BART Director Debora Allen blasted General Manager Bob Powers on Thursday for not providing enough details on the budget problems the transit agency is facing in the wake of a drastic drop in ridership due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Allen, who represents part of Contra Costa County, said at the agency’s virtual board meeting, “I’m not seeing strong leadership and we’re not discussing the hard topics.”
Allen said BART staff members only have given board members projections about revenue reductions but haven’t presented proposals about cutting costs, such as cutting real estate projects and possibly cutting labor costs.
“No one on this board wants to see our employees’ hours cut but we aren’t doing our jobs if we don’t put everything on the table and have a discussion,” Allen said.
BART may have to consider eliminating some positions in addition to not filling current job openings, she said.
BART’s ridership is now only 6 percent of its average daily ridership before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
BART staff members presented three scenarios for the budget for the 2021 fiscal year starting July 1.
Under the most optimistic scenario, which assumes a large increase in ridership, BART would still have a $228 million net operating deficit.
The middle projection that assumes a medium increase in ridership would leave the transit agency with a $324 million deficit and the most pessimistic projection that assumes a low increase in ridership would leave BART with a $423 million net operating deficit.
Powers disagreed with Allen’s criticism of him, saying, “I think we’ve been very transparent and we will continue to be so.”
Pamela Herhold, BART’s assistant general manager for performance and budget, said, “We’re trying to provide as much information as we can. We’re presenting information as fast as we can to put a budget in front of
you.”
Allen said she hopes BART staff will present more detailed numbers, such as the costs for every department, at the next board meeting because the board needs to move quickly to approve a new budget by June 25.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved giving BART $251.6 million in federal emergency stimulus funds.
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the transit agency will use $173.5 million of that money in the current fiscal year and $78 million in fiscal 2021.
23 comments
LOL, BART cut costs ? It’s not in their thought process, I am glad to see the issue of a bloated Labor cost come into the Conversation, I’ll remember this when BART comes back to the Taxpayers (w/their hat in their hand) asking for a huge bailout, if they would address their Labor expense sooner than later, it would go along way when they come looking for $$, I also think this is a once in a lifetime to negotiate Pensions, Labor Rules, and Labor Costs with the Union, BART is in a position to get reforms, but will they ? My guess No Way ….
As a frequent Bart user and presently not using Barf to get to SFO, I appreciate this article, as it shows they’re not dealing with the fact they never enforced any rules broken daily by homeless people and drug users. Now I get it that those in charge could careless about what is Barf’s real problem.
Pay cuts and layoffs now, Go get em, Debora…
hmmmm
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved giving BART $251.6 million in federal emergency stimulus funds.
are those facts correct
I believe those funds were from gas tax and measure Q tax for road repair
wow
don’t worry bart is just setting you up for more tax hikes and fare hikes and parking hikes
you wanted unions and politicians together in a corrupt system
well now you got it
enjoy
So very true
The source of the MTC funds allocated to BART last week was federal stimulus money allocated to transit agencies across the nation.
I want to see what BART is going to do once we are past the SIP stage. Clearly the cattle car model will not work if we need to social distance. The train of the future is set up for high density standing. Not gonna happen for a while.
Considering the reduction in ridership and tax revenue, an 80% reduction in overhead is appropriate. So that +$200,000 per year janitor needs to go!
When I first moved to the Bay Area in ’97 I got on my local station and rode the entire system, to see the area I had just moved to.
Are 35 full-time escalator repair staff still necessary?
Maybe they will be able to fix one between now and the end of cower in place.
When It comes to Bart and their budget, I tend to agree with you.
Deborah Allen sounds like the only sane person within the asylum and the only one with balls.
First order of business would be to dump the union. Cut pension benefits in half for grandfathered in employees and staff. Any future hires can get manage their own retirement plans just like most of us.
Downsize all staff and workers in every department and those “essential workers” that make varsity all get rewarded with a 10% pay cut with a catch…job performance bonus incentives.
Yes fare, parking, and tax increases are coming fast so buckle up everyone! Remember the Gavins credo, “we’re all in this together”.
$251 million is just a drop in the bucket when our G men/women only talk billions and trillions so plenty of plastic cash is headed Bart’s way in the coming years. I don’t see the problem here, do you?
If now is not the time for a complete flushing of bart staff and rehiring with a new mindset & strict controls on salary, benefits, overtime, STRIKES, policing, cleanliness, law enforcement, reduced costs and budget limitations, elimination of political power and overriding of city/county exclusive control of building permits…when is?
Maybe they can raise the bridge tolls some more.
BART had too many problems before the virus. You can fill in the blanks.
BART was a tax cash cow for California? Unless cows consume milk instead of providing it, it’s CA that’s cash cow for BART.
Even in good years BART revenue covered only about 60% of its operating expenses. The rest came from sales tax, property tax, state and local financial assistance and other BART welfare programs. As for BART capital expenses, more than 90% came from state and local bonds (i. e. taxes).
And now that ridership is near zero and will be low for the foreseeable future, close to 90% of its operating expenses will have to be covered by the taxpayers (what BART euphemistically calls “financial assistance”).
I only wonder what BART station agents, janitors and other highly trained professionals (sarcasm alert) are doing now to inflate their overtime. I’m sure they’d come up with some scheme, just waiting to hear what it will be this time around.
Yeah also striking
Tell me how a PUBLIC transit
can strike for more tax money to fill its bloated union wages and mismanaged books
When Bart strikes the bus drivers strike because its all union operators
Striking not against their employers but our tax money
The handling of the pay out is done by a paid employee and yet we get the bill paid by tax money
Why does the city bow to union operators making 75$ and hour
I am sure there are more than enough people willing to learn and earn 20-25 an hour to drive around cities for 6 hours a day plus overtime for weekend shifts
All of that and still cheaper than bloated Bart
Obviously Bart will not be a major need after the changes to how we live are changed due to Covid
Yet their vision is more money more money oh crap more money
She is heading that parade
but seems to be looking at a political career in the near future by blasting the underlings
Notching her belt with a fake restructure rant
That will equate to newscum giving more money to feed the future of Bart as a Covid compliant transit with floor to ceiling clear plastic dividers and sanitizer stations leading to higher union wages as Bart is declared a hazardous job
Demorats vision is easy to decipher
It’s basically offer up a small change to the chaos and demand millions of tax dollars
Then create more chaos
Rinse and repeat
Socialism only makes the higher ups richer
And their demand for power higher
While you lives toil and sink into mediocrity
What have the demorats done for you
Have you gotten better job with better pay
Have you moved from a 1 or 2 bed apartment
Into a house
Are you still driving the same beat up car
Are your children being educated properly to gain scholarships for college
Or are the demorat run colleges too expensive or to elitist to accept your children
Seems onE party is getting what they want
and the rest are indentured To serve the socialist montage
Welfare and unemployment and mediocrity
Bart is the best example of how our political system in the state is functioning
Those who pay to play ride Bart
As the bums are offered pittance and crevices to hide
Allowed drug use
and free crime to circumvent their lack of income
I mean prop 13 allowed people to opt out of paying for schools if they had no children
How about an opt out for people who don’t want to use Bart
Let’s see how long this cushy jobs last at Bart when that happens
Just like the school system got deluged with higher amount of children in classes and less pay for teachers
Then they defunded even simple necessities like pencils and paper
Then turned off the air conditioning
And dem voters are obviously ok with that
As long as smooth talking politicians tell them it’s going to be ok
Sounds like China to me
Just saying until China sensors meh too like Europe
Automate the new trains and eliminate the drivers.
Originally prior to opening, BART was advertised to run its trains without operators and by computer only. I know people who called asking how they could apply for train operator positions and they were told there were no train operators, the entire system was operated by computers. As it turned out, that was untrue.
Dear Claycord,
Thanks for reporting on this. Its a very important story. For some reason this issue didn’t get much reporting. Stay tuned for more…
Debora Allen, BART Director District 1
http://www.fixourbart.com
People are going to avoid riding BART for some time. Office buildings may very well limit elevators to 2 people, temp check before you enter buildings, etc… A neighbor said he is breaking his lease and moving his practice out of the City, period. Too dangerous to work and live in such crowded conditions. As I have stated before, it reminds me of a large cruise ship without the Buffet Line and Bar.
Looks like Bart is no longer going to be needed sure as hell don’t need our taxpayer money which they just waste it’s unbelievable how much money they spend on nothing
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