{"id":368331,"date":"2023-11-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=368331"},"modified":"2026-03-27T10:11:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:11:49","slug":"public-transit-california","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/newsletter\/public-transit-california\/","title":{"rendered":"How will California public transit agencies spend $5 billion?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An eastbound Bay Area Rapid Transit train near Rockridge station in Oakland on June 7, 2023. Photo by Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez, AP Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal subbing for Lynn.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember when California\u2019s transit agencies were barreling towards a \u201cfiscal cliff\u2019? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June, the Legislature and governor agreed to a $5 billion lifeline in the budget<\/a> as transit agencies\u2019 ridership slowly recovered from the COVID shutdowns. You might also recall that the deal took some convincing<\/a> due to the state\u2019s overall budget deficit, and reports of mismanagement at Bay Area Rapid Transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where does ridership and financial planning stand now?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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BART, which relies heavily on passenger fares for revenue, has seen a slow but steady increase<\/a> \u2014 driven mostly by weekday trips to San Francisco, the San Francisco Standard reports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in September, LA Metro\u2019s monthly ridership, for bus and rail, reached 80% of its pre-pandemic levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one of the top arguments in the push for more state investment was that relying on passenger fares isn\u2019t sustainable. To that end, regional transportation planning agencies are allotted anywhere from about $1 million to more than $1.3 billion in state grants<\/a> over the next two to four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Dec. 31, regional planning groups have to submit an application detailing how they plan to use the money to improve ridership and how they will divvy up funds between the transit operators they oversee. Some money can be used for construction projects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area\u2019s nine-county planning group, will vote on the allocations later this month. But staff has recommended that 45% of the commission\u2019s $1.17 billion be given to BART, which projects that would eliminate its operating deficit for fiscal year 2025, and reduce its 2026 operating deficit from $307 million to about $13 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n