Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Alameda County (AC) Transit, Caltrain, and Muni are collectively suffering from a budget deficit that, without outside support, could lead to services being dramatically cut.
BART faced a major ridership drop during and in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The transit agency has struggled to keep funding since then and is currently running on an emergency budget that will run out this year.
According to the BART Funding Overview found on the BART website, if the agency does not get additional funds, it will have to implement an alternative service plan outlining specific cuts it will have to make. These cuts, which would start in January 2027, include running the Red and Green lines only during peak hours at 30-minute frequencies, closing at 9 p.m. every day, a 30 percent increase in ride fares and parking fees, as well as hundreds of employee layoffs. In July 2027, if no additional funding has been acquired, there would be more employee layoffs, fare and parking fee increases, and the closure of up to 15 stations. According to the Connect Bay Area website, AC Transit, Caltrain, and Muni would also face similar cuts. Caltrain would reduce trains to only once per hour, close at 9 p.m. on weekdays, and completely eliminate weekend service. Muni would eliminate service by at least 30 percent, cancel at least 20 bus lines, end regular evening service, and cut cable car service. AC Transit would reduce service by 37 percent.
Barnali Ghosh is a director on the BART Board who represents District Three (from Berkeley to Hercules). She oversees BART’s budget and policy, along with eight other members who collectively created the alternative service plans that BART may have to adopt in the near future.
“The understanding for most of us is that when you cut service like that, when you raise fares like that, we will probably lose ridership … So we’re really looking at how to put BART on life support at that point, because at some point — without riders and running such a slim system — we will not be able to run the system safely or legally, and we might have to shut Bart down,” Ghosh said.
Bay Area public transportation is relied on by many. Zia Percival, a Berkeley High School freshman, expressed her concern about the possible BART service cuts. BART and AC Transit are two of Percival’s main ways of getting around. “I could go basically anywhere on the BART lines. But if they cut the lines and (bus) stops too, then it’ll limit the sense of freedom or availability,” Percival said.
Connect Bay Area is an organization committed to saving Bay Area public transit. They are currently gathering signatures, with a goal of at least 200,000, in order to get a measure on the November 2026 ballot that would introduce a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, and a full-cent sales tax in San Francisco. The revenue from this proposed tax would provide the external funding necessary to keep public transit agencies from needing to make service cuts.
Liam Knudsen, a BHS senior, is involved with the Connect Bay Area movement. He gathers signatures for the measure by going to locally organized events and asking passersby for their signatures.
“I felt that this was something I could do that was pretty easy … if it were passed, it could have a huge impact, or at least stop a really bad outcome,” Knudsen said.
On Feb. 19, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom authorized a $580 million loan to the Bay Area transit agencies. “California is stepping up to support Bay Area transit — this agreement will help protect transit service for more than three million monthly riders. The benefits of a strong transit system are clear: growing ridership, cleaner air, and less congested roads,” Newsom said.
This loan, however, does not immediately close the deficits of these agencies. According to Ghosh, this loan is meant to be a “bridge loan,” meaning that the loan would only be used if the Connect Bay Area measure passes. Ghosh explained that if the measure passes, there would be a delay getting the sales tax revenue to the travel agencies, and there might be a need to cut services temporarily until that revenue is collected.
“If the measure fails, the fiscally responsible thing would be not to take money from the loan because we wouldn’t have a way to pay it back if the system is basically shutting down,” Ghosh said.
The fate of Bay Area public transit is still undecided. The Connect Bay Area transit measure remains the primary solution to the financial deficits. The signatures for the measure need to be collected by the end of May for the measure to be put on the Nov. 2026 ballot. If not enough signatures are collected or the measure fails, the Bay Area will have to adapt to public transit service cuts and find new ways to commute and travel around the Bay.