The service, which utilizes six Kia Nero SUVs and three Ford E-Transit vans, has provided 800 rides since Aug. 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not us just adding another transportation service. It\u2019s about expanding mobility,\u201d Sunnyvale City Manager Tim Kirby said at the ceremony. \u201cWe\u2019re giving the community a chance to make more affordable transportation choices and more opportunities to get where they need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sunnyvale resident Jim Van Pernis (right) completes a test ride with Sunnyvale Beam. Photo by Mike Langberg.<\/p>\n
Pick ups and drop offs are \u201ccorner to corner,\u201d meaning riders might have a short walk to or from their location, although people in wheelchairs are transported door-to-door. Going slightly beyond city limits, Beam also serves Homestead High School in Cupertino and the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.<\/p>\n
Microtransit services such as Beam are publicly funded local alternatives to more costly private services such as Lyft, Uber and Waymo. The concept has already proved popular elsewhere in Santa Clara County, including Silicon Valley Hopper<\/a> in Cupertino and Santa Clara, Palo Alto Link<\/a> and Milpitas SMART<\/a>. SV Hopper provided 103,468 rides<\/a> last year across Cupertino and Santa Clara. Via<\/a>, which runs SV Hopper and Palo Alto Link, is also running Sunnyvale Beam.<\/p>\n These services aim to protect the environment by closing the \u201clast mile\u201d gap between where people live or work and the nearest public transit stops, as well as providing an alternative to car ownership. Low fares make microtransit particularly appealing to older adults and high school students.<\/p>\n The flip side is that microtransit can be expensive. SV\u00a0Hopper, which expanded into northern Santa Clara in July<\/a>, spent an average of $32 for each individual ride in 2025, according to a Cupertino city report<\/a>. The high cost can make microtransit, often supported by state and federal grants, unsustainable. Morgan Hill, for example, had to end its MoGo service<\/a> in February 2025 for lack of funding.<\/p>\n Sunnyvale, however, has already built 20 years of funding for Beam into its municipal budget, including a state grant that will cover half the annual operating cost of $1.6 million for the first five years.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Sunnyvale, we don\u2019t like to start services that we can\u2019t sustain,\u201d Kirby told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Sunnyvale dipped its toe into microtransit last year with Peery Park Rides<\/a>, a pilot program with Via that primarily serves commuters at office parks in northwest Sunnyvale. Peery Park Rides is funded through February 2027 and the city is exploring options for the service to continue with private funding.<\/p>\n
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