Still, in San Francisco — whose ridership is down 60 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels — BART is weighing whether to improve service at nights and weekends in a gamble they hope will increase off-peak foot traffic becomes. But the system’s budget constraints mean it would have to eliminate less popular services elsewhere to do so.
“You have to take something, and it’s very difficult to take service away from drivers,” said Alicia Trost, a BART spokeswoman. “But we think there are things we can do.”
Federal funds typically account for about 15 percent of transit budgets. And the federal infrastructure package that Congress passed in 2021 committed $39 billion in new funding for mass transit, but much of that is earmarked for major capital work rather than operations.
That’s putting pressure on statehouses, where fights over money have become partisan, and both geographic and rural lawmakers from both parties are wondering why their constituents should advocate making life easier in cities that already seem to have everything.
The Philadelphia-anchored rail and bus system, known as SEPTA, faces a quarter-billion-dollar budget gap in the coming years, which without government help could force 20 to 30 percent fare increases or service cuts. But like Washington, the state government is divided — a Democratic governor and House of Representatives competing with a Senate controlled by rural Republicans reluctant to spend more in the state’s largest city.
“They don’t love Philly and don’t really care about transit in Philadelphia,” Leslie Richards, general manager and CEO of SEPTA, said in an interview.
SEPTA officials must go through a two-step process to receive local money. They are walking the halls of the Harrisburg Capitol with a bill that would allow five counties that the agency serves to collect taxes to help the agency. Even if it becomes law, they still have to convince local politicians to go through with it.
In New York, a proposal to raise $800 million for the MTA by raising payroll taxes for large corporations in areas served by the agency met with such fierce opposition from suburban lawmakers that it is now proposed only for corporations within the city limits.
The tax hike and other state and city subsidies will help close the MTA’s $600 million deficit this year, which is expected to reach $3 billion in 2025, but not enough to avoid a fare hike . Part of the funding is earmarked for an increased subway service, which the agency plans to use for more evening and weekend trips.
