Did the Bay Area just save its transit system from the brink of certain death?
Summary
Bay Area voters approved two tax measures intended to support the region’s financially distressed transit systems. Without the funding, major service cuts and station closures could have reduced transit access and worsened road congestion.Key Facts
- The Regional Transit Measure received 62.2% support across the five counties that voted on it.
- The measure sets a 0.5% sales tax in four counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco, and is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for four major transit operators.
- In San Francisco, 73.6% of voters approved a parcel tax to fund Muni.
- Without the measures, BART could have closed up to 15 stations and reduced service; Caltrain could have closed 10 stations and ended weekend service.
- Muni could have cut about one-third of its service, eliminated 20 bus lines, and suspended streetcars and cable cars.
- A regional planning report estimated that peak-hour delays on the Bay Bridge and other traffic bottlenecks would have more than doubled if transit service had been cut.
- Transit agencies faced funding pressure as pandemic relief funds neared expiration, amid low ridership and widespread remote and hybrid work.
- Campaign volunteers collected 77,000 of the 305,000 signatures needed to qualify the regional measure for the ballot, according to the campaign.
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