SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — It is happening again.
BART is facing a massive budget deficit both for the current fiscal year and next year.
But what does this mean for riders?
It might become a little more expensive to ride BART in the future. There could be fare hikes, parking fee hikes, service cuts, and a reduction in discounts.
It is much to the dismay of BART riders.
And there is one key question: how can the transit agency be projecting a $15 to 25 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year and a $25 to 35 million deficit for the following fiscal year when trains become uncomfortably packed during commute hours.
“Some of the pots of money we rely on to go towards our operating budget aren’t hitting the mark of what we thought we would. We are also seeing a significant drop in weekend ridership, 9 percent. A 9 percent drop in one year is significant because we rely on that money to keep our budget balanced,” BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said.
As for why there’s been such a huge drop on the weekend, BART has some theories.
“We think the service disruptions that are happening on the weekends are playing a role, also Lyft and Uber, we are trying to figure out how they play a role. When you have a family of four and have to pay per person a BART ticket, and you can just as easily drop in your car or take Uber and Lyft and not pay per person, that may be it.” Trost said.
BART says they are hoping to close the budget gap with options that don’t impact riders.
“Increasing the opportunities for advertising and increasing the revenue we get from telecommunications, the overtime has been shut off. Riders will feel that because they will see dirtier stations, unfortunately,” Trost said.
The BART Board of Directors will look at all of the options over the next several months.