Peninsula Moves!

Transit Agencies Collect Rider Feedback: October means the return of fall, playoff baseball, and, apparently, public transportation rider surveys. Earlier this year, Caltrain began interviewing passengers onboard trains as part of the agency’s Triennial Customer Survey, an undertaking that will help the agency collect data on passenger characteristics, demographics, service satisfaction and sources of information. Up the road, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is also in the midst of a customer survey this month. The SFMTA has dispatched surveyors equipped with tablet computers to ask questions related to where their ride starts and ends, whether they had to transfer (and where), how long they waited at the stop and the type of fare they paid. The surveys will help both agencies make operational decisions on whether service needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of its passengers.

Get Scooped Up in San Mateo and Foster City: To help cut down on traffic congestions and advocate for ridesharing programs, the Peninsula communities of San Mateo and Foster City are partnering with Scoop Technologies on reduced-fare carpool rides. Scoop is a mobile transportation app that connects commuters together for carpooling opportunities, and as part of a joint venture with Commute.org, travelers can now use the service for just $2 for trips in and out of San Mateo and Foster City. Passengers in those cities looking to hitch a ride can book a morning ride until 9 a.m. and an afternoon ride after 3:30 p.m., while drivers will be eligible for ride reimbursements of up to $11 for each trip. To find out more about downloading the app, commuters can visit the Scoop website here, and to unlock the discounted rate, they should use the discounted promo code COMMUTEORG05.

Bay Area Hosts International Film Festival: For the 19th year, the Bay Area will host the United Nations Association Film Festival, a multi-day gathering featuring films from auteurs across the world. Starting on October 20 in San Francisco, and taking place over 10 days in sites at Palo Alto, Stanford University, and other Peninsula communities, the film fest will include more than 60 documentaries crafted by skilled directors. The films will cover an array of international issues, including current events impacting countries like Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Israel and India. For film-goers travelling on public transportation, Caltrain is a great resource, as the agency’s weekday and weekend schedules offer plenty of travel options to San Francisco and Palo Alto.