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BART officials tout cleaner, safer system and warn of service cuts if regional tax fails
Summary
BART officials told the Newark City Council that station cleanliness, new fare gates and increased police and crisis‑response staffing have reduced crime and boosted rider satisfaction, but agency leaders said a proposed multi‑county sales‑tax measure is needed to avoid steep service cuts.
BART representatives briefed the Newark City Council on June 23, saying recent equipment and staffing changes have improved safety and rider experience while the agency continues to confront a structural budget gap.
Bradley Dunn, BART's manager of community relations, told the council the system has installed fare gates at all stations, increased deep cleaning and expanded police and crisis‑response staffing. "We've seen hours spent on maintenance within the paid area plummet," Dunn said, adding that early indicators show "revenue growing by about $10 million a year" from reduced fare evasion. He also said BART recorded an overall crime decline of 41% in 2025.
Dunn and Liz Ames, who led the agency presentation, said those improvements have raised customer satisfaction. But they said the system still faces a roughly $370 million structural shortfall tied to post‑pandemic ridership changes: "When people say you've got a really large deficit, often they ask, 'are you running efficiently?'" Dunn said. He and Ames told council members that an upcoming regional sales‑tax measure—structured as a five‑county measure that could bring roughly $310 million to BART if it passes—would reduce the immediate funding gap but would not eliminate the agency's longer‑term need to rightsize costs.
Ames described ongoing operational efforts, including a tap‑and‑ride contactless payment rollout and escalator replacements, and said the agency is pursuing both cost controls and revenue measures. "We didn't rely very much on local taxes pre‑COVID," she said, noting BART's pre‑pandemic operating model relied heavily on fare revenue and that changes in commuting patterns have reduced trip frequency.
Council members asked for station‑level data on local riders and for follow‑up on fare‑payment origin information. BART staff said they could not link Clipper or contactless payment taps to individual household addresses for privacy reasons, but offered station profile summaries and survey data that show boarding patterns.
Why it matters: BART is pitching operational gains to local governments while pressing the need for a regional funding measure. If voters reject the proposed tax, BART officials warned of possible service reductions that could include later evening curfews and major cuts to routes—outcomes the agency says would further undermine revenue.
What comes next: BART staff said they will provide station profile data to Newark and continue outreach about the proposed measure. The council offered technical questions and thanked the agency for the presentation.
