From Mother Jones · Julia Métraux · · 1m 10s
Bay Area Voters Face Transit Tax Vote
Bay Area voters decide if a one-cent sales tax will fund transit after service cuts threaten disabled riders.
In brief
Bay Area voters decide if a one-cent sales tax will fund transit after service cuts threaten disabled riders. Bay Area voters will decide in November whether a one-cent sales tax will fund transit services amid service cuts that disproportionately impact disabled riders. Originally reported by Mother Jones.
Caltrain service cuts
Caltrain could discontinue weekend service and shutter up to a third of its stations.
BART service cuts
BART could cut 70 percent of its service and close up to 15 of 50 stations.
Paratransit impact
Paratransit users face longer waits and fewer slots as fixed-route cuts reduce service.
“The biggest thing about paratransit [that] people don’t realize is it’s tied to our fixed route”
November ballot measure
Voters in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties will vote on a one-cent sales tax to fund transit.
Tax funding estimate
Proponents estimate the tax will bring in just under $1 billion annually for transit projects.
Disabled riders' concerns
Disabled riders face longer waits and reduced service as transit cuts threaten their autonomy.
“For Jackie Liu, an autistic artist with Long Covid who lives in Daly City, the fact that a region like the Bay Area has allowed transit funding to reach a crisis point feels like a "slap in the face"”
Transit funding crisis
Bay Area transit funding crisis worsened by pandemic ridership drops and lack of federal support.
The takeaway
Bay Area voters will decide in November whether a one-cent sales tax will fund transit services amid service cuts that disproportionately impact disabled riders.
