Council advances Palante microtransit pilot for East San Jose, staff says launch targeted by year‑end

The San Jose City Council discussed and moved forward a consent item to launch a pilot on‑demand microtransit service for East San Jose, known in the staff report as Palante.

Councilmember Candelas said the pilot represents “a major step toward transit equity” for East San Jose and asked staff for details on outreach and launch plans. John Rizzo, the city's Director of Transportation, told the council that if the consent item is approved staff will continue vendor selection, contracting and extensive community outreach and that the team is aiming for a launch toward the end of the calendar year. Rizzo said outreach will rely on community‑based organizations, multilingual materials and focus groups to ensure residents learn that the pilot is available and can use it.

Councilmembers emphasized the program’s goals to fill first‑ and last‑mile gaps where traditional transit service is sparse, and asked staff to ensure materials and a hotline are available in Spanish and Vietnamese and in both digital and physical formats. Candelas asked that outreach be “surgical” given the pilot’s limited size, and staff responded that community partners will be central to communications and rider education.

What’s next: staff will finalize vendor and vehicle procurement, develop localized outreach in collaboration with community organizations, and return with implementation details as the pilot moves toward launch.