BART approves its first fare hike in two years
BART leaders on June 9 approved the rail system's first fare hike in over two years as the agency relies on nearly $600 million in pandemic relief money to stave off service cuts and more drastic fare increases.
The 3.4% increase will take effect in July after BART'S board postponed an increase planned for January.
Fares for short trips will climb by less than 10 cents, and longer trips like Antioch to downtown San Francisco will rise by around 30 cents.
BART'S governing board scheduled the increase in 2019 as part of a plan to raise ticket prices every other year through 2026 in line with inflation rates. But that was before the pandemic caused a collapse in ridership — BART'S traditional main source of revenue — and inflation surged to over 7% in California.
Even as the cost of living skyrockets, BART has been able to restore service to pre-pandemic levels and avoid larger rate hikes thanks to more than $1.5 billion in federal relief that the agency is using to balance the budget through 2026.
By comparison, California's gas prices have surged 37% since January, and now BART, which has been criticized for costly fares, is increasingly seen as a bargain by many commuters.
The rail operator will be relying on one-time pandemic relief funding from the federal government for years to come, but BART leaders are warily eyeing the timing of when the relief money runs dry.
Though ridership has steadily increased in recent months, passenger revenue is not expected to recover to prepandemic levels over the next 10 years, so BART is projecting to run an up to $2.2 billion deficit over that period.
“I understand that people are hurting,” said Director Bevan Dufty, who represents parts of San Francisco. “But that being said, I don't think it would be responsible to delay again the inflationbased fare increase.”
The fare increase is part of a $2.5 billion budget for 2023 the agency's board approved June 9, which is nearly split between the cost of operating the system and infrastructure projects.
Among the biggest cost are $518 million toward updating BART trains with new cars in 2023 and $649 million in labor and associated benefits in 2024.
It's not entirely bad news for riders' wallets: In September, BART will celebrate its 50th anniversary with 50% off all trips during the month.
But not all BART riders are welcoming the price hike. “I do not feel that the time is right for a fare increase,” said Aleta Dupree, a transit activist. She said the agency should be looking harder at costsaving measures to avoid a fare hike. “I think we have to do to better and pass a board resolution that will ensure equity going forward.”