Post #2065301

2026-04-15 14:56 UTC

BART is breaking down more often because BART leadership chose to respond to declining fares during COVID by hardening the system with police and fare gates. Dependence on fares was exposed as unreliable and a risk to the system. Instead of recognizing that and shifting to taxation over time BART leadership chose to throw police at this problem and thereby increase expenditures on non essential services while sacrificing the maintenance of the system. Over policing, security, and surveillance are the usual toolbox of Americans for every problem. So this isn’t only BART leadership’s failing. We have all failed each other believing this batshit crazy bullshit. And it is crazy. If fare’s declined due to covid why would spending more on police and security to go after fare evasion be the solution? In no way would this ever fucking work, spending lots of money to recoup very little, while declining revenue is due to less riders rather than fare evasion.

Replies (1)

@subterfugue@sfba.social 2026-04-15 15:05

So this year we will probably have a measure on the ballot to raise money to shore up public transit. This is a bandaid. Reliance on fares for public transit increases costs to the system through policing, fare gates, and financial services with outside vendors. Fares are also a regressive tax on the poor who need transit to get to work. And most importantly it creates uncertainty in annual revenues while public transit has steady, fixed costs, which makes the system more vulnerable to periodic crises like covid. Covid began in 2020. BART is still failing to recover from it. All public transit would be more efficient and more reliable if it received adequate public funding to run, and it would better serve those who most need it if fare was covered by public funding. I mean jesus fucking christ, the only viable argument against free ridership is that trains would be more crowded. Then fund the system to meet real demand. The rich have to fucking pay taxes. We need this infrastructure.

Open ##2316302