BART Considers Changes To Solve Multi-Million Dollar Budget Deficit
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors on Thursday weighed cost-cutting proposals to address a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.
BART said it may charge riders who use paper tickets instead of Clipper cards a 50-cent surcharge.
Earlier, the agency was reportedly looking at starting weekday service at 5:00 a.m. instead of 4:00 a.m. and reducing discounts for youth, seniors and the disabled. Those proposals have been taken off the table.
BART could be facing a deficit of anywhere between $25 million to $35 million in the coming year, and the proposals to close the gap are coming at a time when fares are already going up. Fares are set to increase by 2.7 percent next year.
Last fall, voters approved a $3.5 billion bond measure to improve to aging BART system. However, BART directors said riders won't be seeing major fixes from Measure RR money for at least 2 years. In the meantime, the transit agency said they are facing rising costs and reduced revenue.
A final decision by the board of directors is not expected until June.
