Starting Monday, BART is ending train service at 9 p.m., three hours earlier than the current schedule, as the transit agency figures out how to deal with ridership levels that have declined by 90 percent amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the resulting regionwide shelter-in-place order.
BART officials said ridership after 9 p.m. currently represents only 3 percent of the total amount each day, and the agency decided closing early was a better option than running shorter or less frequent trains.
Along with changing the weekday schedule to 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. until further notice, starting March 28 the Saturday and Sunday schedules will uniformly be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Currently, Saturday train service begins at 6 a.m. and Sunday begins at 8 a.m.
“These are extraordinary times and we did not take this decision lightly. Our system operates using public dollars and we have an obligation to make financially sound decisions about service levels,” BART general manager Bob Powers said in a statement.
Powers has also implemented other cost-reduction measures, including a district-wide hiring freeze except for BART police.
BART has been seeking emergency funds from the federal and state government amid the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted the regional shelter-in-place order on Monday. The agency says sustained ridership reduction of 90 percent compared to normal levels could reduce its monthly revenues by $60 million.
Good . Now lay-off some employees.
But they won’t. The unions own the Directors.
Too bad BART didn’t stop the fare evaders
long ago. They could have put all that money
into a rainy day fund. Instead of doing their job
and minding the store the incompetents in
charge find it easier to ask for more money.
This is a good time to clean house at
BART starting at the top.
THIS! And quit lying about cleaning the cars and stations. Even maggots would be repulsed by some of the filth I have seen in the BART system.
Layoffs and pay cuts needed!!!
I second the Lay-Offs
wow is it just me or does barf seem like they have no idea what is going on
acting like a group of cult followers with no idea whats going on around them
their last 3 posts on here seem like they are out of touch
or at least who ever is their writer is so PC
they cant get out of their own way and at least sound informed or wary
instead they first come out demanding money because ridership is down spouting percentages and claims ….that they need more money to pay employees and bonuses
next post they actually say they are going to reduce trains because their findings show reduced ridership …..oh wow really …..
now they are shouting reduced hours as their findings have shown
talk about being in their own world ….
barf take a look this should show you that at least half of your past riders don’t need you
you claim to be for the people yet you only cater to politicians for tax money and bums and far jumpers
the actual people paying your increased fares and now paying for parking are being victimized daily ….even though you had a strike a few years ago demanding money for security and yet the problems got worse and the bart board and management got bonuses ….hmmmm
times are going to change
raising the bridge tolls to push people to use bart worked for the most part
but the jig is up and riders are now more informed as to your sanctuary socialist tactics and manipulation of riders
I hope most refrain from barf and stay working from home I am sure sure business is seeing how better working from home is for employees …
hopefully barf management or rather their own lower employees will realize they need better management since they are only interested in ripping off the riders and not securing their jobs
barf needs new efficient management and economists
since riders are well aware now what and who barf cares about
since barf is a public service and yet treat the public as cash cows for themselves
hopefully the ride is over and the public once again regains control over liberal based board and management are only interested in linin g their pockets while the public is preyed upon by repeat offenders at stations
while barf board and management are sitting with little concern for the riders safety
They “have an obligation to make financially sound decisions….”
Haw!
There is nothing that would force them to make financially sound decisions. Nothing.