I’ve been a BART train operator for several years now. I can honestly say that I have seen a lot of improvement over the last 2 years. It’s trending in the right direction.
BART is not a corporation, it is a public service overseen by the Metropolitan Transit Commission. It should be treated as such with appropriate tax dollars. When was the last time the Interstate Highway System turned a profit.
I agree Bart is a public service, but at the same time they should be fiscally responsible. Ideally we could get all government spending under control so it isn’t excessive. Bart should not and doesn’t need to build $300,000,000 new police headquarters. They should be expanding and improving service. They have a deficit with operating budgets but their infrastructure budget is soon to be near $3.5 billion. I want Bart to succeed but it can’t be a money sink.
@@kuyshina the infra budget is completely separate from the operational budget and the stuff that they fund from the infra budget is done precisely so that they can either save money on operations or expand service and serve more riders. The police HQ is necessary in order to attract new police recruits and finish getting rid of the cop shortage. They also need to vacate and sell the current building, proceeds from which will flow right back into the infra budget!
It’s already automated, but the drivers are there because they have to watch the trains for the doors, watching for dangers, dealing with service changes, etc.
Debora Allen is correct about BART waste. Because unions and others treat BART as their piggy bank. 75% of BART's budget are labor costs (wages, benefits, pension, etc). BART should have transitioned into driverless automation long ago (fewer staffing). But in addition to the high cost of modernizing the system, unions oppose having less employees. So trying to address those roadblocks seems impossible. The lack of platform safety doors (prevents train tracks deaths, by suicide or shoving) is another costly issue.
@@williamcondon7729Yes, it shouldn’t he expected to turn a profit. Highways aren’t expected to, yet we pour way more money than we need to in it. Yet the thing we expect to make a profit, doesn’t get anywhere near the funding it needs
@@williamcondon7729 It's not supposed to turn a profit, but its also not suppose spend $350M annually more than the revenue it gets outside of emergency covid relief funds., That has been done by design with the plan that if BART then goes out and tells the public BART will have to shut down, they will convince voters to give them more in perpetuity. It's not supposed to do that either.
@@PhilliesNostalgia No one is talking about it turning a profit. We are talking about resolbing $350M per year in spending deficits. It didn't used to be that way before 2020. BART now spends 34% more on operating costs than it did in FY2019, an average 6.8% increase each year over last 5 years. But BART is only carrying 43% of the ridership it carried in FY2019. I am out talking about reasonable fiscal policy. My counterpart here in the KPIX video has been the driving force of the exorbitant spending.
Well you have all line on weekends on Sunday cut the red line and green line and keep the way it was before just yellow and blue Saturday where all line
I'm from the Bay area and I remember they were pushing Fremont to San Jose they talked about that for years nothing ever happened trains are dirty the agents are rude and now they want to cut service outrageous
Lol, have you not been on Bart in the last year? Bart is impeccably clean and extremely safe now. Look at shots of Bart in the video! It's freaking spotless now with the new trains, police patrols, and fare inspectors!
Bay Area already has grid locked traffic. I have ridden Bart 2 times in my life and I spent my whole life in the Bay Area. Don’t raise my taxes on that! Too many people evading fares and creating a mess
New fare gates are being installed in stations that make it far harder to evade fares, and anecdotally there have been more fare inspectors and security on trains and stations lately. The result? If you've used BART in the past year, you should know that the trains now are spotless and safer than ever. Yes the Bay Area has bad traffic now, but I assure you it'll be worse without BART. More people use BART to cross the bay than the Bay Bridge itself. You have no idea how bad traffic will inevitably get if BART has to cut service.
Hey bud, in the Bay Area you never say "the bart". BART is an acronym. You don't need an article before an acronym. This is how we all know that you're an out of town troll. Even the transplants here learn within their first month not to call it "the" BART.
Fun fact that happened in 2013 when the train operators went on strike. You know what happened? Endless traffic that made us far worse than even the LA region. BART transports more people across the bay than the Bay Bridge itself. You don't know what you're advocating for.
thank you for your service, Da Lin! reporting reliably for years
I’ve been a BART train operator for several years now. I can honestly say that I have seen a lot of improvement over the last 2 years. It’s trending in the right direction.
BART is not a corporation, it is a public service overseen by the Metropolitan Transit Commission. It should be treated as such with appropriate tax dollars. When was the last time the Interstate Highway System turned a profit.
I agree Bart is a public service, but at the same time they should be fiscally responsible.
Ideally we could get all government spending under control so it isn’t excessive.
Bart should not and doesn’t need to build $300,000,000 new police headquarters. They should be expanding and improving service. They have a deficit with operating budgets but their infrastructure budget is soon to be near $3.5 billion.
I want Bart to succeed but it can’t be a money sink.
@@kuyshina the infra budget is completely separate from the operational budget and the stuff that they fund from the infra budget is done precisely so that they can either save money on operations or expand service and serve more riders.
The police HQ is necessary in order to attract new police recruits and finish getting rid of the cop shortage. They also need to vacate and sell the current building, proceeds from which will flow right back into the infra budget!
@@kuyshinathen make caltrans reponsible for the interstates, especially all the x80s throughout the bay area
@@thesynthguy_1428 caltrans is incharge of the interstates in california... that's their whole job
@@justanormalpokemon4014 i mean fiscally responsible in the same way these people want bart to be
Just enforce rules on the train.
Can the trains be automated/driverless? They don't drive on public streets like Muni
It’s already automated, but the drivers are there because they have to watch the trains for the doors, watching for dangers, dealing with service changes, etc.
bart union knows what is best for everyone
Debora Allen is correct about BART waste. Because unions and others treat BART as their piggy bank. 75% of BART's budget are labor costs (wages, benefits, pension, etc). BART should have transitioned into driverless automation long ago (fewer staffing). But in addition to the high cost of modernizing the system, unions oppose having less employees. So trying to address those roadblocks seems impossible. The lack of platform safety doors (prevents train tracks deaths, by suicide or shoving) is another costly issue.
Ah yes, those powerful unions who are to blame. It’s a public service, it’s not supposed to turn a profit.
@@williamcondon7729Yes, it shouldn’t he expected to turn a profit. Highways aren’t expected to, yet we pour way more money than we need to in it. Yet the thing we expect to make a profit, doesn’t get anywhere near the funding it needs
@@williamcondon7729 It's not supposed to turn a profit, but its also not suppose spend $350M annually more than the revenue it gets outside of emergency covid relief funds., That has been done by design with the plan that if BART then goes out and tells the public BART will have to shut down, they will convince voters to give them more in perpetuity. It's not supposed to do that either.
@@PhilliesNostalgia No one is talking about it turning a profit. We are talking about resolbing $350M per year in spending deficits. It didn't used to be that way before 2020. BART now spends 34% more on operating costs than it did in FY2019, an average 6.8% increase each year over last 5 years. But BART is only carrying 43% of the ridership it carried in FY2019. I am out talking about reasonable fiscal policy. My counterpart here in the KPIX video has been the driving force of the exorbitant spending.
Good change them like socks
Have Jeffrey Tumlin be the spokesman for bart!
Fire Bart- stop expansion without better service for existing customers
They can do both with more reliable funding
Well you have all line on weekends on Sunday cut the red line and green line and keep the way it was before just yellow and blue Saturday where all line
so more tax money for less service
How many people ride Bart past 9 7 day of week
so the problem is the unions
It’s really not, it’s the funding mechanism.
Part of the problem. Colossal mismanagement plays a huge role.
@@Thomas23-tu8gj that is a function of funding too, you can’t manage a bad funding system well.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
BART is dirty and dangerous, period
The woman in the video was praising it, unless you think she is dirty and dangerous.
I'm from the Bay area and I remember they were pushing Fremont to San Jose they talked about that for years nothing ever happened trains are dirty the agents are rude and now they want to cut service outrageous
you clearly don't live here anymore because BART has been operating Fremont to San Jose for years now
No problem, just raise taxes
raise the fares to raise revenue and stop waisting the money.
The same problems with BART ten years ago is still the same today. Dirty and not safe!
Lol, have you not been on Bart in the last year? Bart is impeccably clean and extremely safe now.
Look at shots of Bart in the video! It's freaking spotless now with the new trains, police patrols, and fare inspectors!
Excellent reporting, Mr. Lin.
Bay Area already has grid locked traffic. I have ridden Bart 2 times in my life and I spent my whole life in the Bay Area. Don’t raise my taxes on that! Too many people evading fares and creating a mess
Traffic would be worse without it. You still benefit even when you dont ride
New fare gates are being installed in stations that make it far harder to evade fares, and anecdotally there have been more fare inspectors and security on trains and stations lately. The result? If you've used BART in the past year, you should know that the trains now are spotless and safer than ever.
Yes the Bay Area has bad traffic now, but I assure you it'll be worse without BART. More people use BART to cross the bay than the Bay Bridge itself. You have no idea how bad traffic will inevitably get if BART has to cut service.
Just cancel the bart
That would destroy the Bay Area… making it even worse than ever
Hey bud, in the Bay Area you never say "the bart". BART is an acronym. You don't need an article before an acronym.
This is how we all know that you're an out of town troll. Even the transplants here learn within their first month not to call it "the" BART.
Fun fact that happened in 2013 when the train operators went on strike. You know what happened? Endless traffic that made us far worse than even the LA region. BART transports more people across the bay than the Bay Bridge itself. You don't know what you're advocating for.