OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — The BART board of directors is meeting Thursday to discuss the budget for the next two years. Money is starting to run out.
“I think BART is crucial,” said Latrice Porter, a San Leandro resident. “It is the Bay Area. It makes it very easy to get around, because often times, I don’t do well with traffic.”
Porter used to take BART every day for work. The pandemic came and now her job is remote. Like so many others in the Bay Area, the work location changed and BART took a big hit. Gone are the days of commuters crowding stops getting to and from San Francisco. Ridership on weekdays is still between 40% to 70% of what it was pre-pandemic.
“I am 100% remote work,” Porter said.
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This means BART is not getting nearly as much revenue. Right now, BART is using pandemic relief money from the state and federal government, but in two years, that money will run out. There is a ballot measure proposed for 2026. If passed, tax dollars will be used to fund BART, other agencies and infrastructure projects. BART has not laid out an option for funding if that measure does not pass. Without proper funding, services could be severely impacted.
“I can’t reach my destinations in time if it is not there,” said Raj, a rider who did not want to provide his last name. “I don’t use my own transportation. I use public transportation.”
Raj and Porter both are in favor of the using tax dollars to fund BART. Even though Porter doesn’t use it as much, she says so many others rely on it. Over 100,000 people still take BART every weekday.
“I feel for those less fortunate,” Porter said. “They probably don’t have a car. Don’t have the means to purchase a car. And taking that critical piece away from those to get to their jobs to feed their families. You know thinking of that, that is sad.”
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