Higher fees, service cuts likely on BART
Regional commuters on BART are likely to see fares and fees go up this year due to budget shortfalls, today’s Chronicle reports. Among the options being considered are reduced frequency on weekends (from a frequency that is already quite low), higher parking fees at peak demand times, and deferred maintenance.
Other regional systems are facing similar shortfalls, mainly due to lower tax revenues in the slowing economy, despite increased ridership. Caltrain just increased fares at the beginning of the year, and although SFMTA is in the middle of a two year budget cycle, it too is facing higher costs and lower revenues.
shouldn’t increased ridership bring in more money? If there is an increased demand, raising the fares makes more sense than cutting service. ssdada
BAD ideas. BART has plenty of fat to trim, and both raising fares and cutting service frequency is a sure route to lower ridership. Service hours are already too short, cutting them back is another way to shed riders. If the embezzalator’s feet were held to the fire, the Transit Spillover funds ($1.3 BILLION this cycle) would easily cover the other shortfalls.
BART just got their 15 minute headways that they’ve been putting off for 30 years, why cut them now? Service is at peak, if anything they should cut out projects like MyBART and Tinytickets and reduce projects like seat replacement. We need to move people to work and on time, no one wants to be late and lose their job over a late BART train or one they couldn’t board due to overcrowding.