KEEP CALIFORNIA MOVING

TRANSIT IS AT RISK.
JOIN US TO HELP SAVE AND IMPROVE ABUNDANT, AFFORDABLE PUBLIC TRANSIT

Thanks to advocacy from you and thousands of other Californians, the state budget includes support for transit - but not enough to prevent Bay Area cuts.

The California state budget recently signed by Governor Newsom takes important steps to avert a fiscal cliff for public transit. It provides $1.1 billion in funding that can be used for transit service, of which the Bay Area is expected to receive some $400 million. The budget also allows agencies to make $4 billion in transit and intercity rail capital funding (TIRCP) available to address operational needs. However, using TIRCP funds would risk losing up to $6 billion in matching federal funds – and cannibalizing infrastructure projects.

This budget represents a meaningful step to addressing the shortfall and will help avoid catastrophic service cuts for up to two years — it’s a significant commitment in a very difficult budget year.

New legislation to fill the Bay Area gap and prevent cuts

However, as the Bay Area was previously more dependent on fare revenue than the rest of the state, the Governor's budget does not address the full need for transit to prevent drastic cuts in the Bay Area and improve service to regrow ridership. On Friday, Senator Wiener introduced SB 532, The Bay Area Safe, Clean & Reliable Public Transportation Emergency Act as a key step to filling the gap. If passed, this bill would require the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) to raise bridge tolls by $1.50 (adjusted for inflation) for a 5-year duration on all state-owned bridges in the region, except the Golden Gate Bridge (which has its own bridge toll district).

This is an emergency and temporary increase expected to raise $600-650 million over 5 years. It’s specifically intended to avoid service cuts; reconfigure transit services to better meet underserved passengers; and improve safety, cleanliness, and customer experience. If passed, this would be the first funding measure dedicated solely to transit operations in the region.

SB532 would provide a "bridge" while the region is planning a regional ballot measure for 2026 to put Bay Area transit service on stable footing.

For more information, see this blog post from TransForm.

Highest Priority Actions
Call the Governor and Legislative Leaders - thanks and next steps!

Tell other transit riders - flyer on transit

Print Flyers to hand out at Bus Stops/Train Stations
(English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese)

Transit ridership continues to recover and grow. However, ridership is growing back only gradually while federal COVID relief funds that kept transit running during the pandemic are about to run out. Transit faces a fiscal cliff. Without state funding to bridge the gap, massive service cuts will happen.

Your state legislators need to hear from you today to #SaveTransit!

Without funding, transit will go over the fiscal cliff

Transit agencies have calculated that extreme service cuts will be needed if no funding is provided. These may include:

No weekend service

Station closures

Fare increases

Fewer trips

Discontinued lines

California's success and future depend on transit

Provides access to jobs and education

Reduces traffic and air pollution

Supports businesses of all sizes and types

Keeps friends, families, and communities connected

Vital to recovery of tourism, nightlife, sports, & entertainment

Reduces reliance on energy imports

Take action now

"Now that work, school, public meetings, and other events have returned to in-person, my community relies on transit to get to where they need to go. Please provide funding in the state budget so that transit can avoid painful cuts that will be difficult to recover from."

Sign the petition

Call Top California Leaders

Have your city send a letter

Write Top California Leaders