California's Public Transport Crisis

The public transport system in the US state of California is facing a crisis as ridership is down, services are short of funds, and the state government is running a deficit. The loss of ridership because of the Covid-19 pandemic has not been refilled. The train service has warned that if the state government does not step in, it could be forced to stop running after 9 pm on weekends and limiting regular service to just one train per hour.

Updated: 09 Jun 2023 3:03 pm

Transit Financial Woes | Photo: AP/Jeff Chiu

Protesters carry signs during a "funeral for public transit" march in San Francisco.

Transit Financial Woes | Photo: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez

An eastbound Bay Area Rapid Transit train can be seen from the Rockridge station in Oakland, California. BART has warned if the state doesn’t help out, it could force the agency to stop running after 9 p.m. and on weekends, while limiting regular service to just one train per hour.

A passenger rides a mostly empty Muni streetcar in San Francisco.

Protesters carry signs and a model of an AC Transit bus during a "funeral for public transit" march in San Francisco.

A BART train approaches a station in Daly City, California.

Passengers exit a streetcar at a Muni station in San Francisco.

Sadaf Zahoor sits in a Bay Area Rapid Transit train in Oakland, California. Zahoor has used public transit her whole life and relies on it to get to work.