BART Closes $35 Million Deficit

Through a combination of cost controls and revenue generation, Bay Area Rapid Transit has avoided a $35 million deficit that was originally projected for the 2026 fiscal year. Mass Transit reports that the deficit was eliminated without service cuts. 

“According to BART, at the height of the pandemic when it closed rail services at 9:00 p.m., it represented a 40 percent cut in service, but it only reduced operating costs by 12 percent. The agency notes that even a 90 percent cut in service (9:00 p.m. closure, one-hour frequencies and running only three of the five BART lines) would close less than half of the FY 2027 $376 million deficit,” Mass Transit writes. 

Instead, cost control and revenue generation measures included hiring freezes, running shorter trains, fare evasion reduction efforts, and inflation-based fare increases.

See a full list of the cost and revenue measures in the article below.