BART reliability under scrutiny as another systemwide shutdown torpedoes morning commute
Paul Sauer takes BART regularly for work and relies on public transportation to come into San Francisco.
"You know it needs to be reliable for everybody in the Bay Area," Sauer said. "I already have concerns with public transit in the Bay Area. I think we could be doing a lot better. The fact that one of our biggest systems is constantly failing is a big issue."
The Oakland native is concerned about service reliability, recurring shutdowns and other issues on BART. Friday's closure marks the second major systemwide shutdown in four months, following a power outage in May.
Last week, brake smoke on a train forced a temporary closure in the Transbay Tube, leading to a chaotic situation for commuters.
"Anytime anybody brings up any concerns with it, BART doesn't really seem to have any answers. It's just, like, 'Well that's just how it is,'" said Sauer.
Transit agencies like BART are asking for more funding. State Senator Scott Wiener introduced legislation, SB 63, that would authorize a regional sales tax on the 2026 ballot to raise more than $500 million annually for BART, San Francisco Muni, Caltrain, and AC Transit.
"These systems matter so much to the Bay Area's economy, to our quality of life, to our ability to get around, and we have to support them," said Wiener. "If we do nothing in terms of funding, BART is going to collapse, Muni and AC Transit and Caltrain will slash service, and that would be horrible for our region."
But former state Sen. Steve Glazer, who's been critical of BART, points to pay raises for executives and increasing staffing levels.
He isn't convinced more funding will lead to better service and reliability.
"The system breakdown today only exacerbates that concern," said Glazer. "The system breakdown that happened today was the second one this year, and it's happening at a time when BART is fully funded, so there's no excuses, but yet they're not able to anticipate these problems and protect the traveling public from these types of breakdowns that we experience today."
As commuters navigate the challenges of major disruptions, riders like Sauer are desperate for solutions.
"I personally don't have a problem with paying more taxes if it means BART is running smoothly and more often," said Sauer. "I want it to succeed to expand and to grow."
As that transportation funding bill makes its way through the state legislature, agencies are warning of major service cuts, with BART saying service could be reduced by 65 to 85%. Meanwhile, Muni has said its frequency of service could be cut by half.