The BART Board of Directors met Thursday to consider ways to head off a looming $375 million operating deficit expected by fiscal year 2027.
BART staff presented a preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget that included spending cuts and new revenue streams – contingent on voter approval of a regional sales tax measure in November.
BART is estimating a $375.4 million operating deficit for fiscal year 2027. Despite strong year-over-year ridership recovery – up 11.3% in 2025 over the prior year – the agency continues to lag behind 2019 levels.
The proposed budget was created with the assumption that the agency would continue with current service levels, continued ridership growth, and the successful passage of Senate Bill 63 — a regional sales tax measure that would bring in additional operating revenue for Bay Area public transit agencies.
BART Budget Director Christopher Sims said the agency is working to balance the budget through $233 million in new revenues and $142 million in expense reductions. Key actions include eliminating 63 vacant positions and non-labor cuts totaling $21.6 million, deferring capital funding and Retiree Health Benefit Trust contributions without impacting individual benefits, and a one-time $97.9 million borrowing to bridge costs until new consistent revenue flows.
Sims said an estimated $74.4 million would be made available if the sales tax is passed but would not arrive until April 2027.
BART is facing a budget deficit after pandemic-era federal grants are set to expire this summer. Without new sources of operating revenue, the agency is facing a yearly $350-400 million shortfall.
If left unaddressed, BART claims the budget deficit could force BART to slash services and close stations across the Bay Area.
“Public discovers $375M problem, refuses to fix it for them.” There, that’s better.
Burn it down, burn it all down. BART has chosen a really bad time to come clean that they’re riddled with fraud, waste and mismanagement. We could all see it, we knew it, they assumed the gravy ‘train’ would never stop.
Should’ve read the room, BART. Screw you.
So many people want to vote for Porter, Steyer or
Swalwell we should. All three are fans of the green new deal and EV mandate we should happily pay for it.
Take that orange clown
What? No speaka gibberish.
Maybe ask Steyer to pay for it. It seems that he’s spent at least $375m on commercials.
I refuse to pay for any green new scam or any electric car mandate. Nice of you to offer up everyone elses hard earned money but I will take an easy pass and very happily vote against either! Bart created their own misery let the death rattle happen! What a scam payed for by the tax payer while the admin lines their pockets. They can go kick rocks!
Mandates coming from the party of “no kings,” how hypocritical of you.
Once again after careless spending, lack of supervision, lack of accountability B.A.R.T. wants the public to pay for there irresponsibility. It will never end if the people keep bailing them out.
HAHAHAHAHA – nice try BART.
I’ll make you a deal – I’ll vote for this travesty of a tax if you agree to oust Diane Becton from her DA position. Its a deal with the Devil, but I’d rather have the greedy train over the evil judiciary.
CCC District Attorney Diana Becton isn’t up for reelection this year. She’s serving a 6 year term. California Assembly Bill 759 passed in 2022 which moved elections for District Attorney’s and County Sheriff’s from mid-term election years to presidential election years and gave those elected in 2022 a one-time 6 year term. I do understand that Mary Knox intends on running again in 2028, after losing to Diana Becton in 2022.
We can recall her and should! I will vote YES on any recall effort to get this criminal lover out!
The effort to recall her ended about 6 months ago, recall organizers weren’t meeting their signature count goals.
Damn! Democrats are repugnant. SB 63 was authored by Scott Wiener
and Jesse Arreguin, and signed into law by Gavin Newsom. The Dems
answer to everything is to raise taxes, and if that doesn’t work, they will
throw in racism for good measure, and blame it on Trump. These halfwits
can’t even define a woman, yet the foolish keep voting for them.
How about a big fat no way! Bail yourself out of your own problem of your own making …. and your bullying bellicose behavior is nothing but crying wolf … get over it and get serious about planning for a big no vote and forget about closing stations or cutting hours – figure it out!
Don’t throw good money after bad.
Close BART, sell the land.
People will figure out how to get around without the money drain.
BART is becoming the National Lampoon’s cousin Eddie of transit. Always looking for a handout.
At a recent Concord City Council meeting we were told that the BART Board is continuing to run BART as though the November 2026 Regional Sales Tax Measure will pass. They’re doing nothing other than to hope voters will pass the tax measure, they’re already counting money they don’t yet have. Vote out your BART Boardmember this year!
Shut the system down and upgrade to driverless trains. Then maybe I’ll pay. Where is the unions pitch in by foregoing increases and changing work rules?
They forgot to add “unending union shutdowns” to their list of extortion threats….
“Hopes Voters Will Fix It”? Earth to BART board:
“The times they are a changing. Voters don’t have deep pockets. Many not even shallow ones. Get real. Get creative. Send the bill to one of those foreign countries our tax dollars have been gone to”.
NO NEW TAXES !!!!