Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
APRIL 16, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: METRO CLIMATE CARD PILOT PROGRAM
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to create a Metro Climate Card (MCC) 3-year Pilot Program that meets California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) mitigation that would apply to new private construction development projects under Senate Bill (SB) 743.
Issue
ISSUE
A VMT Mitigation Program (VMP) is a framework that allows cities, counties, or regional agencies to offset or reduce the added driving that comes from new development projects, while also:
* Reducing transportation-related greenhouse-gas emissions
* Encouraging sustainable transportation (transit, walking, biking)
* Complying with state environmental laws (e.g., in California: CEQA with SB743)
* Reducing infrastructure costs by lowering long-term dependency on car travel
* Supporting smart growth and infill development
Local real estate developers have requested Metro's help in making VMP projects/programs available to offset project VMT reduction requirements that remain after other efforts have been exhausted. The creation of a Climate Card, a new multi-modal pass (Metro bus, rail, bike, and micro transit), for participating developers, to generate quantifiable VMT credits is an opportunity to address CEQA mitigation while generating revenue and promoting sustainability.
Background
BACKGROUND
Research and practice from around the globe shows that incentivizing people to take transit, carpool, walk, or bike can meaningfully reduce driving trips - and that lower car ownership reduces both miles traveled and time spent in traffic. In 2013, SB743 changed the method of transportation mitigation required for new construction from Level of Service (LOS - traffic delay) to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), but it took agencies a few years to act on the change. In 2018, M...
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