2026: A Defining Year for BART
Hercules City Council
March 24, 2026
2 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
The New BART – Safer and Cleaner
New Fare Gates Systemwide
Make Riders Feel Safer
High Customer Satisfaction
and Onboard Ratings
Focus on Presence
Crime Fell 41% in 2025
3 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
The New BART – Station Enhancements
Improved LED Lighting Escalator Replacement
And Repair
Art, Culture & Activations
4 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
The New BART- Technology & Coordination
Tap And Ride Payments
Better Schedule Alignment and
Wayfinding
Innovative Fare Products
Like BayPass for Cal Students
5 5 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
• BART depended on fares to run service more
than almost any other transit agency
• Today, fare revenue is down $300-400M due
to remote work and post-pandemic travel
patterns
• $1.2B operating budget, with $370M+
structural deficit beginning in Fiscal Year 2027
• Ridership, fare revenue growth, and cost
controls are part of the solution, but other
revenue is needed
BART’s Cost and Revenue Structure
6 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
BART Operations are Efficient
• BART has one of the lowest operating costs per
passenger mile for peer transit agencies
• BART operating costs are growing below
inflation and at the slowest rate of peer agencies
• Only 40% of BART’s operating costs scale directly
with service levels
• Cutting BART operating expenses requires
disproportionate service reductions and puts
revenues from fares at risk
US Heavy Rail Operators
Cost Per Passenger Mile FY23
7 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Accountability and Oversight
BART Office of the Inspector General
• To provide a catalyst for improvements of BART
operations and promote a credible, efficient, effective, equitable, fair, focused, transparent, and fully
accountable form of governance
Office of the Independent Police Auditor
• Independent oversight of the BART Police Department
• Unbiased and thorough independent investigations
and reviews
8 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Delivering in FY26 for Success in FY27
Financial Stability
• Planning for multiple futures
• Ongoing efficiencies & cost saving
efforts
Focus on the Customer:
• Retain high customer satisfaction
• Continue clean and safe
• Next Generation Fare Gates
• Reliability & Strategic Systemwide
Investment
• Station & Infrastructure
Improvements
• Clipper 2
Measure Passes: Base Budget
Continue to Deliver High Quality Transit
& Ensure Financial Stability
Measures Fails: Alternative Budget
$300M+ in budget cuts and deferrals
FY26: Focused on Success FY27: Planning for Multiple Futures Nov 2026
General
Election
9 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
November 2026 Ballot Measure
• SB 63 authorizes a 5-county sales tax
measure
• 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, San
Mateo and Santa Clara and 1% in San
Francisco
• If citizen's initiative, simple majority to pass
• If approved by voters, provides BART
operations $310M annually beginning in
FY28
• Also provides funding for Muni, Caltrain, AC
Transit, other transit systems and road
repairs
Loans available to BART
• The State approved a loan to cover running
service until proceeds from a measure
become available
• Loans must be paid back with interest
• If a measure fails, BART cannot use the
funds, as it would not be able to pay back a
loan
Potential New Funding & Use of Loans
10 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Measure Fails-Alternative Service Plan
• Necessary to give direction to staff
• Must plan for a balanced budget under two scenarios
• A combination of solutions are needed to close $376M deficit • Service cuts
• Fare and parking increases
• Layoffs
• Reduction in system support services
• Deferrals and one-time resources
• Analysis was done to develop a reduced service plan that will retain as many riders as possible while achieving the highest net savings
11 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
To take place January 2027:
• 63% reduction in service
• 9pm closure (previously midnight)
• 3-line service (previously 5-line)
• 30-minute frequencies (previously 10-20)
• 30% fare and parking increases
• $30M in cuts from non-service reductions
to fleet maintenance, policing, cleaning,
admin support
• Over 600 employee layoffs
• Deferrals and one-time sources
Measure Fails- Alternative Service Plan
12 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
To take place July 2027 if feasible:
• Cumulative 70% reduction in service
• Maintain 9pm closure, 3-line service, 30 min
frequencies
• Close up to 15 stations and/or 25% of system track
miles
• Cumulative 50% fare and parking increase
• Cumulative $130M in cuts from non-service reductions to fleet maintenance, policing, cleaning, admin support
• Another 600 layoffs (total 1,200)
• Continue deferrals
Measure Fails- Alternative Service Plan
• No station names are
included in the plan
• The BART Board will
be responsible for all
decisions on station or
segment closures
13 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Safety Contingency:
• If BART can’t safely or legally operate with the available resources, we will stop passenger service
• Use District tax revenues to secure system assets and other ongoing obligations • Work to determine the system’s future
Measure Fails- Alternative Service Plan
14 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Barnali Ghosh
District 3 Director
[email protected]
Henry Symons
Community Relations Representative
[email protected]
(510) 464-6178
Find us on Social:
X: @SFBART
IG: @SFbayarearapidtransit
@SFBARTable
TikTok: @SFBART
We Want To Hear From You
15 San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
Questions