Pilot program testing 'universal basic mobility' coming to Bakersfield

Nov. 20—William Darden, a 21-year-old Bakersfield resident, recently quit his job at Subway. It wasn't because he hated the work, or was fired, but simply because his shift ended at 10:30 p.m., and the buses he relied on to get to and from work stopped running before he left.

He found himself in a situation shared by many people across the country. They may want to work or get an education, but their needs fall between the cracks of the transportation system.

Now though, Darden has a new job, and he says he can get to it easier than ever thanks to a pilot program conducted by a collaboration between Spin, a micromobility company backed by Ford, and Golden Empire Transit. As part of the pilot program, Darden, along with 99 other low-income Bakersfield residents, will gain access to free public transit along with Spin's electric scooters and bikes.

The aim is to provide transportation options to disadvantaged Bakersfield residents and improve their access to jobs and education. A study at the University of California, Davis will evaluate the results after tracking the outcomes of its participants.

The pilot will test the concept of universal basic mobility, or the idea that by providing a minimum level of transportation to all residents, their quality of life will improve.

"We want to make sure that people have the freedom to move, they have the ability to get where they want to go on their terms," said Josh Johnson, a senior public policy manager at Spin. "We're trying to understand if this can lift people up and help them realize their potential."

For Darden, the results have been not so much life-changing as life-altering. He previously took the bus or rode in a ride-hailing service like Uber to get to work. On occasion, he would walk 45 minutes to arrive at his shift on time.

Now, he says, the scooters sometimes get him to his job faster than he would have gotten there in a car.

"For me, it's better to have the scooter than the car because I leave around the time of rush hour. I also go home by the time everybody else is going home," he said. "I like it a lot. I'm just waiting for them to get more scooters out."

Darden became involved in the pilot through the Kern County Network for Children Dream Center, which provides resources to former foster and homeless youth. Child and Family Services Coordinator Jayme Stuart said she has witnessed the transportation challenges faced by the youth involved in the program for many years.

There wasn't a viable solution, she said, until now.

"A lot of our youth who are ages 18 to 24, they work at retail jobs, they work at warehouse jobs, they work at a lot of jobs that operate outside of the bus schedule," she said. "So if the bus isn't running, then your only option is Uber or Lyft, and Uber and Lyft have gotten very expensive."

Furthermore, some of the foster youth never learned how to ride bicycles, cutting them off from another cheap transportation resource.

The pilot could have big implications on the future of transportation. Both Pittsburgh and Oakland are also running their own pilot programs aimed at studying the effects of universal basic mobility. Depending on the outcomes of the participants, the concept could grow to cities across the country.

In Bakersfield, which has one of the highest rates of disconnected youth in the country, according to a recent study, that could mean more employment and better education for the young. And, hopefully, that will lead to better lives.

"It'll be nice for these youth to be able to focus on moving forward," Stuart said. "So many of the things that most people don't have to worry about, these youth do. And it just makes it more difficult for them to maintain employment, stay in school, and we hope that this will reduce that."

You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.