Activists Mourn Potential Death of Bay Area Transit With Mock Funeral

Dozens of people held a mock funeral for Bay Area public transit to draw attention to the dire situation facing San Francisco and Oakland-area transit agencies after Governor Newsom failed to adequately fund transit in this year’s budget, reports Sam Mauhay-Moore for SF Gate.

The procession, which made its way from Oakland to San Francisco City Hall, was organized by a coalition called Save California Transit. “The crowd was led by people dressed in funeral attire carrying cardboard replicas of BART, Muni, AC Transit and Caltrain buses and trains. The replicas were adorned with flowers and rested on plywood coffins, and were being closely followed by a brass quartet playing funeral dirges.”

Mauhay-Moore explains, “The funding needed to keep many of California's transit agencies afloat was not included in this year's state budget, according to a letter sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office from the California Legislature. This has created a funding shortfall which may force many agencies to conduct major service cuts.”

Mauhay-Moore details the service cuts predicted by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Muni, the region’s largest transit providers, which would have significant impacts on mobility for transit-dependent residents. According to one ‘mourner’ addressing the crowd, “The cause of death is neglect. Public transit is being starved to death by your representatives, and Governor Gavin Newsom is prepared to pull the plug.”