BART officials told the agency’s Board of Directors Thursday that the Bay Area’s COVID-19 coronavirus resurgence has BART already falling behind on its revenue projections for fiscal year 2021, which began July 1.
BART officials said the agency is likely to receive nearly $40 million less than the $416 million it requested from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
BART ridership is also trending closer to its slower projected ramp-up, in which the agency would 15 percent of its pre-pandemic annual ridership during the fiscal year, than its faster projected ramp-up, which included a 50 percent ridership goal for the fiscal year.
Board Director Liz Ames said BART could consider finding additional funding by taking out loans or reducing daily service, but the state of the agency is dire in either scenario.
“I don’t see how BART is going to survive,” she said. “I mean I don’t want to say bankruptcy but this is a fiscal emergency.”
BART passed its fiscal year 2021 budget last month after making roughly $200 million in cuts from the preliminary budget the agency considered in mid-May.
The final budget punted on planned funding for things like new hires and BART officials touted that the budget avoided making cuts or to existing staff or furloughing them. However, that budget was predicated on CARES Act funding and fare revenue sitting at the midpoint between 15 and 50 percent of pre-pandemic ridership.
Board Director Janice Li said part of BART’s lack of ridership increases and the Bay Area’s coronavirus surge in general falls at the feet of President Donald Trump.
“It’s hard for me to be optimistic until we get past November when we have a president of this country who sees mask-wearing as political,” Li said.
BART officials are expected to meet again with the board later this year to determine whether revisions to the fiscal year 2021 budget are necessary. The agency has planned to consider such revisions each quarter, starting in October.
Janice Li blames Trump? That’s the best excuse she can come up with?
BART is a poorly managed railroad, and inept comments such as hers make it worse in the eye of the public. A BK and reorg are the best things that could happen to BART.
“I don’t see how BART is going to survive,” she said. “I mean I don’t want to say bankruptcy but this is a fiscal emergency.”
so more tax money because you were so surprised and cam out of no where
you allready got bail out money and gave it to the board for bonuses
you didnt cut workforce and did not restructure benefits or pay …why
because you fly the union flag ….and are beholding to them
so it appears your end is near and i am sure most people who have been abused and had to deal with your filthy trains and crime and parking fees and standing fees and paying for fare jumpers …are well fed up with your antics of democrat management over actually doing a job for the whole community …..
allowing vagrants to urinate consistently and fair jumpers ….yet slapping the law abiding with higher fares and parking fares ….
i hope the people show just how done they are with mismanagement
and the superiority complexes of democrat run public transit ……and lack of any response to the riders who pay and are clean to their safety ….
the concerns have been around for years and as of 5 years ago you had a strike to get more money for safety as you called it and the signs read
and all that happened was bonuses for the board and oh the next higher fares and fees and crime …..
there is a famous quote somewhere that could be placed here
Exactly, The train stops here management,,,, now get out ! there,s a new company ready to run the system.
BART ridership dropped off the cliff when the SIP was put in place. How long did it take BART to respond to those changes? Did they layoff or furlough like many businesses? If not, why not?
Exactly! Suck it up, BARF.
“Board Director Janice Li said part of BART’s lack of ridership increases and the Bay Area’s coronavirus surge in general falls at the feet of President Donald Trump.
“It’s hard for me to be optimistic until we get past November when we have a president of this country who sees mask-wearing as political,” Li said.”
Hahahaha that is so ridiculous. I didn’t realize President Trump is the reason people aren’t riding BART and they are losing money despite tax payers throwing more and more money at them nonstop for decades. These are the people who are in charge of BART at the highest level. No wonder they might go bankrupt. Total idiocy.
The Bay Area, a Republican strong hold. LMFAO
She reminds me of Anderson Cooper.
Bart was way over priced before the pandemic. The trains were dirty, filled with homeless people on the trains and in the city living within the stations using drugs. Who would want to take Bart? There was not a safe feeling riding Bart and crime was on the rise. Bart has many employees who are over payed as well.
If we can’t get our hair cut (inside) or eat in a restaurant because we don’t want to spread Xi Coronavirus, then BART operations should be suspended until further notice. Those trains act as a vector, spreading the virus throughout the region every day.
BTW- BART is like a cruise ship without the booze and buffet line. Oh, and no dress code or personal hygiene standards.
Listen, Janice, I don’t like our president either but you only have yourself to blame for barts shortcomings. I was a daily rider on Bart before the coronavirus and it was dirty and unsafe already. BART is too bloated with overplayed employees and red tape to take care of itself. It’s like a snake that starts eating it’s tail and the coronavirus only sped up that process. I love the idea of Bart, and it’s convenience but for how much money it takes to maintain it really should be a lot cleaner and safer before the pandemic even struck
pretty sad when Li is using her position as a board supervisor to get in a political dig that is not even connected…..Talk about poor leadership…
Bankruptcy could be best. Tear up labor union contracts and start over. There is no way the unions can strike ever again as they can’t hold entire Bay Area hostage like before due to enhanced tele commuting options…..I suppose they will try to hold out hoping complete Dem takeover in Washington will result in massive federal in flows to their bottom line.
okay…just to add a little humor/sarcasm.
If the ridership went down because of Trump and his views of mask wearing…perhaps Li should be thankful that Trump did not mandate the wearing of masks as the CA majority would then not wear them because Trump said to….just saying People hate Trump soooo much …..they cut off their nose to spite their face
Wait what
Did she just blame barts ineptness and lack of foresight and budgeting and lack of riders needs on trump
So here we go another public self righteous employee slapping their democrat whip on the potus for their failures
I mean do people really listen to these people
It must be because they are coming out of the woodwork
Blaming trump for the revolution to higher taxes and aliens and black holes and the Big Bang as well as 9-11 and Pearl Harbor as well as company mismanagement and outright defiance of laws and tact
Even more reason to force a Bart failure and dismantling By the people
The shear boldness to outright lie and have her believe that people will accept that it ludicrous and insane
Do democrats really think that a bunch of democrat lemmings are waiting for marching orders from some over zealous Bart board member
Like blaming trump will get them money and backing for their ineptness
And bad management
So they believe they can say
ugh I don’t live where I want ….I blame trump
And democrats will rise up and give money so they can live where they want
The childness of this is absurd
Is she really stomping here feet and crying trump did it
How can she ever be taken seriously as an adult after her comment
Is the Bart board a bunch of slacker entitled that this is acceptable
I wish I could say I am at a loss of words but the atrocity of her statement that Bart sucks because of trump is just sad ….and lacking any professionalism or even simple truth
Dear BART: Time to get a whiff of reality. No one wants to ride your Choo Choo! I’ve spoken with a number of people who used to take BART to work, and are now working from home. They all of stated (without being asked first) that if they have to start going back into the office, they are not taking BART. They’ll drive instead. Past time you lay off people and shut stations.
And another thing, what’s going to happen with all of the money loaded onto Clipper cards now that will go unused. Going to refund it back to the Clipper card holders?
Time for the BART Unions to ask for a raise! Automate the system and save money.
You lose all credibility as soon as you start blaming others for your own faults. There are a lot of issues with BART and trying to divert in the direction of cheap political shots only makes you look petty, incompetent, and exhibits extremely poor leadership. Doesn’t matter which side of the isle you’re on.
Wasn’t it Gavin Newsome who mandated the SIP orders and closed down the state?
BART was kept open as a necessary service. Now people don’t need the service because of other options, like telecommuting.
BART is going the way of Kodak, Barnes and Noble, and buggy whips. You adapt to the times or you go out of business.
You want more money to spend? FREEZE AND THEN END THE PENSIONS.
Wow. The human race(ist) is certainly showing its ugly head and the BART board is just one of millions of examples. So the question is: Are people as dumb as they seem, or, are they evil? Or is it a combination of both?
BART’s problems are caused by:
1. Mismanagement
2. Fare evasion
3. And the the salaries of BART employees found at the link below.
https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/san-francisco-bay-area-rapid-transit-district/
Human Nature is a Disease.
Dude, these salaries are insane. Holy mother of god. These incompetent jackals are all making 400k or more!
This is proof positive of the excess and insane greed of BART. Jesus Mary…
A budget? What’s that? Some kind of weird animal that lives under the seats?
Former commuter, stopped riding BART about 2013 and drove alone to SF every day. People pleaded with BART to enforce fares, clean the stations, disallow sleeping cross-wise on seats all day, stop car to car seat to seat begging- just make the paying riding feel safe and valued during their short ride. BART wouldn’t couldn’t do it. Now, a pandemic & nobody’s riding.
99% of Bart’s issues are Bart’s own making. The filth, the squalor, the lack of bathrooms, the high fare price (less pricey to just drive to SF even at just 22mpg), the lack of police and security, the fare evaders, the homeless, the panhandlers, the cars with broken AC…
I do not miss BART. Even NYC’s subway was better managed and more orderly. European systems were insanely advanced and clean.