits on the VTA board. He thanked VTA, adding that the event “went off spectacularly.”
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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