Bay area voters pass ‘crucial lifeline’ for transit

Proposition RTM, which will fund Bay Area transit, has approval from 61% of voters as of 9:45 p.m. on Nov. 3.

1 minute read

November 5, 2026, 6:00 AM PST

By Zachary Whalen


People board a BART train in San Fransico. The train has blue trim and the sky is cloudy.

Had the Regional Transit Measure not passed, Caltrain may have been forced to close one-third of its stations and BART could have closed up to 15 stations. | Joe A. Kunzler

Bay Area voters have passed the Regional Transit Measure, a “crucial lifeline” for BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit, Rachel Swan writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. For the next 14 years, the measure will enact a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco and a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. 

The proposition looks to raise $1 billion annually for public transit in the above Bay Area counties. Had Proposition RTM not passed, Caltrain may have been forced to close one-third of its stations and BART could have closed up to 15 stations. As of 9:45 p.m. on Nov. 3, 61% of votes were in favor of the measure.

Additionally, “San Franciscans have passed a property tax to stave off what could have been massive cuts at Muni. The tax provides about half the revenue that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency needs to patch a deficit that was projected to grow to $350 million next July. Prop [H] will make up the difference,” The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 in San Francisco Chronicle

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People board a BART train in San Fransico. The train has blue trim and the sky is cloudy.

Bay area voters pass ‘crucial lifeline’ for transit

Proposition RTM, which will fund Bay Area transit, has approval from 61% of voters as of 9:45 p.m. on Nov. 3.

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