A Discussion about the Future of Public Transportation in the Bay Area

Speakers

 Michelle Bouchard, Executive Director, Caltrain

April Chan, GM/CEO SamTrans; Executive Director, San Mateo County Transportation Authority

Regional Transportation Funding Measures – What and how do we fund public transportation in the Bay Area?

Why: 

In January and February 2025, there will be several surveys asking most likely voters their thoughts on funding public transportation in the Bay Area.

Background:

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. Workers embraced Work from Home (WFH) and even moved to work remotely. While there may be disagreement between employers and employees on this change, one thing is clear – workers are no longer commuting daily.

BART, MUNI, AC Transit, and Caltrain ridership have plummeted since 2020. Ridership on BART is somewhere between 45% - 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Caltrain launched electrified service in September and saw a “bump” in ridership but still hovered around 40% compared to pre-pandemic ridership.

During the pandemic, the federal government stepped in to help offset revenue loss due to the lack of farebox recovery caused by low ridership. Federal aid will end soon, and many of the Bay Area’s largest transportation agencies are forecasting a “fiscal cliff” that will make riding public transportation significantly more complicated and expensive if no new funding is found.

In 2024, State Senators Weiner and Wahab were tasked to develop a funding plan to support the Bay Area’s transit agencies. This legislation failed due to the lack of consensus amongst operators and a desire to see “consolidation” occur between agencies.

Toward the end of 2024, a new effort to find new funding was started, and it looked at a regional transportation tax measure that may include a payroll tax or a property tax. Given the lack of consensus across the region, options now include a four-county measure to help BART, MUNI, AC Transit, and Caltrain, which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Santa Clara County has opted “out” of this effort but has committed to funding its share of the anticipated Caltrain deficit.