BART wants taxpayers to give it a free ride but management is the real problem

San Francisco Bay Area voters are being asked to subsidize a failing public transportation system with two ballot measures on Nov.3.One of them, Proposition H, would create a special property tax, or parcel tax, in San Francisco to raise funds for the local light rail train, the Muni.The other, Proposition RTM, would ask voters raise sales taxes by 1% in San Francisco, and by 0.5% in surrounding counties, to shore up the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail system.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Otherwise, proponents warn, public transportation in the Bay Area faces a financial earthquake.The epicenter of this earthquake would be BART, which faces a structural deficit of roughly $400 million.

while Muni and other Bay Area transit agencies face their own budget pressures.The conventional response is familiar: raise taxes or the trains and buses will close — and drivers will suffer more traffic.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!But the deeper problem is that Bay Area transit was built and financed around a commuting pattern that no longer exists.It is also managed by a bureaucracy that has struggled to adapt to the new realities of commuting, post-pandemic.

Rather than asking taxpayers to subsidize yesterday’s demand, policymakers should rethink how transit is funded and operated.After COVID-19, many people changed how they commute.Working from home has reduced the number of daily commuters traveling into San Francisco and other Bay Area employment centers.

The share of area commuters�...