Nov. 12—Taking the train in the San Joaquin Valley just got less expensive, and possibly more convenient, for travelers in a position to take advantage of a new pilot program set to extend through June.
Amtrak and the San Joaquins Joint Powers Authority, which overseas intercity passenger rail service in the valley, introduced a new fare system Nov. 1 that targets customers who book trips early and those who travel on off-peak times, when not as many travelers are riding trains.
The program results from what Amtrak says was extensive customer research that concluded people might be better served by a broader range of fares than had been available previously from the rail service provider.
The Fare Pilot, as it's called, represents something of a departure from Amtrak's conventional "reserved system," in which tickets have to be paid for prior to the train's departure. It says travelers will now be offered new, flexible and affordable options.
Amtrak's deputy director of passenger experience and communications, David Lipari, said in a news release that passenger feedback and data-driven insights help to shape the company's services "so that we are serving our passengers in the best way possible."
"Recent findings from Amtrak underscore the potential to refine our pricing approach for train trips, ensuring that we not only meet but exceed the expectations of our riders," he stated. "This new system specifically achieves this goal by building in savings for travelers that book early or travel on off-peak trains."
Amtrak said economic relief for customers is one goal, but that another intention is to drive incremental ridership and revenue. That could be critical, as figures provided by the company show ridership along the Amtrak San Joaquins service, which includes Bakersfield, has not fully recovered from the pandemic.
In the 12 months ending June 30, 2019, the service counted more than 1 million passengers. But in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, it noted, ridership dropped more than 26%. It fell again the next year by more than half, bottoming out at 366,631 trips.
Ridership began to recover between July 2021 and June 2022, surging 79% before jumping again to reach 828,352 in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
The new Fare Pilot program won't mean the end of Amtrak's daily and seasonal discounts, its news release said.
Amtrak serves about 100 destinations across California.