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Bay Area transit leaders warn of fiscal cliff, urge regional revenue measure
Summary
Metropolitan Transportation Commission staff told the SB 125 Transit Transformation Task Force that post‑COVID ridership declines and shrinking fare and parking revenues have created a structural funding gap that will force service cuts unless new regional or state revenue is found.
Alex Bockelman, who identified himself as a staffer at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, told the SB 125 Transit Transformation Task Force that the Bay Area faces a ‘‘transit fiscal cliff’’ caused by long‑term declines in weekday commuting and consequent losses in fare and parking revenue.
Bockelman said overall transit ridership in the Bay Area remains about two‑thirds of pre‑COVID levels and that operators that rely heavily on farebox and parking revenue have been hit hardest. He told the task force that emergency federal and state infusions totaling more than $4 billion helped backfill losses in recent years, but those funds were not permanent.
‘‘This is simply a math problem,’’ Bockelman said, summarizing staff analysis that service cuts alone cannot close the gap. He told the task force that the…
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