BART to Raise Fares in January

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) riders in the San Francisco Bay will see a 5.5 percent increase in fares starting on January 1, reports Aidin Vaziri for The San Francisco Chronicle.

According to Vaziri, “BART officials say the increase is essential to support ongoing operations and to address a growing budget deficit, which is projected to reach $35 million by 2026 and balloon to $385 million by 2027.” The agency continues to rely on fares as an important source of revenue, but that model has become largely unsustainable.

Like other transit leaders around the country, BART officials are calling on state and federal governments to support public transit with more dedicated funding. “As part of its strategy to balance the budget, BART is also focusing on cost-saving measures, such as more efficient scheduling and reduced train sizes to lower operational expenses.”