BART seeks further federal funding to address deficit: 'Our budget is deep in the red'

BART, in tandem with public transit agencies nationwide, is seeking a second stimulus payout from the federal government to help it address an estimated $600 million budget deficit caused by a drastic loss in riders due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In a virtual press conference Tuesday, led by New York MTA CEO Patrick J. Foye, BART General Manager Bob Powers addressed the growing anticipated shortfall BART expects to see over the next two fiscal years.

Powers thanked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for helping the agencies acquire funding in the first CARES Act, but said the ongoing drop in ridership is likely to cause further financial trouble.

"Here in the Bay, our transportation has been brought to its knees by COVID," Powers said. "Our ridership is at 7% what it was three months ago, and it means our budget is deep in the red. BART is facing approximately $600 million in budget deficit when I combine the current year and next fiscal year. Ridership is not going to pay those bills. [BART] isn't accustomed to outside help but now we must have it."

In late April, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission allocated $251.6 million in federal CARES Act funding to BART. That has been used to retain employees, Powers said, but added the agency needs to secure more to meet BART's needs.

BART has experienced a sharp drop in ridership over the last several months. In May, BART has transported between 7%-10% of its typical daily ridership; nevertheless, Powell says the agency continues to run 10-car trains at regular intervals to facilitate social distancing between passengers, many of whom are essential workers in hospitals or in other necessary job functions.

"We can't afford to be reactive," he continued. "We must be up and fully functioning to deliver ... We must keep our greatest assets — our employees — safe. We must operate a thoroughly clean and disinfected transit system and we must put out frequent service."

The total funding ask from transit agencies across the U.S. is "in the neighborhood of $33 billion," Foye said. That includes money that could be disbursed for New York's MTA subway system, Atlanta's MARTA system and New Jersey's transit in addition to BART and others.

The total $600 million BART is requesting would allow the agency to continue its currently relatively outsized operations, not just to service essential workers, but also to prevent a spike in traffic as the economy moves towards reopening.

A recent study from Vanderbilt University found traffic in the Bay Area could skyrocket as the local economy recovers, with up to 42 minutes potentially added to daily commutes. That delay could be worse if BART decreases daily trains due to a lack in demand.

"BART and public transportation must be the first choice to avoid gridlock that would slow economic recovery," Powers said. "If too many people opt out of transit for their cars instead, commute times would more than double in the San Francisco Bay Area and that's the highest increase throughout the U.S."

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Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira