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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least two Bay Area public transit agencies broke post-pandemic ridership records on Wednesday, as thousands of cheering fans rode buses and trains to San Francisco’s waterfront for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107889/valkyries-parade-draws-thousands-to-san-franciscos-embarcadero-for-wnba-championship-celebration\">Golden State Valkyries’ WNBA championship parade\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Valkyries fever is very real,” said Parisa Safarzadeh, the director of communications for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni, the city’s public transit service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muni logged just over 600,000 trips on Wednesday, Safarzadeh said, besting the previous post-pandemic single-day ridership record set last month by more than 10,000 trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Given ridership is usually lower in November than it is in October, seeing such a big day in November is pretty noteworthy to us,” Safarzadeh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12108466\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108466\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries player Veronica Burton greets the crowd lining the Embarcadero during the team’s championship parade in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12108460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans line the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2026, for a parade celebrating the team’s WNBA championship victory. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART also set a single-day post-pandemic ridership record on Wednesday. The agency said in a \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SFBART?lang=en\">post\u003c/a> on the social media platform X that it provided over 260,000 trips, with big upticks at Embarcadero and Montgomery stations, near the start of the parade’s route. BART’s previous single-day record was Oct. 6 with over 254,000 trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bay Area sports fans have driven these ridership bumps in recent history. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority broke an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">all-time special event ridership record\u003c/a> when World Cup matches came to Levi’s Stadium.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20261102\">press release\u003c/a> that 6 out of ten of its highest ridership days have been championship parades. The agency has even attributed bumps in ridership to star baseball players, like the Los Angeles Dodgers’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">Shohei Ohtani\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>This week’s packed trains and buses came less than a day after voters in several Bay Area counties carried to victory \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107133/death-spiral-averted-bay-area-transit-taxes-rtm-and-prop-h-declare-victory\">two tax measures\u003c/a> that avert significant service cuts at BART, Muni and several other Bay Area transit agencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While public transit ridership has been steadily improving across the region since the COVID-19 pandemic, agencies are still not carrying the same number of riders as before shelter-in-place orders and remote work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, BART has notched monthly year-over-year weekday ridership increases of over 10%, but overall weekday ridership remains slightly above half of what it was before the pandemic. The agency has said remote work has brought “unprecedented ridership changes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muni’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/muni-bounds-back-september-hitting-post-pandemic-ridership-record\">ridership\u003c/a> has rebounded more significantly. The agency said overall ridership in September was about 84% of pre-pandemic levels, and weekend ridership reached 99% of pre-pandemic levels. Safarzadeh said the agency has seen its 16 highest ridership days since August.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Muni ridership on the Valkyries’ parade day was more than double what it was in 2022, when the Golden State Warriors held their NBA championship parade.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108466\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries player Veronica Burton greets the crowd lining the Embarcadero during the team’s championship parade in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART also set a single-day post-pandemic ridership record on Wednesday. The agency said in a \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SFBART?lang=en\">post\u003c/a> on the social media platform X that it provided over 260,000 trips, with big upticks at Embarcadero and Montgomery stations, near the start of the parade’s route. BART’s previous single-day record was Oct. 6 with over 254,000 trips. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bay Area sports fans have driven these ridership bumps in recent history. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority broke an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">all-time special event ridership record\u003c/a> when World Cup matches came to Levi’s Stadium.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bay Area sports fans have driven these ridership bumps in recent history. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority broke an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">all-time special event ridership record\u003c/a> when World Cup matches came to Levi’s Stadium.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20261102\">press release\u003c/a> that 6 out of ten of its highest ridership days have been championship parades. The agency has even attributed bumps in ridership to star baseball players, like the Los Angeles Dodgers’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">Shohei Ohtani\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>This week’s packed trains and buses came less than a day after voters in several Bay Area counties carried to victory \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107133/death-spiral-averted-bay-area-transit-taxes-rtm-and-prop-h-declare-victory\">two tax measures\u003c/a> that avert significant service cuts at BART, Muni and several other Bay Area transit agencies.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While public transit ridership has been steadily improving across the region since the COVID-19 pandemic, agencies are still not carrying the same number of riders as before shelter-in-place orders and remote work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This year, BART has notched monthly year-over-year weekday ridership increases of over 10%, but overall weekday ridership remains slightly above half of what it was before the pandemic. The agency has said remote work has brought “unprecedented ridership changes.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Muni’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/muni-bounds-back-september-hitting-post-pandemic-ridership-record\">ridership\u003c/a> has rebounded more significantly. The agency said overall ridership in September was about 84% of pre-pandemic levels, and weekend ridership reached 99% of pre-pandemic levels. Safarzadeh said the agency has seen its 16 highest ridership days since August.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said Muni ridership on the Valkyries’ parade day was more than double what it was in 2022, when the Golden State Warriors held their NBA championship parade.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Several of the region’s public transit agencies have seen post-pandemic records broken during major sporting events.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least two Bay Area public transit agencies broke post-pandemic ridership records on Wednesday, as thousands of cheering fans rode buses and trains to San Francisco’s waterfront for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107889/valkyries-parade-draws-thousands-to-san-franciscos-embarcadero-for-wnba-championship-celebration\">Golden State Valkyries’ WNBA championship parade\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Valkyries fever is very real,” said Parisa Safarzadeh, the director of communications for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni, the city’s public transit service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muni logged just over 600,000 trips on Wednesday, Safarzadeh said, besting the previous post-pandemic single-day ridership record set last month by more than 10,000 trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Given ridership is usually lower in November than it is in October, seeing such a big day in November is pretty noteworthy to us,” Safarzadeh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12108466\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108466\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-33-BL-KQED-afecb86e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries player Veronica Burton greets the crowd lining the Embarcadero during the team’s championship parade in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12108460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261104-ValkyriesParade-21-BL-KQED-274174d8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans line the Embarcadero in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2026, for a parade celebrating the team’s WNBA championship victory. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART also set a single-day post-pandemic ridership record on Wednesday. The agency said in a \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/SFBART?lang=en\">post\u003c/a> on the social media platform X that it provided over 260,000 trips, with big upticks at Embarcadero and Montgomery stations, near the start of the parade’s route. BART’s previous single-day record was Oct. 6 with over 254,000 trips. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bay Area sports fans have driven these ridership bumps in recent history. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority broke an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">all-time special event ridership record\u003c/a> when World Cup matches came to Levi’s Stadium.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20261102\">press release\u003c/a> that 6 out of ten of its highest ridership days have been championship parades. The agency has even attributed bumps in ridership to star baseball players, like the Los Angeles Dodgers’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">Shohei Ohtani\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>This week’s packed trains and buses came less than a day after voters in several Bay Area counties carried to victory \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107133/death-spiral-averted-bay-area-transit-taxes-rtm-and-prop-h-declare-victory\">two tax measures\u003c/a> that avert significant service cuts at BART, Muni and several other Bay Area transit agencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While public transit ridership has been steadily improving across the region since the COVID-19 pandemic, agencies are still not carrying the same number of riders as before shelter-in-place orders and remote work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, BART has notched monthly year-over-year weekday ridership increases of over 10%, but overall weekday ridership remains slightly above half of what it was before the pandemic. The agency has said remote work has brought “unprecedented ridership changes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muni’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/blog/muni-bounds-back-september-hitting-post-pandemic-ridership-record\">ridership\u003c/a> has rebounded more significantly. The agency said overall ridership in September was about 84% of pre-pandemic levels, and weekend ridership reached 99% of pre-pandemic levels. Safarzadeh said the agency has seen its 16 highest ridership days since August.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Muni ridership on the Valkyries’ parade day was more than double what it was in 2022, when the Golden State Warriors held their NBA championship parade.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "death-spiral-averted-bay-area-transit-taxes-rtm-and-prop-h-declare-victory",
"title": "Death Spiral Averted: Bay Area Transit Taxes RTM and Proposition H Declare Victory",
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"headTitle": "Death Spiral Averted: Bay Area Transit Taxes RTM and Proposition H Declare Victory | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supporters of Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/public-transit\">public transit\u003c/a> cheered election returns on Tuesday that showed two tax measures designed to head off drastic cuts in bus and train service passing easily. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Initial results from five Bay Area counties showed Measure RTM, a 14-year regional sales tax, well on the way to passage with a 61.5% yes vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Cretan, spokesman for the Connect Bay Area coalition that campaigned for the tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, called the apparent margin of victory “incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is a huge win for public transit,” Cretan said. “ I think these results show that people believe in the importance of our buses and trains running to get people to work, to get seniors to appointments and to get kids to school. All of that matters for the Bay Area to really thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco’s Proposition H, a separate parcel tax measure targeted at funding only the city’s Muni transit service — also appeared certain to pass with a 72.5% yes vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108165\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A supporter claps as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at his election night watch party at Anina in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure RTM imposes a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco to generate about $1 billion a year to maintain current levels of service at BART, Muni, AC Transit, Caltrain and other transit agencies. The sales taxes will also pay for fare discounts, accessibility and wayfinding programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/sanfrancisco/proposition-h\">Proposition H\u003c/a> is a San Francisco-specific measure that will tax property owners at different rates based on property type and size in order to generate an estimated $184 million annually for the city’s Muni transit service for 15 years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie hailed the result as a sign of the city’s long-term commitment to better public transportation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Tonight, San Franciscans stood together to build a stronger Muni for all,” Lurie told an election night crowd. “But let me be clear — this is not about spending more money to get the same results. With this infusion of funding comes the responsibility to deliver a better transit system — more reliable, more efficient, safer, and worthy of the people who depend on it every single day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART General Manager Bob Powers said at an election night party in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood that transit agencies had won voters over by demonstrating they can respond to riders’ needs and deliver improved service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The last 30 months or so, every decision I’ve made is to try to improve the rider experience, and some of them were difficult decisions,” Powers said. He mentioned BART’s new fare gates and the agency’s improved on-time performance as two major customer-focused improvements.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR, the San Francisco-based research and policy think tank, appeared stunned as the regional measure built a big early lead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I kind of can’t believe it,” Tolkoff said, adding that the result came as a relief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s been, you know, preparing yourself for possibly a different outcome,” she said. The imminent fiscal crisis for transit operators “was going to affect people in just a few months if this didn’t pass. It’s amazing that we can see that what we have is worth protecting and building on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The campaign opposed to RTM — the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit — did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the lead-up to Election Day, the committee argued that transit agencies exaggerated potential service cuts to scare voters into approving the tax and said the regional measure lacked accountability guarantees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108123\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caleb Huffman, who works for the regional transit measure campaign, looks at results on the measure from Santa Clara County that were above the campaign’s expectations, at the Yes on RTM watch party hosted by SPUR at The Cordial in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The committee framed opposing the tax as a crucial chance to send a message to the region’s transit agencies that they need to institute major financial reforms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“ They’re promising oversight that is not really there. They’re saying they need money that they don’t really need right now,” said Gregg Dieguez, president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit before Tuesday’s vote. “They need real reform, and the reforms they’re promising are toothless and minuscule.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents of Proposition H said the passage of the tax was also a missed opportunity to rein in a fiscally irresponsible transit agency.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Mayor Lurie ran on accountability, and this measure has zero accountability. Voters are getting fooled. SFMTA will use Prop. H money to treat the agency like a venture capital business, hire fast, grow fast but with zero goals,” said Marie Hurabiell, executive director of ConnectedSF. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hurabiell claimed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency could have made budget cuts without impacting service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coalition that backed the measures included business groups, labor unions and environmental and transit justice advocates. Those supporters joined with the transit agencies themselves to warn that failure to pass the taxes would result in major service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the proposed cuts included: BART closing up to 15 stations and ending service at 9 p.m., Caltrain closing one-third of its stations and eliminating weekend service and AC Transit reducing service by 16% and laying off up to 300 employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If both measures had failed, Muni warned it could cut up to 20 bus routes, double the wait times on other routes, reduce late night service to 9 p.m. and eliminate cable car and historic streetcar service.. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The major public transit agencies are suffering a deep and lingering fiscal hangover from the collapse of ridership and fare revenue triggered nearly seven years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public transit operators used billions of dollars of emergency federal aid, as well as state assistance, to maintain service levels at slightly below pre-pandemic levels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The business community has invested significant resources to ensure that [RTM] is successful because they know our economy depends on our ability to get people to and from work,” said Emily Loper, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, which represents some of the largest employers in the region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under SB 63, the state law that authorized the RTM ballot measure, transit agencies must now undergo a financial efficiency review to identify cost-saving measures. Money from the taxes will begin flowing to the agencies next year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is a huge win for public transit,” Cretan said. “ I think these results show that people believe in the importance of our buses and trains running to get people to work, to get seniors to appointments and to get kids to school. All of that matters for the Bay Area to really thrive.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is a huge win for public transit,” Cretan said. “ I think these results show that people believe in the importance of our buses and trains running to get people to work, to get seniors to appointments and to get kids to school. All of that matters for the Bay Area to really thrive.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Proposition H, a separate parcel tax measure targeted at funding only the city’s Muni transit service — also appeared certain to pass with a 72.5% yes vote.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108165\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A supporter claps as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at his election night watch party at Anina in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108165\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A supporter claps as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at his election night watch party at Anina in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Measure RTM imposes a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco to generate about $1 billion a year to maintain current levels of service at BART, Muni, AC Transit, Caltrain and other transit agencies. The sales taxes will also pay for fare discounts, accessibility and wayfinding programs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Measure RTM imposes a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco to generate about $1 billion a year to maintain current levels of service at BART, Muni, AC Transit, Caltrain and other transit agencies. The sales taxes will also pay for fare discounts, accessibility and wayfinding programs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/sanfrancisco/proposition-h\">Proposition H\u003c/a> is a San Francisco-specific measure that will tax property owners at different rates based on property type and size in order to generate an estimated $184 million annually for the city’s Muni transit service for 15 years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/sanfrancisco/proposition-h\">Proposition H\u003c/a> is a San Francisco-specific measure that will tax property owners at different rates based on property type and size in order to generate an estimated $184 million annually for the city’s Muni transit service for 15 years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie hailed the result as a sign of the city’s long-term commitment to better public transportation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Tonight, San Franciscans stood together to build a stronger Muni for all,” Lurie told an election night crowd. “But let me be clear — this is not about spending more money to get the same results. With this infusion of funding comes the responsibility to deliver a better transit system — more reliable, more efficient, safer, and worthy of the people who depend on it every single day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Tonight, San Franciscans stood together to build a stronger Muni for all,” Lurie told an election night crowd. “But let me be clear — this is not about spending more money to get the same results. With this infusion of funding comes the responsibility to deliver a better transit system — more reliable, more efficient, safer, and worthy of the people who depend on it every single day.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART General Manager Bob Powers said at an election night party in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood that transit agencies had won voters over by demonstrating they can respond to riders’ needs and deliver improved service. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART General Manager Bob Powers said at an election night party in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood that transit agencies had won voters over by demonstrating they can respond to riders’ needs and deliver improved service. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The last 30 months or so, every decision I’ve made is to try to improve the rider experience, and some of them were difficult decisions,” Powers said. He mentioned BART’s new fare gates and the agency’s improved on-time performance as two major customer-focused improvements.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The last 30 months or so, every decision I’ve made is to try to improve the rider experience, and some of them were difficult decisions,” Powers said. He mentioned BART’s new fare gates and the agency’s improved on-time performance as two major customer-focused improvements.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR, the San Francisco-based research and policy think tank, appeared stunned as the regional measure built a big early lead. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR, the San Francisco-based research and policy think tank, appeared stunned as the regional measure built a big early lead. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I kind of can’t believe it,” Tolkoff said, adding that the result came as a relief. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I kind of can’t believe it,” Tolkoff said, adding that the result came as a relief. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s been, you know, preparing yourself for possibly a different outcome,” she said. The imminent fiscal crisis for transit operators “was going to affect people in just a few months if this didn’t pass. It’s amazing that we can see that what we have is worth protecting and building on.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s been, you know, preparing yourself for possibly a different outcome,” she said. The imminent fiscal crisis for transit operators “was going to affect people in just a few months if this didn’t pass. It’s amazing that we can see that what we have is worth protecting and building on.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The campaign opposed to RTM — the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit — did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The campaign opposed to RTM — the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit — did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the lead-up to Election Day, the committee argued that transit agencies exaggerated potential service cuts to scare voters into approving the tax and said the regional measure lacked accountability guarantees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the lead-up to Election Day, the committee argued that transit agencies exaggerated potential service cuts to scare voters into approving the tax and said the regional measure lacked accountability guarantees.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108123\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caleb Huffman, who works for the regional transit measure campaign, looks at results on the measure from Santa Clara County that were above the campaign’s expectations, at the Yes on RTM watch party hosted by SPUR at The Cordial in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108123\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caleb Huffman, who works for the regional transit measure campaign, looks at results on the measure from Santa Clara County that were above the campaign’s expectations, at the Yes on RTM watch party hosted by SPUR at The Cordial in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The committee framed opposing the tax as a crucial chance to send a message to the region’s transit agencies that they need to institute major financial reforms. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The committee framed opposing the tax as a crucial chance to send a message to the region’s transit agencies that they need to institute major financial reforms. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ They’re promising oversight that is not really there. They’re saying they need money that they don’t really need right now,” said Gregg Dieguez, president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit before Tuesday’s vote. “They need real reform, and the reforms they’re promising are toothless and minuscule.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ They’re promising oversight that is not really there. They’re saying they need money that they don’t really need right now,” said Gregg Dieguez, president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit before Tuesday’s vote. “They need real reform, and the reforms they’re promising are toothless and minuscule.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents of Proposition H said the passage of the tax was also a missed opportunity to rein in a fiscally irresponsible transit agency.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mayor Lurie ran on accountability, and this measure has zero accountability. Voters are getting fooled. SFMTA will use Prop. H money to treat the agency like a venture capital business, hire fast, grow fast but with zero goals,” said Marie Hurabiell, executive director of ConnectedSF. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Mayor Lurie ran on accountability, and this measure has zero accountability. Voters are getting fooled. SFMTA will use Prop. H money to treat the agency like a venture capital business, hire fast, grow fast but with zero goals,” said Marie Hurabiell, executive director of ConnectedSF. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hurabiell claimed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency could have made budget cuts without impacting service. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hurabiell claimed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency could have made budget cuts without impacting service. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The coalition that backed the measures included business groups, labor unions and environmental and transit justice advocates. Those supporters joined with the transit agencies themselves to warn that failure to pass the taxes would result in major service cuts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The coalition that backed the measures included business groups, labor unions and environmental and transit justice advocates. Those supporters joined with the transit agencies themselves to warn that failure to pass the taxes would result in major service cuts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some of the proposed cuts included: BART closing up to 15 stations and ending service at 9 p.m., Caltrain closing one-third of its stations and eliminating weekend service and AC Transit reducing service by 16% and laying off up to 300 employees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some of the proposed cuts included: BART closing up to 15 stations and ending service at 9 p.m., Caltrain closing one-third of its stations and eliminating weekend service and AC Transit reducing service by 16% and laying off up to 300 employees.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If both measures had failed, Muni warned it could cut up to 20 bus routes, double the wait times on other routes, reduce late night service to 9 p.m. and eliminate cable car and historic streetcar service.. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If both measures had failed, Muni warned it could cut up to 20 bus routes, double the wait times on other routes, reduce late night service to 9 p.m. and eliminate cable car and historic streetcar service.. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The major public transit agencies are suffering a deep and lingering fiscal hangover from the collapse of ridership and fare revenue triggered nearly seven years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The major public transit agencies are suffering a deep and lingering fiscal hangover from the collapse of ridership and fare revenue triggered nearly seven years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The business community has invested significant resources to ensure that [RTM] is successful because they know our economy depends on our ability to get people to and from work,” said Emily Loper, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, which represents some of the largest employers in the region.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The business community has invested significant resources to ensure that [RTM] is successful because they know our economy depends on our ability to get people to and from work,” said Emily Loper, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, which represents some of the largest employers in the region.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under SB 63, the state law that authorized the RTM ballot measure, transit agencies must now undergo a financial efficiency review to identify cost-saving measures. Money from the taxes will begin flowing to the agencies next year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under SB 63, the state law that authorized the RTM ballot measure, transit agencies must now undergo a financial efficiency review to identify cost-saving measures. Money from the taxes will begin flowing to the agencies next year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Public transportation advocates celebrate measures that avert major service cuts for the region’s transit agencies.",
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"title": "Death Spiral Averted: Bay Area Transit Taxes RTM and Proposition H Declare Victory | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supporters of Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/public-transit\">public transit\u003c/a> cheered election returns on Tuesday that showed two tax measures designed to head off drastic cuts in bus and train service passing easily. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Initial results from five Bay Area counties showed Measure RTM, a 14-year regional sales tax, well on the way to passage with a 61.5% yes vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Cretan, spokesman for the Connect Bay Area coalition that campaigned for the tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, called the apparent margin of victory “incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is a huge win for public transit,” Cretan said. “ I think these results show that people believe in the importance of our buses and trains running to get people to work, to get seniors to appointments and to get kids to school. All of that matters for the Bay Area to really thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco’s Proposition H, a separate parcel tax measure targeted at funding only the city’s Muni transit service — also appeared certain to pass with a 72.5% yes vote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108165\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWATCHPARTY-NG-8_QED-KQED-d43f465a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A supporter claps as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at his election night watch party at Anina in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure RTM imposes a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco to generate about $1 billion a year to maintain current levels of service at BART, Muni, AC Transit, Caltrain and other transit agencies. The sales taxes will also pay for fare discounts, accessibility and wayfinding programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/sanfrancisco/proposition-h\">Proposition H\u003c/a> is a San Francisco-specific measure that will tax property owners at different rates based on property type and size in order to generate an estimated $184 million annually for the city’s Muni transit service for 15 years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie hailed the result as a sign of the city’s long-term commitment to better public transportation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Tonight, San Franciscans stood together to build a stronger Muni for all,” Lurie told an election night crowd. “But let me be clear — this is not about spending more money to get the same results. With this infusion of funding comes the responsibility to deliver a better transit system — more reliable, more efficient, safer, and worthy of the people who depend on it every single day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BART General Manager Bob Powers said at an election night party in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood that transit agencies had won voters over by demonstrating they can respond to riders’ needs and deliver improved service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The last 30 months or so, every decision I’ve made is to try to improve the rider experience, and some of them were difficult decisions,” Powers said. He mentioned BART’s new fare gates and the agency’s improved on-time performance as two major customer-focused improvements.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR, the San Francisco-based research and policy think tank, appeared stunned as the regional measure built a big early lead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I kind of can’t believe it,” Tolkoff said, adding that the result came as a relief. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s been, you know, preparing yourself for possibly a different outcome,” she said. The imminent fiscal crisis for transit operators “was going to affect people in just a few months if this didn’t pass. It’s amazing that we can see that what we have is worth protecting and building on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The campaign opposed to RTM — the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit — did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the lead-up to Election Day, the committee argued that transit agencies exaggerated potential service cuts to scare voters into approving the tax and said the regional measure lacked accountability guarantees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108123\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-RTMWatchParty-NG-1_qed-6852a2a6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caleb Huffman, who works for the regional transit measure campaign, looks at results on the measure from Santa Clara County that were above the campaign’s expectations, at the Yes on RTM watch party hosted by SPUR at The Cordial in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The committee framed opposing the tax as a crucial chance to send a message to the region’s transit agencies that they need to institute major financial reforms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“ They’re promising oversight that is not really there. They’re saying they need money that they don’t really need right now,” said Gregg Dieguez, president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit before Tuesday’s vote. “They need real reform, and the reforms they’re promising are toothless and minuscule.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents of Proposition H said the passage of the tax was also a missed opportunity to rein in a fiscally irresponsible transit agency.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Mayor Lurie ran on accountability, and this measure has zero accountability. Voters are getting fooled. SFMTA will use Prop. H money to treat the agency like a venture capital business, hire fast, grow fast but with zero goals,” said Marie Hurabiell, executive director of ConnectedSF. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hurabiell claimed the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency could have made budget cuts without impacting service. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coalition that backed the measures included business groups, labor unions and environmental and transit justice advocates. Those supporters joined with the transit agencies themselves to warn that failure to pass the taxes would result in major service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the proposed cuts included: BART closing up to 15 stations and ending service at 9 p.m., Caltrain closing one-third of its stations and eliminating weekend service and AC Transit reducing service by 16% and laying off up to 300 employees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107918\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261102-FilePhotos-20-BL_qed-8b810831-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni Metro line in San Francisco on Nov. 2, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If both measures had failed, Muni warned it could cut up to 20 bus routes, double the wait times on other routes, reduce late night service to 9 p.m. and eliminate cable car and historic streetcar service.. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The major public transit agencies are suffering a deep and lingering fiscal hangover from the collapse of ridership and fare revenue triggered nearly seven years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public transit operators used billions of dollars of emergency federal aid, as well as state assistance, to maintain service levels at slightly below pre-pandemic levels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The business community has invested significant resources to ensure that [RTM] is successful because they know our economy depends on our ability to get people to and from work,” said Emily Loper, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, which represents some of the largest employers in the region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under SB 63, the state law that authorized the RTM ballot measure, transit agencies must now undergo a financial efficiency review to identify cost-saving measures. Money from the taxes will begin flowing to the agencies next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-bridge-traffic-delays-would-double-if-transit-tax-measures-fail-report-finds",
"title": "Bay Bridge Traffic Delays Would Double if Transit Tax Measures Fail, Report Finds",
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"headTitle": "Bay Bridge Traffic Delays Would Double if Transit Tax Measures Fail, Report Finds | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Traffic delays at some of the worst freeway bottlenecks in the Bay Area would more than double if voters reject \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">two separate\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">tax measures\u003c/a> intended to fund public transit agencies this November, according to a new research brief published Tuesday by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy think tank. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report found that while Bay Bridge drivers currently face average delays of 30 minutes during morning and afternoon rush hour, slowdowns would extend to 63 minutes in the morning and 73 minutes in the afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Average afternoon delays at the Caldecott Tunnel on State Route 4 would triple from 13 minutes to 40 minutes, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traffic delays at problem areas would more than double if public transit agencies cut service, according to a forecast by SPUR. (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This really paints a picture of how much worse life is going to get for people living in the Bay Area without transit,” said Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART, AC Transit, Muni and Caltrain — which represent 80% of all public transit ridership in the Bay Area, according to SPUR — are facing massive budget deficits driven by pandemic-era drops in ridership and revenue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agencies plan to make deep service cuts to reduce those deficits, unless voters in five Bay Area counties approve this year’s Regional Transit Measure (RTM). Muni also plans to cut service if San Francisco voters reject a separate parcel tax funding measure, Proposition H, specific to that agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART has said it would close up to 15 stations, and Caltrain has said it would close 10 stations, among other cuts, if the regional transit measure fails. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MUNI plans to eliminate 20 routes, among other cuts, if either Proposition H, a proposed San Francisco-specific parcel tax, or the regional tax measure fails. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR projected that BART and Caltrain would close their lowest-ridership stations, as the agencies haven’t yet specified which stations they would close.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AC Transit has also proposed service cuts, but SPUR’s forecast doesn’t address these impacts in detail, as the agency had not adopted its reduced service plans by the time SPUR’s analysis started, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR hired Jacobs, an engineering and infrastructure consulting firm, to conduct the analysis, which used public transit ridership, boarding data and traffic volume statistics from September and October 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report considered short-term traffic impacts at eight of the Bay Area’s worst traffic hotspots: the Bay Bridge, I-580, I-880, I-680, State Route 24 at the Caldecott Tunnel, State Route 4 and U.S. 101 in South San Francisco and Burlingame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Bay drivers will be particularly impacted, as they potentially traverse multiple worsened bottlenecks, according to Tolkoff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100724\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The research forecast traffic delays at eight of the Bay Area’s worst freeway bottlenecks. (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ The impacts are going to compound for people who have to make longer multi-county regional trips, as well as to transit riders who are going to be hit hardest and first,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also quantifies the economic, environmental and quality of life impacts that service cuts would have on the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 430,000 people who live within one mile of a BART or Caltrain station that is expected to close would lose the benefit of easy access to public transit, according to the report. Muni routes proposed for elimination would affect over 27,000 people each weekday; service frequency reductions would affect over 200,000 people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tolkoff said the cuts would also have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, who make 80,000 trips on the region’s four major public transit agencies every day, and around one-third of the Bay Area who cannot or do not drive, to move around the region. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Transit is really key to their independence and ability to have a full life,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report makes the case that paying the sales tax associated with the RTM would be a better deal for transit riders than the increased costs service cuts would bring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If voters pass the RTM, it would institute a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, generating around $1 billion annually to fund operations and improvements and averting service cuts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni bus marquee says “Fare Required” in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report estimated taxpayers would spend $82 a year on a half-cent sales tax, whereas transit riders who switch to driving would pay an additional $3,280 per year for increased transportation costs, such as fuel, tolls and parking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It’s very clear that this is going to push a lot of people over the edge when you think about how transportation is the second largest household expense, second only to housing,” Tolkoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100014/muni-cuts-to-cost-san-francisco-labor-market-up-to-48-million-annually-report-shows\">report\u003c/a> by San Francisco’s Office of the Controller on Proposition H estimated Muni service cuts would cause a labor market impact between $30 million and $48 million annually, due to workers dealing with delayed commutes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a campaign launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, is opposed to the RTM. The group has argued that transit agencies should leverage existing funding, including reallocating money from capital projects, to reduce their budget deficits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Committee has said transit agencies could increase efficiencies, reduce pay for some of their highest-paid employees and cease construction on mega-projects to fund operations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Connect Bay Area, the campaign in favor of the regional sales tax measure — which is supported by a broad coalition of labor, business and local leaders — has described the opposition campaign’s arguments as “not grounded in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of logo for AC Transit on a bus, Emeryville, California, Nov. 12, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR is a sponsor of the RTM and gave input on San Francisco’s Proposition H as a member of the city’s Muni Funding Working Group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2024, 8% of Bay Area commuters took public transit on a typical workday, while 69% drove, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report showed that although public transit riders aren’t a sizable part of the population, public transit makes a big difference on the Bay Area’s quality of life, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if you don’t ride transit every day, your life is better because there is transit in the Bay Area,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Average afternoon delays at the Caldecott Tunnel on State Route 4 would triple from 13 minutes to 40 minutes, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traffic delays at problem areas would more than double if public transit agencies cut service, according to a forecast by SPUR.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100725\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traffic delays at problem areas would more than double if public transit agencies cut service, according to a forecast by SPUR.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This really paints a picture of how much worse life is going to get for people living in the Bay Area without transit,” said Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART, AC Transit, Muni and Caltrain — which represent 80% of all public transit ridership in the Bay Area, according to SPUR — are facing massive budget deficits driven by pandemic-era drops in ridership and revenue. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The agencies plan to make deep service cuts to reduce those deficits, unless voters in five Bay Area counties approve this year’s Regional Transit Measure (RTM). Muni also plans to cut service if San Francisco voters reject a separate parcel tax funding measure, Proposition H, specific to that agency. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The agencies plan to make deep service cuts to reduce those deficits, unless voters in five Bay Area counties approve this year’s Regional Transit Measure (RTM). Muni also plans to cut service if San Francisco voters reject a separate parcel tax funding measure, Proposition H, specific to that agency. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART has said it would close up to 15 stations, and Caltrain has said it would close 10 stations, among other cuts, if the regional transit measure fails. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>MUNI plans to eliminate 20 routes, among other cuts, if either Proposition H, a proposed San Francisco-specific parcel tax, or the regional tax measure fails. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SPUR projected that BART and Caltrain would close their lowest-ridership stations, as the agencies haven’t yet specified which stations they would close.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AC Transit has also proposed service cuts, but SPUR’s forecast doesn’t address these impacts in detail, as the agency had not adopted its reduced service plans by the time SPUR’s analysis started, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AC Transit has also proposed service cuts, but SPUR’s forecast doesn’t address these impacts in detail, as the agency had not adopted its reduced service plans by the time SPUR’s analysis started, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SPUR hired Jacobs, an engineering and infrastructure consulting firm, to conduct the analysis, which used public transit ridership, boarding data and traffic volume statistics from September and October 2025. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>SPUR hired Jacobs, an engineering and infrastructure consulting firm, to conduct the analysis, which used public transit ridership, boarding data and traffic volume statistics from September and October 2025. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report considered short-term traffic impacts at eight of the Bay Area’s worst traffic hotspots: the Bay Bridge, I-580, I-880, I-680, State Route 24 at the Caldecott Tunnel, State Route 4 and U.S. 101 in South San Francisco and Burlingame. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report considered short-term traffic impacts at eight of the Bay Area’s worst traffic hotspots: the Bay Bridge, I-580, I-880, I-680, State Route 24 at the Caldecott Tunnel, State Route 4 and U.S. 101 in South San Francisco and Burlingame. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>East Bay drivers will be particularly impacted, as they potentially traverse multiple worsened bottlenecks, according to Tolkoff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>East Bay drivers will be particularly impacted, as they potentially traverse multiple worsened bottlenecks, according to Tolkoff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100724\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The research forecast traffic delays at eight of the Bay Area’s worst freeway bottlenecks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100724\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The research forecast traffic delays at eight of the Bay Area’s worst freeway bottlenecks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ The impacts are going to compound for people who have to make longer multi-county regional trips, as well as to transit riders who are going to be hit hardest and first,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report also quantifies the economic, environmental and quality of life impacts that service cuts would have on the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 430,000 people who live within one mile of a BART or Caltrain station that is expected to close would lose the benefit of easy access to public transit, according to the report. Muni routes proposed for elimination would affect over 27,000 people each weekday; service frequency reductions would affect over 200,000 people. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 430,000 people who live within one mile of a BART or Caltrain station that is expected to close would lose the benefit of easy access to public transit, according to the report. Muni routes proposed for elimination would affect over 27,000 people each weekday; service frequency reductions would affect over 200,000 people. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tolkoff said the cuts would also have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, who make 80,000 trips on the region’s four major public transit agencies every day, and around one-third of the Bay Area who cannot or do not drive, to move around the region. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tolkoff said the cuts would also have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, who make 80,000 trips on the region’s four major public transit agencies every day, and around one-third of the Bay Area who cannot or do not drive, to move around the region. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Transit is really key to their independence and ability to have a full life,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report makes the case that paying the sales tax associated with the RTM would be a better deal for transit riders than the increased costs service cuts would bring.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If voters pass the RTM, it would institute a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, generating around $1 billion annually to fund operations and improvements and averting service cuts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If voters pass the RTM, it would institute a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, generating around $1 billion annually to fund operations and improvements and averting service cuts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni bus marquee says “Fare Required” in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099241\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni bus marquee says “Fare Required” in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report estimated taxpayers would spend $82 a year on a half-cent sales tax, whereas transit riders who switch to driving would pay an additional $3,280 per year for increased transportation costs, such as fuel, tolls and parking. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report estimated taxpayers would spend $82 a year on a half-cent sales tax, whereas transit riders who switch to driving would pay an additional $3,280 per year for increased transportation costs, such as fuel, tolls and parking. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ It’s very clear that this is going to push a lot of people over the edge when you think about how transportation is the second largest household expense, second only to housing,” Tolkoff said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ It’s very clear that this is going to push a lot of people over the edge when you think about how transportation is the second largest household expense, second only to housing,” Tolkoff said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100014/muni-cuts-to-cost-san-francisco-labor-market-up-to-48-million-annually-report-shows\">report\u003c/a> by San Francisco’s Office of the Controller on Proposition H estimated Muni service cuts would cause a labor market impact between $30 million and $48 million annually, due to workers dealing with delayed commutes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100014/muni-cuts-to-cost-san-francisco-labor-market-up-to-48-million-annually-report-shows\">report\u003c/a> by San Francisco’s Office of the Controller on Proposition H estimated Muni service cuts would cause a labor market impact between $30 million and $48 million annually, due to workers dealing with delayed commutes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a campaign launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, is opposed to the RTM. The group has argued that transit agencies should leverage existing funding, including reallocating money from capital projects, to reduce their budget deficits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a campaign launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, is opposed to the RTM. The group has argued that transit agencies should leverage existing funding, including reallocating money from capital projects, to reduce their budget deficits. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Committee has said transit agencies could increase efficiencies, reduce pay for some of their highest-paid employees and cease construction on mega-projects to fund operations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Committee has said transit agencies could increase efficiencies, reduce pay for some of their highest-paid employees and cease construction on mega-projects to fund operations.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Connect Bay Area, the campaign in favor of the regional sales tax measure — which is supported by a broad coalition of labor, business and local leaders — has described the opposition campaign’s arguments as “not grounded in reality.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Connect Bay Area, the campaign in favor of the regional sales tax measure — which is supported by a broad coalition of labor, business and local leaders — has described the opposition campaign’s arguments as “not grounded in reality.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of logo for AC Transit on a bus, Emeryville, California, Nov. 12, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100387\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of logo for AC Transit on a bus, Emeryville, California, Nov. 12, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SPUR is a sponsor of the RTM and gave input on San Francisco’s Proposition H as a member of the city’s Muni Funding Working Group.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2024, 8% of Bay Area commuters took public transit on a typical workday, while 69% drove, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2024, 8% of Bay Area commuters took public transit on a typical workday, while 69% drove, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report showed that although public transit riders aren’t a sizable part of the population, public transit makes a big difference on the Bay Area’s quality of life, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Even if you don’t ride transit every day, your life is better because there is transit in the Bay Area,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The new findings show that reduced public transit service and station closures would affect traffic and quality of life throughout the region.",
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"title": "Bay Bridge Traffic Delays Would Double if Transit Tax Measures Fail, Report Finds | KQED",
"description": "The new findings show that reduced public transit service and station closures would affect traffic and quality of life throughout the region.",
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"headline": "Bay Bridge Traffic Delays Would Double if Transit Tax Measures Fail, Report Finds",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Traffic delays at some of the worst freeway bottlenecks in the Bay Area would more than double if voters reject \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">two separate\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">tax measures\u003c/a> intended to fund public transit agencies this November, according to a new research brief published Tuesday by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy think tank. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report found that while Bay Bridge drivers currently face average delays of 30 minutes during morning and afternoon rush hour, slowdowns would extend to 63 minutes in the morning and 73 minutes in the afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Average afternoon delays at the Caldecott Tunnel on State Route 4 would triple from 13 minutes to 40 minutes, according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100725\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-02-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traffic delays at problem areas would more than double if public transit agencies cut service, according to a forecast by SPUR. (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This really paints a picture of how much worse life is going to get for people living in the Bay Area without transit,” said Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director at SPUR.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART, AC Transit, Muni and Caltrain — which represent 80% of all public transit ridership in the Bay Area, according to SPUR — are facing massive budget deficits driven by pandemic-era drops in ridership and revenue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agencies plan to make deep service cuts to reduce those deficits, unless voters in five Bay Area counties approve this year’s Regional Transit Measure (RTM). Muni also plans to cut service if San Francisco voters reject a separate parcel tax funding measure, Proposition H, specific to that agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART has said it would close up to 15 stations, and Caltrain has said it would close 10 stations, among other cuts, if the regional transit measure fails. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MUNI plans to eliminate 20 routes, among other cuts, if either Proposition H, a proposed San Francisco-specific parcel tax, or the regional tax measure fails. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR projected that BART and Caltrain would close their lowest-ridership stations, as the agencies haven’t yet specified which stations they would close.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AC Transit has also proposed service cuts, but SPUR’s forecast doesn’t address these impacts in detail, as the agency had not adopted its reduced service plans by the time SPUR’s analysis started, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR hired Jacobs, an engineering and infrastructure consulting firm, to conduct the analysis, which used public transit ridership, boarding data and traffic volume statistics from September and October 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report considered short-term traffic impacts at eight of the Bay Area’s worst traffic hotspots: the Bay Bridge, I-580, I-880, I-680, State Route 24 at the Caldecott Tunnel, State Route 4 and U.S. 101 in South San Francisco and Burlingame. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>East Bay drivers will be particularly impacted, as they potentially traverse multiple worsened bottlenecks, according to Tolkoff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100724\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/TransitCuts-01-KQED-1536x862.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The research forecast traffic delays at eight of the Bay Area’s worst freeway bottlenecks. (Courtesy of SPUR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ The impacts are going to compound for people who have to make longer multi-county regional trips, as well as to transit riders who are going to be hit hardest and first,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also quantifies the economic, environmental and quality of life impacts that service cuts would have on the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 430,000 people who live within one mile of a BART or Caltrain station that is expected to close would lose the benefit of easy access to public transit, according to the report. Muni routes proposed for elimination would affect over 27,000 people each weekday; service frequency reductions would affect over 200,000 people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tolkoff said the cuts would also have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, who make 80,000 trips on the region’s four major public transit agencies every day, and around one-third of the Bay Area who cannot or do not drive, to move around the region. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Transit is really key to their independence and ability to have a full life,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report makes the case that paying the sales tax associated with the RTM would be a better deal for transit riders than the increased costs service cuts would bring.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If voters pass the RTM, it would institute a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, generating around $1 billion annually to fund operations and improvements and averting service cuts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12099241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260911-FareRequired-NG-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Muni bus marquee says “Fare Required” in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood on Sept. 11, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report estimated taxpayers would spend $82 a year on a half-cent sales tax, whereas transit riders who switch to driving would pay an additional $3,280 per year for increased transportation costs, such as fuel, tolls and parking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It’s very clear that this is going to push a lot of people over the edge when you think about how transportation is the second largest household expense, second only to housing,” Tolkoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100014/muni-cuts-to-cost-san-francisco-labor-market-up-to-48-million-annually-report-shows\">report\u003c/a> by San Francisco’s Office of the Controller on Proposition H estimated Muni service cuts would cause a labor market impact between $30 million and $48 million annually, due to workers dealing with delayed commutes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a campaign launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, is opposed to the RTM. The group has argued that transit agencies should leverage existing funding, including reallocating money from capital projects, to reduce their budget deficits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Committee has said transit agencies could increase efficiencies, reduce pay for some of their highest-paid employees and cease construction on mega-projects to fund operations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Connect Bay Area, the campaign in favor of the regional sales tax measure — which is supported by a broad coalition of labor, business and local leaders — has described the opposition campaign’s arguments as “not grounded in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12100387\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/GettyImages-2246577688-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of logo for AC Transit on a bus, Emeryville, California, Nov. 12, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SPUR is a sponsor of the RTM and gave input on San Francisco’s Proposition H as a member of the city’s Muni Funding Working Group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2024, 8% of Bay Area commuters took public transit on a typical workday, while 69% drove, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report showed that although public transit riders aren’t a sizable part of the population, public transit makes a big difference on the Bay Area’s quality of life, Tolkoff said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if you don’t ride transit every day, your life is better because there is transit in the Bay Area,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "BART Says Aging Infrastructure to Blame for Substation Fire, Days of Delays",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART \u003c/a>substation fire that snarled commutes and disrupted airport service and travel across the Bay Area this week was caused by aging infrastructure that had been previously shortlisted for repairs, agency officials said Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire is one of several equipment issues the agency has faced since Tuesday, resulting in major setbacks for riders and the periodic suspension of service on multiple lines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to apologize to our riders, who’ve had some really terrible experiences over the last 48 hours,” BART Board of Directors Vice President Edward Wright said at a board meeting on Thursday. “I’ve certainly heard from a lot of folks who missed flights, who missed appointments, who were late to work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART Assistant General Manager Sylvia Lamb told board members that crews assessing damage from Tuesday’s fire found a faulty cable on an aerial structure which caused a main breaker to short, sparking a fire in a piece of electrical equipment in the substation near the agency’s Daly City station. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because all but one of the agency’s five lines converge at Daly City station, Lamb said it’s “impactful” when service is interrupted in that area specifically. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said both the substation where the fire occurred and the faulty cable that failed were “original” to when the agency’s “W Line” was put in — making the substation at least 40 years old and the cable at least 30, according to Alicia Trost, a BART spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said the substation was previously identified as one of the “top five” to be replaced, out of the system’s 74 substations, 70% of which are original. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ This is a very clear failure that is due to aging equipment,” Lamb said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of a three-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098923/bay-area-heat-wave-breaks-records-in-these-4-cities-with-relief-ahead\">heat wave\u003c/a>, riders were forced to alter their commute early Thursday morning when the agency announced it had suspended service on its Green line, providing service between Daly City and Berryessa stations, as crews worked to repair train control equipment damaged by the fire. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire and fallout were just some of the problems BART faced since Tuesday night. Lamb said an HVAC failure in a train control room, likely caused by the current regional heat wave, also caused delays in the Daly City area earlier on Tuesday, and that the fire and the HVAC failure did not appear to be related. Lamb said the agency had placed a 2-ton portable air conditioning unit in the room while it waited for repairs in the meantime. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency also halted all train service between San Bruno and Colma stations for several hours on Thursday morning — impacting service to San Francisco International Airport — due to a “train control issue.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The substation fire led BART’s Board of Directors to question how the agency prioritizes replacing its aging infrastructure. Lamb said substation repairs cost between $3 million and $5 million, and replacing one costs $60 million. She said the agency currently has funding to replace only one, but that the fire has led her team to put the Daly City substation next on the list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ What will not be done in response to us putting this at the top of the list? What other risks are we now creating that we were previously able to address?” Wright said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said the agency constantly prioritizes what infrastructure to replace based on risk analyses, and that it would seek additional funding and grants to do that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fire is one of several equipment issues the agency has faced since Tuesday, resulting in major setbacks for riders and the periodic suspension of service on multiple lines. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want to apologize to our riders, who’ve had some really terrible experiences over the last 48 hours,” BART Board of Directors Vice President Edward Wright said at a board meeting on Thursday. “I’ve certainly heard from a lot of folks who missed flights, who missed appointments, who were late to work.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I want to apologize to our riders, who’ve had some really terrible experiences over the last 48 hours,” BART Board of Directors Vice President Edward Wright said at a board meeting on Thursday. “I’ve certainly heard from a lot of folks who missed flights, who missed appointments, who were late to work.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART Assistant General Manager Sylvia Lamb told board members that crews assessing damage from Tuesday’s fire found a faulty cable on an aerial structure which caused a main breaker to short, sparking a fire in a piece of electrical equipment in the substation near the agency’s Daly City station. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART Assistant General Manager Sylvia Lamb told board members that crews assessing damage from Tuesday’s fire found a faulty cable on an aerial structure which caused a main breaker to short, sparking a fire in a piece of electrical equipment in the substation near the agency’s Daly City station. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because all but one of the agency’s five lines converge at Daly City station, Lamb said it’s “impactful” when service is interrupted in that area specifically. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because all but one of the agency’s five lines converge at Daly City station, Lamb said it’s “impactful” when service is interrupted in that area specifically. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lamb said both the substation where the fire occurred and the faulty cable that failed were “original” to when the agency’s “W Line” was put in — making the substation at least 40 years old and the cable at least 30, according to Alicia Trost, a BART spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Lamb said both the substation where the fire occurred and the faulty cable that failed were “original” to when the agency’s “W Line” was put in — making the substation at least 40 years old and the cable at least 30, according to Alicia Trost, a BART spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lamb said the substation was previously identified as one of the “top five” to be replaced, out of the system’s 74 substations, 70% of which are original. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ This is a very clear failure that is due to aging equipment,” Lamb said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the midst of a three-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098923/bay-area-heat-wave-breaks-records-in-these-4-cities-with-relief-ahead\">heat wave\u003c/a>, riders were forced to alter their commute early Thursday morning when the agency announced it had suspended service on its Green line, providing service between Daly City and Berryessa stations, as crews worked to repair train control equipment damaged by the fire. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fire and fallout were just some of the problems BART faced since Tuesday night. Lamb said an HVAC failure in a train control room, likely caused by the current regional heat wave, also caused delays in the Daly City area earlier on Tuesday, and that the fire and the HVAC failure did not appear to be related. Lamb said the agency had placed a 2-ton portable air conditioning unit in the room while it waited for repairs in the meantime. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The fire and fallout were just some of the problems BART faced since Tuesday night. Lamb said an HVAC failure in a train control room, likely caused by the current regional heat wave, also caused delays in the Daly City area earlier on Tuesday, and that the fire and the HVAC failure did not appear to be related. Lamb said the agency had placed a 2-ton portable air conditioning unit in the room while it waited for repairs in the meantime. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The agency also halted all train service between San Bruno and Colma stations for several hours on Thursday morning — impacting service to San Francisco International Airport — due to a “train control issue.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The substation fire led BART’s Board of Directors to question how the agency prioritizes replacing its aging infrastructure. Lamb said substation repairs cost between $3 million and $5 million, and replacing one costs $60 million. She said the agency currently has funding to replace only one, but that the fire has led her team to put the Daly City substation next on the list. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The substation fire led BART’s Board of Directors to question how the agency prioritizes replacing its aging infrastructure. Lamb said substation repairs cost between $3 million and $5 million, and replacing one costs $60 million. She said the agency currently has funding to replace only one, but that the fire has led her team to put the Daly City substation next on the list. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ What will not be done in response to us putting this at the top of the list? What other risks are we now creating that we were previously able to address?” Wright said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lamb said the agency constantly prioritizes what infrastructure to replace based on risk analyses, and that it would seek additional funding and grants to do that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A faulty cable and an aging substation were responsible for a substation fire that caused major delays through Thursday morning.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART \u003c/a>substation fire that snarled commutes and disrupted airport service and travel across the Bay Area this week was caused by aging infrastructure that had been previously shortlisted for repairs, agency officials said Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire is one of several equipment issues the agency has faced since Tuesday, resulting in major setbacks for riders and the periodic suspension of service on multiple lines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to apologize to our riders, who’ve had some really terrible experiences over the last 48 hours,” BART Board of Directors Vice President Edward Wright said at a board meeting on Thursday. “I’ve certainly heard from a lot of folks who missed flights, who missed appointments, who were late to work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART Assistant General Manager Sylvia Lamb told board members that crews assessing damage from Tuesday’s fire found a faulty cable on an aerial structure which caused a main breaker to short, sparking a fire in a piece of electrical equipment in the substation near the agency’s Daly City station. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because all but one of the agency’s five lines converge at Daly City station, Lamb said it’s “impactful” when service is interrupted in that area specifically. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said both the substation where the fire occurred and the faulty cable that failed were “original” to when the agency’s “W Line” was put in — making the substation at least 40 years old and the cable at least 30, according to Alicia Trost, a BART spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said the substation was previously identified as one of the “top five” to be replaced, out of the system’s 74 substations, 70% of which are original. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ This is a very clear failure that is due to aging equipment,” Lamb said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the midst of a three-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098923/bay-area-heat-wave-breaks-records-in-these-4-cities-with-relief-ahead\">heat wave\u003c/a>, riders were forced to alter their commute early Thursday morning when the agency announced it had suspended service on its Green line, providing service between Daly City and Berryessa stations, as crews worked to repair train control equipment damaged by the fire. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire and fallout were just some of the problems BART faced since Tuesday night. Lamb said an HVAC failure in a train control room, likely caused by the current regional heat wave, also caused delays in the Daly City area earlier on Tuesday, and that the fire and the HVAC failure did not appear to be related. Lamb said the agency had placed a 2-ton portable air conditioning unit in the room while it waited for repairs in the meantime. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency also halted all train service between San Bruno and Colma stations for several hours on Thursday morning — impacting service to San Francisco International Airport — due to a “train control issue.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The substation fire led BART’s Board of Directors to question how the agency prioritizes replacing its aging infrastructure. Lamb said substation repairs cost between $3 million and $5 million, and replacing one costs $60 million. She said the agency currently has funding to replace only one, but that the fire has led her team to put the Daly City substation next on the list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ What will not be done in response to us putting this at the top of the list? What other risks are we now creating that we were previously able to address?” Wright said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lamb said the agency constantly prioritizes what infrastructure to replace based on risk analyses, and that it would seek additional funding and grants to do that. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bart-reports-major-crime-drop-1-year-after-new-fare-gates",
"title": "BART Reports Major Crime Drop 1 Year After New Fare Gates",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>New data shows \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART\u003c/a> has seen a massive drop in crime, something the agency credits to the one-year anniversary of its next-generation fare gates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency reported Tuesday that, for every million trips, crimes against riders (such as robbery, aggravated assault, rape and homicide) fell \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260908\">67%\u003c/a> between December 2024 and June 2026. The improved fare gates, which are intended to reduce fare evasion, began operating at all 50 stations last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’ve been a real game changer,” BART General Manager Robert Powers said Tuesday during a news conference at San Francisco’s Powell Street station.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency also reported a 47% reduction in BART Police and other safety-related delays over the same time period.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART General Manager Robert Powers points to a part that helps swing a fare gate open faster, as compared with previous models, at a press conference on Sept. 8, 2026, at the Powell Street station in San Francisco. New data shows crimes against riders and fare evasion went down after the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin speaks at a press conference on Sept. 8, 2026, at the Powell Street station in San Francisco. New data shows crimes against riders and fare evasion went down after the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A chart showing the increase in ridership since the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates is displayed at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Not only is crime less frequent on BART, but because of that drop my officers are able to respond more quickly to the emergencies that we do need to address,” BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said, calling the fare gates a “force multiplier.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Franklin added that people who commit crimes on BART tend to also be fare evaders, although he did not provide a specific statistic. He acknowledged, however, that not all people who evade fares commit crimes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The percentage of riders who said they witnessed fare evasion was down to 9% in June, Franklin said, compared with a high of 25% two years ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While BART touts the progress of its fare gates, the agency said fare evaders have adapted: Instead of jumping over the turnstiles of the previous gates, some daring fare evaders follow closely behind a rider, so they can sneak through the gate while it is still open, a practice BART calls “piggybacking.” BART leaders said the agency in response has increased the speed at which the gates close, and the agency also plans to install sensors as another deterrent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2023 state \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-approves-emergency-transit-operations-funding-plan-senate-bill-125\">bill\u003c/a> required BART to implement the new fare gates to receive emergency funding for pandemic-era losses in revenue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART and several other Bay Area transit agencies have been working to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and make sure riders pay their fair share, in the face of major budget deficits and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">proposed tax measure\u003c/a> on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pointing to pandemic-driven drops in revenue and ridership, BART has reported an ongoing structural deficit of up to $400 million due. The agency has warned of steep service cuts, including ending service at 9 p.m. and eliminating two entire lines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the agency, its early estimates indicate the latest fare gates will generate an additional $10 million annually. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every single decision I make right now is to improve the quality of the rider experience,” Powers said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART’s most recent quarterly report delivered a customer satisfaction \u003ca href=\"https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15831824&GUID=B7CF999D-7FC8-4F98-8C39-12A6248779DB\">rate of 91%\u003c/a> — the highest ever recorded — officials said Tuesday. BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost told KQED the survey is conducted by BART employees who randomly interview riders on board trains. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART rider Deepti Prabakar, 22, poses for a portrait in front of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Deepti Prabakar, 22, commutes to San Francisco from Fremont on BART. She said she’s noticed a drop in people riding for free.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I’ve definitely noticed that people are nicer now and also more respectful,” Prabakar said at Powell Street station. “I feel like before there’d be a lot of people yelling, or it’d be a little bit scarier, but people now are pretty chill.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arman Saghafi, 25, said the experience of riding BART now is less “sketchy.” He recalled riding the system while growing up in Albany.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The trains are a lot cleaner,” Saghafi said. “As a whole, cleaning up the system has been nice. It makes the experience of taking BART less hairy.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Not only is crime less frequent on BART, but because of that drop my officers are able to respond more quickly to the emergencies that we do need to address,” BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said, calling the fare gates a “force multiplier.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Not only is crime less frequent on BART, but because of that drop my officers are able to respond more quickly to the emergencies that we do need to address,” BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said, calling the fare gates a “force multiplier.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Franklin added that people who commit crimes on BART tend to also be fare evaders, although he did not provide a specific statistic. He acknowledged, however, that not all people who evade fares commit crimes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Franklin added that people who commit crimes on BART tend to also be fare evaders, although he did not provide a specific statistic. He acknowledged, however, that not all people who evade fares commit crimes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The percentage of riders who said they witnessed fare evasion was down to 9% in June, Franklin said, compared with a high of 25% two years ago. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While BART touts the progress of its fare gates, the agency said fare evaders have adapted: Instead of jumping over the turnstiles of the previous gates, some daring fare evaders follow closely behind a rider, so they can sneak through the gate while it is still open, a practice BART calls “piggybacking.” BART leaders said the agency in response has increased the speed at which the gates close, and the agency also plans to install sensors as another deterrent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While BART touts the progress of its fare gates, the agency said fare evaders have adapted: Instead of jumping over the turnstiles of the previous gates, some daring fare evaders follow closely behind a rider, so they can sneak through the gate while it is still open, a practice BART calls “piggybacking.” BART leaders said the agency in response has increased the speed at which the gates close, and the agency also plans to install sensors as another deterrent. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A 2023 state \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-approves-emergency-transit-operations-funding-plan-senate-bill-125\">bill\u003c/a> required BART to implement the new fare gates to receive emergency funding for pandemic-era losses in revenue.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART and several other Bay Area transit agencies have been working to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and make sure riders pay their fair share, in the face of major budget deficits and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">proposed tax measure\u003c/a> on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART and several other Bay Area transit agencies have been working to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and make sure riders pay their fair share, in the face of major budget deficits and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">proposed tax measure\u003c/a> on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pointing to pandemic-driven drops in revenue and ridership, BART has reported an ongoing structural deficit of up to $400 million due. The agency has warned of steep service cuts, including ending service at 9 p.m. and eliminating two entire lines. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pointing to pandemic-driven drops in revenue and ridership, BART has reported an ongoing structural deficit of up to $400 million due. The agency has warned of steep service cuts, including ending service at 9 p.m. and eliminating two entire lines. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the agency, its early estimates indicate the latest fare gates will generate an additional $10 million annually. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the agency, its early estimates indicate the latest fare gates will generate an additional $10 million annually. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every single decision I make right now is to improve the quality of the rider experience,” Powers said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART’s most recent quarterly report delivered a customer satisfaction \u003ca href=\"https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15831824&GUID=B7CF999D-7FC8-4F98-8C39-12A6248779DB\">rate of 91%\u003c/a> — the highest ever recorded — officials said Tuesday. BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost told KQED the survey is conducted by BART employees who randomly interview riders on board trains. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART’s most recent quarterly report delivered a customer satisfaction \u003ca href=\"https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15831824&GUID=B7CF999D-7FC8-4F98-8C39-12A6248779DB\">rate of 91%\u003c/a> — the highest ever recorded — officials said Tuesday. BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost told KQED the survey is conducted by BART employees who randomly interview riders on board trains. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART rider Deepti Prabakar, 22, poses for a portrait in front of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098715\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART rider Deepti Prabakar, 22, poses for a portrait in front of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Deepti Prabakar, 22, commutes to San Francisco from Fremont on BART. She said she’s noticed a drop in people riding for free.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ I’ve definitely noticed that people are nicer now and also more respectful,” Prabakar said at Powell Street station. “I feel like before there’d be a lot of people yelling, or it’d be a little bit scarier, but people now are pretty chill.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ I’ve definitely noticed that people are nicer now and also more respectful,” Prabakar said at Powell Street station. “I feel like before there’d be a lot of people yelling, or it’d be a little bit scarier, but people now are pretty chill.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arman Saghafi, 25, said the experience of riding BART now is less “sketchy.” He recalled riding the system while growing up in Albany.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Arman Saghafi, 25, said the experience of riding BART now is less “sketchy.” He recalled riding the system while growing up in Albany.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The trains are a lot cleaner,” Saghafi said. “As a whole, cleaning up the system has been nice. It makes the experience of taking BART less hairy.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The trains are a lot cleaner,” Saghafi said. “As a whole, cleaning up the system has been nice. It makes the experience of taking BART less hairy.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The next-generation fare gates have also improved reliability and added revenue, but the agency still faces challenges with fare evasion. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>New data shows \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART\u003c/a> has seen a massive drop in crime, something the agency credits to the one-year anniversary of its next-generation fare gates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency reported Tuesday that, for every million trips, crimes against riders (such as robbery, aggravated assault, rape and homicide) fell \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260908\">67%\u003c/a> between December 2024 and June 2026. The improved fare gates, which are intended to reduce fare evasion, began operating at all 50 stations last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’ve been a real game changer,” BART General Manager Robert Powers said Tuesday during a news conference at San Francisco’s Powell Street station.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency also reported a 47% reduction in BART Police and other safety-related delays over the same time period.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART General Manager Robert Powers points to a part that helps swing a fare gate open faster, as compared with previous models, at a press conference on Sept. 8, 2026, at the Powell Street station in San Francisco. New data shows crimes against riders and fare evasion went down after the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098711\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-14-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin speaks at a press conference on Sept. 8, 2026, at the Powell Street station in San Francisco. New data shows crimes against riders and fare evasion went down after the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12098713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-27-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A chart showing the increase in ridership since the implementation of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates is displayed at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Not only is crime less frequent on BART, but because of that drop my officers are able to respond more quickly to the emergencies that we do need to address,” BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said, calling the fare gates a “force multiplier.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Franklin added that people who commit crimes on BART tend to also be fare evaders, although he did not provide a specific statistic. He acknowledged, however, that not all people who evade fares commit crimes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The percentage of riders who said they witnessed fare evasion was down to 9% in June, Franklin said, compared with a high of 25% two years ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While BART touts the progress of its fare gates, the agency said fare evaders have adapted: Instead of jumping over the turnstiles of the previous gates, some daring fare evaders follow closely behind a rider, so they can sneak through the gate while it is still open, a practice BART calls “piggybacking.” BART leaders said the agency in response has increased the speed at which the gates close, and the agency also plans to install sensors as another deterrent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2023 state \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/news/mtc-approves-emergency-transit-operations-funding-plan-senate-bill-125\">bill\u003c/a> required BART to implement the new fare gates to receive emergency funding for pandemic-era losses in revenue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART and several other Bay Area transit agencies have been working to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and make sure riders pay their fair share, in the face of major budget deficits and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">proposed tax measure\u003c/a> on the November ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pointing to pandemic-driven drops in revenue and ridership, BART has reported an ongoing structural deficit of up to $400 million due. The agency has warned of steep service cuts, including ending service at 9 p.m. and eliminating two entire lines. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the agency, its early estimates indicate the latest fare gates will generate an additional $10 million annually. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every single decision I make right now is to improve the quality of the rider experience,” Powers said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART’s most recent quarterly report delivered a customer satisfaction \u003ca href=\"https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15831824&GUID=B7CF999D-7FC8-4F98-8C39-12A6248779DB\">rate of 91%\u003c/a> — the highest ever recorded — officials said Tuesday. BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost told KQED the survey is conducted by BART employees who randomly interview riders on board trains. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12098715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260908-BARTFAREEVASION-NG-43-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART rider Deepti Prabakar, 22, poses for a portrait in front of BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates at the Powell Street station in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Deepti Prabakar, 22, commutes to San Francisco from Fremont on BART. She said she’s noticed a drop in people riding for free.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I’ve definitely noticed that people are nicer now and also more respectful,” Prabakar said at Powell Street station. “I feel like before there’d be a lot of people yelling, or it’d be a little bit scarier, but people now are pretty chill.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arman Saghafi, 25, said the experience of riding BART now is less “sketchy.” He recalled riding the system while growing up in Albany.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The trains are a lot cleaner,” Saghafi said. “As a whole, cleaning up the system has been nice. It makes the experience of taking BART less hairy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "exclusive-errors-plagued-clipper-2-0-long-before-botched-launch-records-reveal",
"title": "Exclusive: Errors Plagued Clipper 2.0 Long Before Botched Launch, Records Reveal",
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"headTitle": "Exclusive: Errors Plagued Clipper 2.0 Long Before Botched Launch, Records Reveal | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The day before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> transit agencies rolled out Clipper 2.0 — a long-anticipated upgrade to the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — a high-level staffer overseeing the project raised an important red flag. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Known as “next generation Clipper” and used by 22 Bay Area operators, the software promised to make riding transit easier with bank card tap-to-pay, rider discounts and other features. It had taken Cubic Transportation Systems, the contractor in charge of the update, seven years — nearly three more than initially promised — to deliver the new system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But on the eve of the launch, Jason Weinstein, director of Clipper at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which oversees Cubic’s contract, issued a formal letter, saying the MTC did not have confidence that the process for collecting fares and distributing them to the appropriate operator — a main function of the software — was happening appropriately. The problem, according to the MTC, was that it was not yet fully automated and relied too heavily on manual oversight in a system that handles hundreds of thousands of transactions daily.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weinstein said the commission would “hold Cubic accountable” for meeting the requirements of its contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers board Caltrain at the 22nd Street Caltrain station on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident revealed a fissure that had been deepening over the past year. Internal communications reviewed by KQED between the MTC and Cubic staff show software bugs like these were present long before Weinstein’s warning and Clipper 2.0’s public debut. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Transit agency leaders and officials at the MTC had for months complained the company was struggling to resolve persistent errors with the software, while Cubic staffers said MTC hadn’t authorized the company to complete enough testing to ensure the system’s success. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the MTC, there was little time to spare. Executive Director Andrew Fremier said commissioners were eager to get the upgrades installed before the Super Bowl and World Cup, when hundreds of thousands of fans were expected to descend upon the Bay Area — and take transit to get to matches. With assurances from Cubic leadership that issues would be fixed quickly, Fremier said the commission determined the potential benefit of launching the systems’ new features outweighed the known risks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re probably never going to have a perfect system,” Fremier told KQED. “ We didn’t want to be so risk-averse that we weren’t getting good products into people’s hands.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096162\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Fremier, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, at the Bay Area Transit offices in San Francisco on Aug. 5, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, however, Weinstein’s warning proved prescient, and Clipper 2.0 began to unravel. Upon attempting to log in to their accounts, some customers were locked out by error messages; others were charged incorrect fares; ticket vending machines took some riders’ money without crediting their accounts; fare inspection devices failed; and hold times to speak to customer service staff soared up to 100 minutes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one outage that began on May 18 and lasted approximately 27 hours, BART riders were unable to purchase or add value to their Clipper cards at the agency’s ticket vending machines and faced delays with transactions at BART fare gates, according to a staff memo. The culprit turned out to be Cubic’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085683/zero-credibility-major-clipper-outage-caused-by-cubics-failure-to-pay-att-bill\">failure to pay an AT&T bill\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The botched rollout comes at a particularly inopportune time for the agencies that rely on the platform to collect fares. The largest among them — BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit — are all facing existential budget crises and are seeking relief from voters through \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">two\u003c/a> separate tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">measures\u003c/a> in order to avoid drastic service cuts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The reputational damage that we are facing on an item that should have been a win at a time when we really need a win is just unacceptable,” Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), said at a June meeting of the Clipper Executive Board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096265\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider refills their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of the San Diego-based global technology company Cubic Corporation, declined to answer specific questions about Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Cubic spokesperson Cory Shields described Clipper 2.0 as “one of the most complex fare payment systems in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Integrating the distinct fare structures and operating needs of each agency creates unique challenges that require close coordination among Cubic, MTC and the region’s operators,” Shields told KQED. “Our commitment to our partners and Bay Area riders is unwavering, and we will continue to build upon this progress to deliver the reliable system riders deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The MTC initially estimated that upgrading the system’s roughly 15 million cards to Clipper 2.0 would take two to three months, but as of July 16, only about 15% of those cards have been converted to the new system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"12096269\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096269\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message is displayed on a Clipper vending machine. The photo was obtained via a California Public Records Act request seeking information about the rollout of Clipper 2.0. (Courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"12096252\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message on a Clipper vending machine at the 16th Street BART Station on March 11, 2026. (Erin Baldassari/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The glitches, delays and service outages have increased the program’s cost by millions, and estimates by multiple transit agencies indicate more than $100,000 in lost fare revenue combined, although the MTC said it is still calculating the total revenue lost. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, the leaders of those agencies urged the commission to pursue “all contractual remedies” against Cubic to recover lost fares. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said his first focus is ensuring Clipper 2.0 actually works. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’ve asked Cubic to focus on most directly is getting the system stable to the point where we can shut down the old Clipper system and be functioning in the brand-new Clipper 2 environment,” he told KQED, “and then try to pick up the pieces about who might be responsible for what.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said he expects those conversations to play out “over the next few months.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Years in the making \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Next generation Clipper, or Clipper 2.0, is the first update to Clipper since it launched in 2010. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hope, Fremier said, was to offer a better product to riders that would in turn incentivize more people to take transit. Across the Bay Area’s nine counties, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/commute-mode-choice\">more than two-thirds of commuters\u003c/a> drove to work alone in 2024, according to the MTC. Just 8% took transit on a typical workday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the original Clipper infrastructure wouldn’t support the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065714/clipper-card-\">suite of new features\u003c/a> that the MTC envisioned, including family accounts, reduced or free transfers and improvements to how users add funds. The update moved Clipper from a “card-based” system to an “account-based” system, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096159\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp> “The card used to do all the work, and it could only hold a certain amount of information, and that limited our ability to offer different fare products,” Fremier said. “By moving into newer technology, it offered us a lot more flexibility.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2018, MTC awarded Cubic a 10-year, $393 million contract, not including contingency funds, to develop and operate Clipper 2.0 for 10 years. That contract has since increased to $436 million to accommodate additional equipment and features. The company has held the previous contract for the original version of Clipper since 2009. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic has developed and upgraded fare payment systems in other major cities, including New York City’s \u003ca href=\"https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/20/mtas-demotes-omny-contractor-cubic-in-hopes-of-speeding-up-commuter-rail-fare-integration\">OMNY\u003c/a>, Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/to-really-foul-things-up-chicagoprivatizes-transit-payment-system/\">Ventra\u003c/a>, and Boston’s \u003ca href=\"https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/05/23/mbta-proposes-more-tweaks-to-long-delayed-fare-transformation-initiative\">MBTA\u003c/a> — projects that also faced many of the same \u003ca href=\"https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-steps-to-address-ventra-issues/\">issues\u003c/a> and delays that plague Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096308\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cubic Corporation logo at the Satellite 2024 conference and exhibition in Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, a spokesperson for MTC, said that while the commission did “everything it could do from a legal and business perspective” to attract multiple bids, its priority was minimizing disruptions for customers, which meant it had to keep Clipper 1.0 running through the transition. She said, however, that decision “added complexity” to the contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That would be hard for anyone but Cubic,” Long said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic also has very few competitors in the industry that are able to supply a full suite of services, according to Fremier. Still, he said commissioners thought Cubic’s previous experience running Clipper would be a “helpful benefit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Cubic responds\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In public meetings, Cubic representatives have apologized for the rocky rollout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s completely unacceptable, and I’m deeply sorry for the experiences that you are having,” Peter Montgomery-Torrellas, the former president of Cubic Transportation Systems, told the Clipper Executive Board at a Jan. 26 meeting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Montgomery-Torrellas left the company in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096264\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026, in Berkeley. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In private communications, however, company representatives blamed some of Clipper 2.0’s issues on the MTC for not authorizing sufficient field testing prior to the launch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nine months before the rollout of Clipper 2.0, Cubic requested MTC increase the number of participants testing the new system from approximately 60 to at least 1,000. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To solidify the potential launch date for the C2 program, it is crucial to maximize the use of the production system,” Dennis Dewan, contracts manager at Cubic, wrote in an email to Weinstein on March 14, 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dewan said since the start of that year, fewer than 1,000 rides had been processed across only nine agencies, involving fewer than 100 unique accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Comprehensive validation of the system necessitates many more taps across a larger range of use cases,” Dewan wrote, referring to when riders “tap” their Clipper card on a card reader. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider scans their phone on a Clipper machine at the 22nd Street Caltrain station in San Francisco on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But despite Cubic’s assertions that the system was ready for significantly larger pilot activity, the MTC declined to expand the number of testers, demanding Cubic resolve a known list of problems first.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“MTC does not plan to open the current field testing or to start [the] pilot with the public until an agreeable list of items is complete,” Weinstein told Dewan less than a week later. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those items included successfully demonstrating that customer data — such as account credentials, payment methods and travel history — could be migrated from the old system to the new one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In mid-April, 2025, testing by Cubic still showed “significant failure rates,” with only 49% of tests passing and more than 500 open software bugs, according to a formal letter to Cubic signed by Fremier. The back-and-forth about whether to expand the pilot continued through the spring and summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By October, the first time a possible launch date was discussed, field testing was 30% complete, and Google Wallet — a digital wallet where people could store their Clipper card on their smartphone — remained blocked, Fremier wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Super Bowl attendees exit a VTA light rail train at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether field testing was ever fully completed, Long told KQED, “Field testing was conducted on all components that could be validated in real-world conditions,” including Clipper device functionality, system reporting and website performance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even a week before launch, Diana Hammons, senior manager of revenue growth and reporting at the SFMTA, which runs Muni, expressed dissatisfaction with Cubic’s handling of known errors, asking the company to collate them into a master list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This e-mail chain is not an ideal way for us to be tracking the progress on these issues and for me to be able to effectively update our General Manager,” she wrote on Dec. 3. “We are seven days away from the scheduled launch date.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite known issues, Cubic officials assured MTC it could meet a Dec. 10 launch date for Clipper 2.0, Fremier said, with the MTC agreeing to continue testing in “a more live environment” — a decision he later defended.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I do think the decision and the reason why we made it was the right one at the time,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1975\" height=\"1317\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096206\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg 1975w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1975px) 100vw, 1975px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dave Mangot stands at the 24th Street BART station in San Francisco on Aug. 3, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Dave Mangot, the founder and CEO of the software delivery consultancy Mangoteque, who reviewed Cubic’s outage reports obtained by KQED, said the MTC should not have relied on “assurances” from Cubic that the company would be able to fix the problems in a timely manner. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Assurances are nonsense in software. Either the tests pass, or they don’t. That’s it,” Mangot said. “ Show me that this thing works like it’s supposed to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doing a comprehensive pilot with well-planned, well-defined and well-managed outcomes, including full systems load testing, would have been very important for a rollout of this magnitude, according to Shyam Dunna, the principal at nMomentum Corporation, a technology consulting and IT services firm that specializes in fare collection systems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It appears that this was not done thoroughly enough based on the reports of system issues,” Dunna said, acknowledging that it can be difficult to comment without a forensic inspection of what caused them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Whac-A-Mole\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Clipper 2.0 launched on Dec. 10, 2025, with an eager crowd of transit agency heads and local leaders crowding a podium at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a city, we are moving in the right direction, and our economy is coming back,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “But that progress relies on a stable transit system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That night, Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget at MTC, told transit agency staff in an email that bankcard tap-to-pay acceptance “went smoothly overall,” but Cubic was investigating several issues, including customers “unable to manage their accounts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART fare gate displays an “Out of Service” message at North Berkeley Station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, internal emails and reports from MTC, transit agency staff and Cubic describe a software rollout similar to a game of Whac-A-Mole, in which issues would worsen and multiply while solutions remained elusive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By January, MTC staff expressed doubts the company would be able to meet its initial schedule for upgrading original Clipper accounts to Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They did not design a system and migration process that can handle 600 passes and the significant number of rules and devices that we have in use,” Kelley Jackson, assistant director of Clipper Operations and Customer Experience at MTC, wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In several instances when problems did occur, Cubic’s initial response was to perform rolling restarts of servers, which Mangot described as a “turn everything off and on again” approach. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the 19th Street Oakland BART station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Which is great if my mom has a problem with her Mac and she needs help, but this isn’t that,” Mangot said. “This is a payment system that’s running 22 different transit agencies. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again’ isn’t the answer.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response to a two-hour outage on March 25, when Clipper ticket vending machines were unable to process credit or debit card payments, a Cubic staffer wrote that the company should “estimate the cost of building and maintaining a proper load test environment,” as an action item in response to the outage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mangot said that response “seemed backwards.” Load testing, the process of testing a system under its expected peak capacity, typically happens before a new system launches. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ So many of these issues that they are running into with [servers] being overutilized, that’s why we do load testing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Cheated’ and ‘embarrassed’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following the December launch, the Clipper Customer Service center became overwhelmed with around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071026/a-hot-mess-transit-riders-officials-skewer-contractor-over-flawed-clipper-2-0-rollout\">47,000 calls\u003c/a> to agents in roughly its first month of operation, nearly four times the amount it was originally contracted to handle. At the same time, Clipper’s customer service staff reported delays accessing customer accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART riders like Omar Sultan found themselves locked out of their accounts for weeks, unable to access the money they had set aside for riding transit. Sultan told the BART Board of Directors in a January email that he missed the reimbursement deadline for transit through his employer because he was unable to access his account for so long.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Riders are being charged for BART trips without the ability to audit those charges — a situation that would not be acceptable in any other payment system. I contacted Clipper customer service regarding this issue and received no response or guidance,” Sultan wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In the days following the launch of Clipper 2.0 — the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — the system began to unravel, with some customers locked out by error messages, others charged incorrect fares and ticket vending machines taking some riders’ money without crediting their accounts. (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>AC Transit General Manager Salvador Llamas said the ongoing issues made it difficult to recruit passengers who qualify for Clipper START, a discount program for low-income riders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s getting difficult to encourage people to get on Clipper START or other programs when the [ticket vending machines] don’t even work,” Llamas said at a July Clipper executive board meeting. “It’s hard for us to encourage people to trust the system.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One longtime BART station agent who spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press said the problems with Clipper 2.0 made it harder to come to work, calling it “the worst systemwide morale killer amongst agents since I started working here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agent described months of problems with BART ticket vending machines where the machines would take riders’ money but not issue a Clipper card, and station agents “didn’t have an acceptable way to resolve the problem.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/post/3mnsatydsds27\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I care about our riders’ experience and can’t help but feel personally embarrassed, and organizationally incompetent, when our ‘product’ falls so far short of any reasonable expectations,” the station agent said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The station agent said eventually they turned the vending machine’s ticket dispensing capability off “so passengers wouldn’t get cheated out of their money.” Those problems persisted for months until an update by Cubic on Aug. 3 solved the problem, the station agent said, but “These software issues never should have taken this long to be fixed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While problems persisted, transit agencies lost money. Caltrain estimated in a March 5 email to MTC staff that from Clipper 2.0’s launch through Jan. 31, it lost $70,000 because fare inspection devices had failed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On March 18, the MTC’s Davol told transit agency staff in an email that Cubic had identified around 125,000 card taps — when a rider pays for their trip using a Clipper card — that had not been priced, meaning the fares had not been deducted from customer accounts or settled with operators. Five days later, he said Cubic had suspended processing those taps because customers were being charged for trips that pre-existing passes should have otherwise covered, and that Cubic was reporting new instances of unpriced taps. By March, BART projected $33,000 in lost revenue because station agents had to give out free rides.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/iZooa/2/\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other errors included failing to update fare tables on New Year’s Day and charging some customers a local fare for express routes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In this fiscal environment, Caltrain cannot afford to continue to [go] down this path,” Bruce Thompson, manager of fare program operations at Caltrain, wrote in one email to MTC staff, citing the agency’s forecasted $75 million annual budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/caltrain-budget-deficit\">deficit\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Super Bowl and World Cup did indeed bring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">record-setting\u003c/a> ridership to \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/news/ridership-records-broken-fifa-world-cup-stadium-opener\">Caltrain\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260615-0\">BART\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>. But the ongoing issues with Clipper 2.0 forced the agencies to delay introducing new promotions and led some to promote other fare payment platforms, such as the Token Transit app, instead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “There’s no question that it hasn’t been a good rollout, and it hasn’t served our customers well,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard told KQED in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Between Dec. 10, 2025 and Aug. 10, 2026, Cubic logged 20 major incidents with the system, defined as an outage affecting things like card readers, or the Clipper website or app for more than an hour. The average length of the outages was approximately five hours. Of those 20 incidents, 19 were related to Cubic-managed systems, while one was related to a regional Microsoft outage, Long said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider uses a Clipper card machine at the Palo Alto Caltrain station on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>None of those outages affected riders’ ability to take transit if their Clipper card already had value on it, or if they could pay with a bank card, Long said, but she added that the outages did have “customer-facing impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last major outage was on June 10. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Long said the MTC is still evaluating the total financial impact of Clipper 2.0 to transit operators. In June, the Clipper Executive Board tacked on \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/meetings/attachments/6584/3c_Clipper_Two_Year_Budget.pdf?cb=a83f1316\">another $11 million\u003c/a> to its fiscal year 2026-27 budget for costs related to Clipper 2.0 delays, including $3.4 million to keep the previous version of Clipper operational for up to nine more months and an additional $7.6 million for increased customer service center staffing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This came shortly after Cubic blew through a self-imposed May 30 deadline to resolve all critical issues and begin upgrading accounts to Clipper 2.0 en masse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning from mistakes\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Adina Levin, the executive director of the Bay Area transit advocacy nonprofit Seamless Bay Area, the problems with Clipper 2.0’s delivery are representative of broader issues when government agencies are in charge of overseeing large-scale technology projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ What is needed is a learning process on what are the attributes of a well-managed technology project, and so what needs to be put in place to do things differently,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Levin said the MTC needs to be more involved in the technical planning of systems like Clipper 2.0 in order for them to be successful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adina Levin sits at the Menlo Park Caltrain station on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is the network environment of this project, and is the system designed to work in this network? What is the testing plan to work in the network? The customer needs to be able to understand that in order to be able to manage it,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Levin suggested that for future projects, MTC could structure the contract with smaller components that could allow for more “competitive choices,” as Cubic being the single bidder meant there was no competition or alternatives to choose from. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As contract manager, Fremier said the MTC’s job “is to make sure that Cubic produces the system that they bid on and that we specified in the contract.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But he said so much of the work is done behind the scenes by programmers and people with technical expertise that there wasn’t much more the MTC could do to improve delivery of the system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ That’s not what we have on staff. We aren’t programmers. That’s a place that most owners, including us, do not have that expertise,” Fremier said. “That’s why you hire a professional contractor to do that.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Fremier, one takeaway is that the complexity of the Bay Area’s fare payment system contributed to issues rolling out the system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some agencies like Caltrain and BART charge riders based on how far they ride, while others like MUNI and AC Transit charge a flat fee. Long said agencies’ inspection devices and ticket vending machines all rely on different underlying software which must interact with Clipper 2.0. Even the discount offered to senior or youth riders varies between agencies, Long said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We’ve all learned lessons about what we might be able to do better, including maybe down the road simplifying some of the connectivity challenges that we have with all the different systems,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said he’s confident that over the course of the summer and into the fall, the MTC will be able to shut down the old version of Clipper and manage the entire system on Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once that is done, it may be time to start on Clipper 3.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ These contracts take several years to procure and several years to build, which is multiple years in the making, which means we need to almost get started now on trying to figure out what that next generation might be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The day before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> transit agencies rolled out Clipper 2.0 — a long-anticipated upgrade to the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — a high-level staffer overseeing the project raised an important red flag. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The day before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> transit agencies rolled out Clipper 2.0 — a long-anticipated upgrade to the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — a high-level staffer overseeing the project raised an important red flag. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Known as “next generation Clipper” and used by 22 Bay Area operators, the software promised to make riding transit easier with bank card tap-to-pay, rider discounts and other features. It had taken Cubic Transportation Systems, the contractor in charge of the update, seven years — nearly three more than initially promised — to deliver the new system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Known as “next generation Clipper” and used by 22 Bay Area operators, the software promised to make riding transit easier with bank card tap-to-pay, rider discounts and other features. It had taken Cubic Transportation Systems, the contractor in charge of the update, seven years — nearly three more than initially promised — to deliver the new system.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But on the eve of the launch, Jason Weinstein, director of Clipper at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which oversees Cubic’s contract, issued a formal letter, saying the MTC did not have confidence that the process for collecting fares and distributing them to the appropriate operator — a main function of the software — was happening appropriately. The problem, according to the MTC, was that it was not yet fully automated and relied too heavily on manual oversight in a system that handles hundreds of thousands of transactions daily.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But on the eve of the launch, Jason Weinstein, director of Clipper at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which oversees Cubic’s contract, issued a formal letter, saying the MTC did not have confidence that the process for collecting fares and distributing them to the appropriate operator — a main function of the software — was happening appropriately. The problem, according to the MTC, was that it was not yet fully automated and relied too heavily on manual oversight in a system that handles hundreds of thousands of transactions daily.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Weinstein said the commission would “hold Cubic accountable” for meeting the requirements of its contract. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Weinstein said the commission would “hold Cubic accountable” for meeting the requirements of its contract. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers board Caltrain at the 22nd Street Caltrain station on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096267\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers board Caltrain at the 22nd Street Caltrain station on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The incident revealed a fissure that had been deepening over the past year. Internal communications reviewed by KQED between the MTC and Cubic staff show software bugs like these were present long before Weinstein’s warning and Clipper 2.0’s public debut. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The incident revealed a fissure that had been deepening over the past year. Internal communications reviewed by KQED between the MTC and Cubic staff show software bugs like these were present long before Weinstein’s warning and Clipper 2.0’s public debut. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Transit agency leaders and officials at the MTC had for months complained the company was struggling to resolve persistent errors with the software, while Cubic staffers said MTC hadn’t authorized the company to complete enough testing to ensure the system’s success. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Transit agency leaders and officials at the MTC had for months complained the company was struggling to resolve persistent errors with the software, while Cubic staffers said MTC hadn’t authorized the company to complete enough testing to ensure the system’s success. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the MTC, there was little time to spare. Executive Director Andrew Fremier said commissioners were eager to get the upgrades installed before the Super Bowl and World Cup, when hundreds of thousands of fans were expected to descend upon the Bay Area — and take transit to get to matches. With assurances from Cubic leadership that issues would be fixed quickly, Fremier said the commission determined the potential benefit of launching the systems’ new features outweighed the known risks. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For the MTC, there was little time to spare. Executive Director Andrew Fremier said commissioners were eager to get the upgrades installed before the Super Bowl and World Cup, when hundreds of thousands of fans were expected to descend upon the Bay Area — and take transit to get to matches. With assurances from Cubic leadership that issues would be fixed quickly, Fremier said the commission determined the potential benefit of launching the systems’ new features outweighed the known risks. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You’re probably never going to have a perfect system,” Fremier told KQED. “ We didn’t want to be so risk-averse that we weren’t getting good products into people’s hands.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You’re probably never going to have a perfect system,” Fremier told KQED. “ We didn’t want to be so risk-averse that we weren’t getting good products into people’s hands.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096162\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Fremier, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, at the Bay Area Transit offices in San Francisco on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096162\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Fremier, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, at the Bay Area Transit offices in San Francisco on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, however, Weinstein’s warning proved prescient, and Clipper 2.0 began to unravel. Upon attempting to log in to their accounts, some customers were locked out by error messages; others were charged incorrect fares; ticket vending machines took some riders’ money without crediting their accounts; fare inspection devices failed; and hold times to speak to customer service staff soared up to 100 minutes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, however, Weinstein’s warning proved prescient, and Clipper 2.0 began to unravel. Upon attempting to log in to their accounts, some customers were locked out by error messages; others were charged incorrect fares; ticket vending machines took some riders’ money without crediting their accounts; fare inspection devices failed; and hold times to speak to customer service staff soared up to 100 minutes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During one outage that began on May 18 and lasted approximately 27 hours, BART riders were unable to purchase or add value to their Clipper cards at the agency’s ticket vending machines and faced delays with transactions at BART fare gates, according to a staff memo. The culprit turned out to be Cubic’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085683/zero-credibility-major-clipper-outage-caused-by-cubics-failure-to-pay-att-bill\">failure to pay an AT&T bill\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During one outage that began on May 18 and lasted approximately 27 hours, BART riders were unable to purchase or add value to their Clipper cards at the agency’s ticket vending machines and faced delays with transactions at BART fare gates, according to a staff memo. The culprit turned out to be Cubic’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085683/zero-credibility-major-clipper-outage-caused-by-cubics-failure-to-pay-att-bill\">failure to pay an AT&T bill\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The botched rollout comes at a particularly inopportune time for the agencies that rely on the platform to collect fares. The largest among them — BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit — are all facing existential budget crises and are seeking relief from voters through \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">two\u003c/a> separate tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">measures\u003c/a> in order to avoid drastic service cuts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The botched rollout comes at a particularly inopportune time for the agencies that rely on the platform to collect fares. The largest among them — BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit — are all facing existential budget crises and are seeking relief from voters through \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">two\u003c/a> separate tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">measures\u003c/a> in order to avoid drastic service cuts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The reputational damage that we are facing on an item that should have been a win at a time when we really need a win is just unacceptable,” Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), said at a June meeting of the Clipper Executive Board. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The reputational damage that we are facing on an item that should have been a win at a time when we really need a win is just unacceptable,” Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), said at a June meeting of the Clipper Executive Board. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096265\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider refills their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096265\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider refills their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of the San Diego-based global technology company Cubic Corporation, declined to answer specific questions about Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of the San Diego-based global technology company Cubic Corporation, declined to answer specific questions about Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Cubic spokesperson Cory Shields described Clipper 2.0 as “one of the most complex fare payment systems in the world.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Cubic spokesperson Cory Shields described Clipper 2.0 as “one of the most complex fare payment systems in the world.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Integrating the distinct fare structures and operating needs of each agency creates unique challenges that require close coordination among Cubic, MTC and the region’s operators,” Shields told KQED. “Our commitment to our partners and Bay Area riders is unwavering, and we will continue to build upon this progress to deliver the reliable system riders deserve.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Integrating the distinct fare structures and operating needs of each agency creates unique challenges that require close coordination among Cubic, MTC and the region’s operators,” Shields told KQED. “Our commitment to our partners and Bay Area riders is unwavering, and we will continue to build upon this progress to deliver the reliable system riders deserve.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The MTC initially estimated that upgrading the system’s roughly 15 million cards to Clipper 2.0 would take two to three months, but as of July 16, only about 15% of those cards have been converted to the new system. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096269\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message is displayed on a Clipper vending machine. The photo was obtained via a California Public Records Act request seeking information about the rollout of Clipper 2.0.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The glitches, delays and service outages have increased the program’s cost by millions, and estimates by multiple transit agencies indicate more than $100,000 in lost fare revenue combined, although the MTC said it is still calculating the total revenue lost. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The glitches, delays and service outages have increased the program’s cost by millions, and estimates by multiple transit agencies indicate more than $100,000 in lost fare revenue combined, although the MTC said it is still calculating the total revenue lost. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In June, the leaders of those agencies urged the commission to pursue “all contractual remedies” against Cubic to recover lost fares. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fremier said his first focus is ensuring Clipper 2.0 actually works. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we’ve asked Cubic to focus on most directly is getting the system stable to the point where we can shut down the old Clipper system and be functioning in the brand-new Clipper 2 environment,” he told KQED, “and then try to pick up the pieces about who might be responsible for what.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What we’ve asked Cubic to focus on most directly is getting the system stable to the point where we can shut down the old Clipper system and be functioning in the brand-new Clipper 2 environment,” he told KQED, “and then try to pick up the pieces about who might be responsible for what.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fremier said he expects those conversations to play out “over the next few months.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Next generation Clipper, or Clipper 2.0, is the first update to Clipper since it launched in 2010. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The hope, Fremier said, was to offer a better product to riders that would in turn incentivize more people to take transit. Across the Bay Area’s nine counties, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/commute-mode-choice\">more than two-thirds of commuters\u003c/a> drove to work alone in 2024, according to the MTC. Just 8% took transit on a typical workday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The hope, Fremier said, was to offer a better product to riders that would in turn incentivize more people to take transit. Across the Bay Area’s nine counties, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/commute-mode-choice\">more than two-thirds of commuters\u003c/a> drove to work alone in 2024, according to the MTC. Just 8% took transit on a typical workday. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the original Clipper infrastructure wouldn’t support the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065714/clipper-card-\">suite of new features\u003c/a> that the MTC envisioned, including family accounts, reduced or free transfers and improvements to how users add funds. The update moved Clipper from a “card-based” system to an “account-based” system, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the original Clipper infrastructure wouldn’t support the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065714/clipper-card-\">suite of new features\u003c/a> that the MTC envisioned, including family accounts, reduced or free transfers and improvements to how users add funds. The update moved Clipper from a “card-based” system to an “account-based” system, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096159\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096159\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> “The card used to do all the work, and it could only hold a certain amount of information, and that limited our ability to offer different fare products,” Fremier said. “By moving into newer technology, it offered us a lot more flexibility.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp> “The card used to do all the work, and it could only hold a certain amount of information, and that limited our ability to offer different fare products,” Fremier said. “By moving into newer technology, it offered us a lot more flexibility.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2018, MTC awarded Cubic a 10-year, $393 million contract, not including contingency funds, to develop and operate Clipper 2.0 for 10 years. That contract has since increased to $436 million to accommodate additional equipment and features. The company has held the previous contract for the original version of Clipper since 2009. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2018, MTC awarded Cubic a 10-year, $393 million contract, not including contingency funds, to develop and operate Clipper 2.0 for 10 years. That contract has since increased to $436 million to accommodate additional equipment and features. The company has held the previous contract for the original version of Clipper since 2009. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cubic has developed and upgraded fare payment systems in other major cities, including New York City’s \u003ca href=\"https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/20/mtas-demotes-omny-contractor-cubic-in-hopes-of-speeding-up-commuter-rail-fare-integration\">OMNY\u003c/a>, Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/to-really-foul-things-up-chicagoprivatizes-transit-payment-system/\">Ventra\u003c/a>, and Boston’s \u003ca href=\"https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/05/23/mbta-proposes-more-tweaks-to-long-delayed-fare-transformation-initiative\">MBTA\u003c/a> — projects that also faced many of the same \u003ca href=\"https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-steps-to-address-ventra-issues/\">issues\u003c/a> and delays that plague Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cubic has developed and upgraded fare payment systems in other major cities, including New York City’s \u003ca href=\"https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/20/mtas-demotes-omny-contractor-cubic-in-hopes-of-speeding-up-commuter-rail-fare-integration\">OMNY\u003c/a>, Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/to-really-foul-things-up-chicagoprivatizes-transit-payment-system/\">Ventra\u003c/a>, and Boston’s \u003ca href=\"https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/05/23/mbta-proposes-more-tweaks-to-long-delayed-fare-transformation-initiative\">MBTA\u003c/a> — projects that also faced many of the same \u003ca href=\"https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-steps-to-address-ventra-issues/\">issues\u003c/a> and delays that plague Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096308\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cubic Corporation logo at the Satellite 2024 conference and exhibition in Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096308\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cubic Corporation logo at the Satellite 2024 conference and exhibition in Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, a spokesperson for MTC, said that while the commission did “everything it could do from a legal and business perspective” to attract multiple bids, its priority was minimizing disruptions for customers, which meant it had to keep Clipper 1.0 running through the transition. She said, however, that decision “added complexity” to the contract. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, a spokesperson for MTC, said that while the commission did “everything it could do from a legal and business perspective” to attract multiple bids, its priority was minimizing disruptions for customers, which meant it had to keep Clipper 1.0 running through the transition. She said, however, that decision “added complexity” to the contract. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That would be hard for anyone but Cubic,” Long said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That would be hard for anyone but Cubic,” Long said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cubic also has very few competitors in the industry that are able to supply a full suite of services, according to Fremier. Still, he said commissioners thought Cubic’s previous experience running Clipper would be a “helpful benefit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cubic also has very few competitors in the industry that are able to supply a full suite of services, according to Fremier. Still, he said commissioners thought Cubic’s previous experience running Clipper would be a “helpful benefit.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Cubic responds\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In public meetings, Cubic representatives have apologized for the rocky rollout. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In public meetings, Cubic representatives have apologized for the rocky rollout. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s completely unacceptable, and I’m deeply sorry for the experiences that you are having,” Peter Montgomery-Torrellas, the former president of Cubic Transportation Systems, told the Clipper Executive Board at a Jan. 26 meeting.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It’s completely unacceptable, and I’m deeply sorry for the experiences that you are having,” Peter Montgomery-Torrellas, the former president of Cubic Transportation Systems, told the Clipper Executive Board at a Jan. 26 meeting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Montgomery-Torrellas left the company in June. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Montgomery-Torrellas left the company in June. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096264\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026, in Berkeley.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096264\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026, in Berkeley.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In private communications, however, company representatives blamed some of Clipper 2.0’s issues on the MTC for not authorizing sufficient field testing prior to the launch. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nine months before the rollout of Clipper 2.0, Cubic requested MTC increase the number of participants testing the new system from approximately 60 to at least 1,000. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nine months before the rollout of Clipper 2.0, Cubic requested MTC increase the number of participants testing the new system from approximately 60 to at least 1,000. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To solidify the potential launch date for the C2 program, it is crucial to maximize the use of the production system,” Dennis Dewan, contracts manager at Cubic, wrote in an email to Weinstein on March 14, 2025. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To solidify the potential launch date for the C2 program, it is crucial to maximize the use of the production system,” Dennis Dewan, contracts manager at Cubic, wrote in an email to Weinstein on March 14, 2025. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dewan said since the start of that year, fewer than 1,000 rides had been processed across only nine agencies, involving fewer than 100 unique accounts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dewan said since the start of that year, fewer than 1,000 rides had been processed across only nine agencies, involving fewer than 100 unique accounts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Comprehensive validation of the system necessitates many more taps across a larger range of use cases,” Dewan wrote, referring to when riders “tap” their Clipper card on a card reader. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Comprehensive validation of the system necessitates many more taps across a larger range of use cases,” Dewan wrote, referring to when riders “tap” their Clipper card on a card reader. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider scans their phone on a Clipper machine at the 22nd Street Caltrain station in San Francisco on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096263\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider scans their phone on a Clipper machine at the 22nd Street Caltrain station in San Francisco on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But despite Cubic’s assertions that the system was ready for significantly larger pilot activity, the MTC declined to expand the number of testers, demanding Cubic resolve a known list of problems first.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But despite Cubic’s assertions that the system was ready for significantly larger pilot activity, the MTC declined to expand the number of testers, demanding Cubic resolve a known list of problems first.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“MTC does not plan to open the current field testing or to start [the] pilot with the public until an agreeable list of items is complete,” Weinstein told Dewan less than a week later. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“MTC does not plan to open the current field testing or to start [the] pilot with the public until an agreeable list of items is complete,” Weinstein told Dewan less than a week later. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those items included successfully demonstrating that customer data — such as account credentials, payment methods and travel history — could be migrated from the old system to the new one. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Those items included successfully demonstrating that customer data — such as account credentials, payment methods and travel history — could be migrated from the old system to the new one. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In mid-April, 2025, testing by Cubic still showed “significant failure rates,” with only 49% of tests passing and more than 500 open software bugs, according to a formal letter to Cubic signed by Fremier. The back-and-forth about whether to expand the pilot continued through the spring and summer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In mid-April, 2025, testing by Cubic still showed “significant failure rates,” with only 49% of tests passing and more than 500 open software bugs, according to a formal letter to Cubic signed by Fremier. The back-and-forth about whether to expand the pilot continued through the spring and summer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By October, the first time a possible launch date was discussed, field testing was 30% complete, and Google Wallet — a digital wallet where people could store their Clipper card on their smartphone — remained blocked, Fremier wrote.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By October, the first time a possible launch date was discussed, field testing was 30% complete, and Google Wallet — a digital wallet where people could store their Clipper card on their smartphone — remained blocked, Fremier wrote.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Super Bowl attendees exit a VTA light rail train at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096268\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Super Bowl attendees exit a VTA light rail train at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked whether field testing was ever fully completed, Long told KQED, “Field testing was conducted on all components that could be validated in real-world conditions,” including Clipper device functionality, system reporting and website performance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Asked whether field testing was ever fully completed, Long told KQED, “Field testing was conducted on all components that could be validated in real-world conditions,” including Clipper device functionality, system reporting and website performance.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But even a week before launch, Diana Hammons, senior manager of revenue growth and reporting at the SFMTA, which runs Muni, expressed dissatisfaction with Cubic’s handling of known errors, asking the company to collate them into a master list. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But even a week before launch, Diana Hammons, senior manager of revenue growth and reporting at the SFMTA, which runs Muni, expressed dissatisfaction with Cubic’s handling of known errors, asking the company to collate them into a master list. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This e-mail chain is not an ideal way for us to be tracking the progress on these issues and for me to be able to effectively update our General Manager,” she wrote on Dec. 3. “We are seven days away from the scheduled launch date.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This e-mail chain is not an ideal way for us to be tracking the progress on these issues and for me to be able to effectively update our General Manager,” she wrote on Dec. 3. “We are seven days away from the scheduled launch date.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite known issues, Cubic officials assured MTC it could meet a Dec. 10 launch date for Clipper 2.0, Fremier said, with the MTC agreeing to continue testing in “a more live environment” — a decision he later defended.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite known issues, Cubic officials assured MTC it could meet a Dec. 10 launch date for Clipper 2.0, Fremier said, with the MTC agreeing to continue testing in “a more live environment” — a decision he later defended.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ I do think the decision and the reason why we made it was the right one at the time,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ I do think the decision and the reason why we made it was the right one at the time,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096206\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg 1975w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dave Mangot stands at the 24th Street BART station in San Francisco on Aug. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096206\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dave Mangot stands at the 24th Street BART station in San Francisco on Aug. 3, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dave Mangot, the founder and CEO of the software delivery consultancy Mangoteque, who reviewed Cubic’s outage reports obtained by KQED, said the MTC should not have relied on “assurances” from Cubic that the company would be able to fix the problems in a timely manner. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dave Mangot, the founder and CEO of the software delivery consultancy Mangoteque, who reviewed Cubic’s outage reports obtained by KQED, said the MTC should not have relied on “assurances” from Cubic that the company would be able to fix the problems in a timely manner. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Assurances are nonsense in software. Either the tests pass, or they don’t. That’s it,” Mangot said. “ Show me that this thing works like it’s supposed to.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Assurances are nonsense in software. Either the tests pass, or they don’t. That’s it,” Mangot said. “ Show me that this thing works like it’s supposed to.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Doing a comprehensive pilot with well-planned, well-defined and well-managed outcomes, including full systems load testing, would have been very important for a rollout of this magnitude, according to Shyam Dunna, the principal at nMomentum Corporation, a technology consulting and IT services firm that specializes in fare collection systems. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Doing a comprehensive pilot with well-planned, well-defined and well-managed outcomes, including full systems load testing, would have been very important for a rollout of this magnitude, according to Shyam Dunna, the principal at nMomentum Corporation, a technology consulting and IT services firm that specializes in fare collection systems. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It appears that this was not done thoroughly enough based on the reports of system issues,” Dunna said, acknowledging that it can be difficult to comment without a forensic inspection of what caused them. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It appears that this was not done thoroughly enough based on the reports of system issues,” Dunna said, acknowledging that it can be difficult to comment without a forensic inspection of what caused them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Whac-A-Mole",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Whac-A-Mole\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Whac-A-Mole\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Clipper 2.0 launched on Dec. 10, 2025, with an eager crowd of transit agency heads and local leaders crowding a podium at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Clipper 2.0 launched on Dec. 10, 2025, with an eager crowd of transit agency heads and local leaders crowding a podium at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As a city, we are moving in the right direction, and our economy is coming back,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “But that progress relies on a stable transit system.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“As a city, we are moving in the right direction, and our economy is coming back,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “But that progress relies on a stable transit system.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That night, Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget at MTC, told transit agency staff in an email that bankcard tap-to-pay acceptance “went smoothly overall,” but Cubic was investigating several issues, including customers “unable to manage their accounts.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That night, Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget at MTC, told transit agency staff in an email that bankcard tap-to-pay acceptance “went smoothly overall,” but Cubic was investigating several issues, including customers “unable to manage their accounts.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART fare gate displays an “Out of Service” message at North Berkeley Station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096275\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART fare gate displays an “Out of Service” message at North Berkeley Station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, internal emails and reports from MTC, transit agency staff and Cubic describe a software rollout similar to a game of Whac-A-Mole, in which issues would worsen and multiply while solutions remained elusive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, internal emails and reports from MTC, transit agency staff and Cubic describe a software rollout similar to a game of Whac-A-Mole, in which issues would worsen and multiply while solutions remained elusive.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By January, MTC staff expressed doubts the company would be able to meet its initial schedule for upgrading original Clipper accounts to Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By January, MTC staff expressed doubts the company would be able to meet its initial schedule for upgrading original Clipper accounts to Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They did not design a system and migration process that can handle 600 passes and the significant number of rules and devices that we have in use,” Kelley Jackson, assistant director of Clipper Operations and Customer Experience at MTC, wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They did not design a system and migration process that can handle 600 passes and the significant number of rules and devices that we have in use,” Kelley Jackson, assistant director of Clipper Operations and Customer Experience at MTC, wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In several instances when problems did occur, Cubic’s initial response was to perform rolling restarts of servers, which Mangot described as a “turn everything off and on again” approach. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In several instances when problems did occur, Cubic’s initial response was to perform rolling restarts of servers, which Mangot described as a “turn everything off and on again” approach. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the 19th Street Oakland BART station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096277\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the 19th Street Oakland BART station on July 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Which is great if my mom has a problem with her Mac and she needs help, but this isn’t that,” Mangot said. “This is a payment system that’s running 22 different transit agencies. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again’ isn’t the answer.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Which is great if my mom has a problem with her Mac and she needs help, but this isn’t that,” Mangot said. “This is a payment system that’s running 22 different transit agencies. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again’ isn’t the answer.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response to a two-hour outage on March 25, when Clipper ticket vending machines were unable to process credit or debit card payments, a Cubic staffer wrote that the company should “estimate the cost of building and maintaining a proper load test environment,” as an action item in response to the outage. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In response to a two-hour outage on March 25, when Clipper ticket vending machines were unable to process credit or debit card payments, a Cubic staffer wrote that the company should “estimate the cost of building and maintaining a proper load test environment,” as an action item in response to the outage. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mangot said that response “seemed backwards.” Load testing, the process of testing a system under its expected peak capacity, typically happens before a new system launches. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mangot said that response “seemed backwards.” Load testing, the process of testing a system under its expected peak capacity, typically happens before a new system launches. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ So many of these issues that they are running into with [servers] being overutilized, that’s why we do load testing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ So many of these issues that they are running into with [servers] being overutilized, that’s why we do load testing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "‘Cheated’ and ‘embarrassed’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Cheated’ and ‘embarrassed’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Following the December launch, the Clipper Customer Service center became overwhelmed with around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071026/a-hot-mess-transit-riders-officials-skewer-contractor-over-flawed-clipper-2-0-rollout\">47,000 calls\u003c/a> to agents in roughly its first month of operation, nearly four times the amount it was originally contracted to handle. At the same time, Clipper’s customer service staff reported delays accessing customer accounts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Following the December launch, the Clipper Customer Service center became overwhelmed with around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071026/a-hot-mess-transit-riders-officials-skewer-contractor-over-flawed-clipper-2-0-rollout\">47,000 calls\u003c/a> to agents in roughly its first month of operation, nearly four times the amount it was originally contracted to handle. At the same time, Clipper’s customer service staff reported delays accessing customer accounts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART riders like Omar Sultan found themselves locked out of their accounts for weeks, unable to access the money they had set aside for riding transit. Sultan told the BART Board of Directors in a January email that he missed the reimbursement deadline for transit through his employer because he was unable to access his account for so long.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART riders like Omar Sultan found themselves locked out of their accounts for weeks, unable to access the money they had set aside for riding transit. Sultan told the BART Board of Directors in a January email that he missed the reimbursement deadline for transit through his employer because he was unable to access his account for so long.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Riders are being charged for BART trips without the ability to audit those charges — a situation that would not be acceptable in any other payment system. I contacted Clipper customer service regarding this issue and received no response or guidance,” Sultan wrote.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Riders are being charged for BART trips without the ability to audit those charges — a situation that would not be acceptable in any other payment system. I contacted Clipper customer service regarding this issue and received no response or guidance,” Sultan wrote.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-1536x992.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In the days following the launch of Clipper 2.0 — the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — the system began to unravel, with some customers locked out by error messages, others charged incorrect fares and ticket vending machines taking some riders’ money without crediting their accounts.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096160\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In the days following the launch of Clipper 2.0 — the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — the system began to unravel, with some customers locked out by error messages, others charged incorrect fares and ticket vending machines taking some riders’ money without crediting their accounts.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AC Transit General Manager Salvador Llamas said the ongoing issues made it difficult to recruit passengers who qualify for Clipper START, a discount program for low-income riders. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AC Transit General Manager Salvador Llamas said the ongoing issues made it difficult to recruit passengers who qualify for Clipper START, a discount program for low-income riders. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s getting difficult to encourage people to get on Clipper START or other programs when the [ticket vending machines] don’t even work,” Llamas said at a July Clipper executive board meeting. “It’s hard for us to encourage people to trust the system.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s getting difficult to encourage people to get on Clipper START or other programs when the [ticket vending machines] don’t even work,” Llamas said at a July Clipper executive board meeting. “It’s hard for us to encourage people to trust the system.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One longtime BART station agent who spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press said the problems with Clipper 2.0 made it harder to come to work, calling it “the worst systemwide morale killer amongst agents since I started working here.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One longtime BART station agent who spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press said the problems with Clipper 2.0 made it harder to come to work, calling it “the worst systemwide morale killer amongst agents since I started working here.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The agent described months of problems with BART ticket vending machines where the machines would take riders’ money but not issue a Clipper card, and station agents “didn’t have an acceptable way to resolve the problem.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The agent described months of problems with BART ticket vending machines where the machines would take riders’ money but not issue a Clipper card, and station agents “didn’t have an acceptable way to resolve the problem.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/post/3mnsatydsds27\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/post/3mnsatydsds27\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"resolvedEmbed": "\u003cblockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at://did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnsatydsds27\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreifdfglkqclqpxzovr4utk4g5f4urxiifc4kwgcr7mlcgoamd77n7q\">\u003cp lang=\"en\">BART Station Agent Audio:@BART was having Problems withParking Validation & Clipper Card Vending MachinesEspecially at El Cerrito del Norte and Richmond BART StationsJune 8, 2026, 6:08 AM @danbrekke.bsky.social\u003c/p>— \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o?ref_src=embed\"> (@bartfare.bsky.social)\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/post/3mnsatydsds27?ref_src=embed\">2026-06-08T17:54:32.179Z\u003c/a>\u003c/blockquote>\u003cscript async src=\"https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003c/script>"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I care about our riders’ experience and can’t help but feel personally embarrassed, and organizationally incompetent, when our ‘product’ falls so far short of any reasonable expectations,” the station agent said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I care about our riders’ experience and can’t help but feel personally embarrassed, and organizationally incompetent, when our ‘product’ falls so far short of any reasonable expectations,” the station agent said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The station agent said eventually they turned the vending machine’s ticket dispensing capability off “so passengers wouldn’t get cheated out of their money.” Those problems persisted for months until an update by Cubic on Aug. 3 solved the problem, the station agent said, but “These software issues never should have taken this long to be fixed.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The station agent said eventually they turned the vending machine’s ticket dispensing capability off “so passengers wouldn’t get cheated out of their money.” Those problems persisted for months until an update by Cubic on Aug. 3 solved the problem, the station agent said, but “These software issues never should have taken this long to be fixed.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While problems persisted, transit agencies lost money. Caltrain estimated in a March 5 email to MTC staff that from Clipper 2.0’s launch through Jan. 31, it lost $70,000 because fare inspection devices had failed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While problems persisted, transit agencies lost money. Caltrain estimated in a March 5 email to MTC staff that from Clipper 2.0’s launch through Jan. 31, it lost $70,000 because fare inspection devices had failed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On March 18, the MTC’s Davol told transit agency staff in an email that Cubic had identified around 125,000 card taps — when a rider pays for their trip using a Clipper card — that had not been priced, meaning the fares had not been deducted from customer accounts or settled with operators. Five days later, he said Cubic had suspended processing those taps because customers were being charged for trips that pre-existing passes should have otherwise covered, and that Cubic was reporting new instances of unpriced taps. By March, BART projected $33,000 in lost revenue because station agents had to give out free rides.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On March 18, the MTC’s Davol told transit agency staff in an email that Cubic had identified around 125,000 card taps — when a rider pays for their trip using a Clipper card — that had not been priced, meaning the fares had not been deducted from customer accounts or settled with operators. Five days later, he said Cubic had suspended processing those taps because customers were being charged for trips that pre-existing passes should have otherwise covered, and that Cubic was reporting new instances of unpriced taps. By March, BART projected $33,000 in lost revenue because station agents had to give out free rides.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other errors included failing to update fare tables on New Year’s Day and charging some customers a local fare for express routes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Other errors included failing to update fare tables on New Year’s Day and charging some customers a local fare for express routes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In this fiscal environment, Caltrain cannot afford to continue to [go] down this path,” Bruce Thompson, manager of fare program operations at Caltrain, wrote in one email to MTC staff, citing the agency’s forecasted $75 million annual budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/caltrain-budget-deficit\">deficit\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In this fiscal environment, Caltrain cannot afford to continue to [go] down this path,” Bruce Thompson, manager of fare program operations at Caltrain, wrote in one email to MTC staff, citing the agency’s forecasted $75 million annual budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/caltrain-budget-deficit\">deficit\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Super Bowl and World Cup did indeed bring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">record-setting\u003c/a> ridership to \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/news/ridership-records-broken-fifa-world-cup-stadium-opener\">Caltrain\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260615-0\">BART\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>. But the ongoing issues with Clipper 2.0 forced the agencies to delay introducing new promotions and led some to promote other fare payment platforms, such as the Token Transit app, instead. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Super Bowl and World Cup did indeed bring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">record-setting\u003c/a> ridership to \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/news/ridership-records-broken-fifa-world-cup-stadium-opener\">Caltrain\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260615-0\">BART\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>. But the ongoing issues with Clipper 2.0 forced the agencies to delay introducing new promotions and led some to promote other fare payment platforms, such as the Token Transit app, instead. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> “There’s no question that it hasn’t been a good rollout, and it hasn’t served our customers well,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard told KQED in June. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp> “There’s no question that it hasn’t been a good rollout, and it hasn’t served our customers well,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard told KQED in June. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Between Dec. 10, 2025 and Aug. 10, 2026, Cubic logged 20 major incidents with the system, defined as an outage affecting things like card readers, or the Clipper website or app for more than an hour. The average length of the outages was approximately five hours. Of those 20 incidents, 19 were related to Cubic-managed systems, while one was related to a regional Microsoft outage, Long said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Between Dec. 10, 2025 and Aug. 10, 2026, Cubic logged 20 major incidents with the system, defined as an outage affecting things like card readers, or the Clipper website or app for more than an hour. The average length of the outages was approximately five hours. Of those 20 incidents, 19 were related to Cubic-managed systems, while one was related to a regional Microsoft outage, Long said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider uses a Clipper card machine at the Palo Alto Caltrain station on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096260\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider uses a Clipper card machine at the Palo Alto Caltrain station on July 29, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>None of those outages affected riders’ ability to take transit if their Clipper card already had value on it, or if they could pay with a bank card, Long said, but she added that the outages did have “customer-facing impacts.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Long said the MTC is still evaluating the total financial impact of Clipper 2.0 to transit operators. In June, the Clipper Executive Board tacked on \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/meetings/attachments/6584/3c_Clipper_Two_Year_Budget.pdf?cb=a83f1316\">another $11 million\u003c/a> to its fiscal year 2026-27 budget for costs related to Clipper 2.0 delays, including $3.4 million to keep the previous version of Clipper operational for up to nine more months and an additional $7.6 million for increased customer service center staffing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Long said the MTC is still evaluating the total financial impact of Clipper 2.0 to transit operators. In June, the Clipper Executive Board tacked on \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/meetings/attachments/6584/3c_Clipper_Two_Year_Budget.pdf?cb=a83f1316\">another $11 million\u003c/a> to its fiscal year 2026-27 budget for costs related to Clipper 2.0 delays, including $3.4 million to keep the previous version of Clipper operational for up to nine more months and an additional $7.6 million for increased customer service center staffing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This came shortly after Cubic blew through a self-imposed May 30 deadline to resolve all critical issues and begin upgrading accounts to Clipper 2.0 en masse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning from mistakes\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Adina Levin, the executive director of the Bay Area transit advocacy nonprofit Seamless Bay Area, the problems with Clipper 2.0’s delivery are representative of broader issues when government agencies are in charge of overseeing large-scale technology projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Adina Levin, the executive director of the Bay Area transit advocacy nonprofit Seamless Bay Area, the problems with Clipper 2.0’s delivery are representative of broader issues when government agencies are in charge of overseeing large-scale technology projects. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ What is needed is a learning process on what are the attributes of a well-managed technology project, and so what needs to be put in place to do things differently,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Levin said the MTC needs to be more involved in the technical planning of systems like Clipper 2.0 in order for them to be successful. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Levin said the MTC needs to be more involved in the technical planning of systems like Clipper 2.0 in order for them to be successful. \u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096280\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adina Levin sits at the Menlo Park Caltrain station on Aug. 7, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What is the network environment of this project, and is the system designed to work in this network? What is the testing plan to work in the network? The customer needs to be able to understand that in order to be able to manage it,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What is the network environment of this project, and is the system designed to work in this network? What is the testing plan to work in the network? The customer needs to be able to understand that in order to be able to manage it,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Levin suggested that for future projects, MTC could structure the contract with smaller components that could allow for more “competitive choices,” as Cubic being the single bidder meant there was no competition or alternatives to choose from. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Levin suggested that for future projects, MTC could structure the contract with smaller components that could allow for more “competitive choices,” as Cubic being the single bidder meant there was no competition or alternatives to choose from. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As contract manager, Fremier said the MTC’s job “is to make sure that Cubic produces the system that they bid on and that we specified in the contract.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But he said so much of the work is done behind the scenes by programmers and people with technical expertise that there wasn’t much more the MTC could do to improve delivery of the system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ That’s not what we have on staff. We aren’t programmers. That’s a place that most owners, including us, do not have that expertise,” Fremier said. “That’s why you hire a professional contractor to do that.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ That’s not what we have on staff. We aren’t programmers. That’s a place that most owners, including us, do not have that expertise,” Fremier said. “That’s why you hire a professional contractor to do that.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Fremier, one takeaway is that the complexity of the Bay Area’s fare payment system contributed to issues rolling out the system. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some agencies like Caltrain and BART charge riders based on how far they ride, while others like MUNI and AC Transit charge a flat fee. Long said agencies’ inspection devices and ticket vending machines all rely on different underlying software which must interact with Clipper 2.0. Even the discount offered to senior or youth riders varies between agencies, Long said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some agencies like Caltrain and BART charge riders based on how far they ride, while others like MUNI and AC Transit charge a flat fee. Long said agencies’ inspection devices and ticket vending machines all rely on different underlying software which must interact with Clipper 2.0. Even the discount offered to senior or youth riders varies between agencies, Long said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ We’ve all learned lessons about what we might be able to do better, including maybe down the road simplifying some of the connectivity challenges that we have with all the different systems,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“ We’ve all learned lessons about what we might be able to do better, including maybe down the road simplifying some of the connectivity challenges that we have with all the different systems,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fremier said he’s confident that over the course of the summer and into the fall, the MTC will be able to shut down the old version of Clipper and manage the entire system on Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Fremier said he’s confident that over the course of the summer and into the fall, the MTC will be able to shut down the old version of Clipper and manage the entire system on Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once that is done, it may be time to start on Clipper 3.0.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ These contracts take several years to procure and several years to build, which is multiple years in the making, which means we need to almost get started now on trying to figure out what that next generation might be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ These contracts take several years to procure and several years to build, which is multiple years in the making, which means we need to almost get started now on trying to figure out what that next generation might be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "An analysis of internal emails and other records by KQED found that problems with Clipper 2.0 persisted long before its bungled rollout late last year. ",
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"title": "Exclusive: Errors Plagued Clipper 2.0 Long Before Botched Launch, Records Reveal | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The day before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> transit agencies rolled out Clipper 2.0 — a long-anticipated upgrade to the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — a high-level staffer overseeing the project raised an important red flag. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Known as “next generation Clipper” and used by 22 Bay Area operators, the software promised to make riding transit easier with bank card tap-to-pay, rider discounts and other features. It had taken Cubic Transportation Systems, the contractor in charge of the update, seven years — nearly three more than initially promised — to deliver the new system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But on the eve of the launch, Jason Weinstein, director of Clipper at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which oversees Cubic’s contract, issued a formal letter, saying the MTC did not have confidence that the process for collecting fares and distributing them to the appropriate operator — a main function of the software — was happening appropriately. The problem, according to the MTC, was that it was not yet fully automated and relied too heavily on manual oversight in a system that handles hundreds of thousands of transactions daily.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Weinstein said the commission would “hold Cubic accountable” for meeting the requirements of its contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096267\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-19_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers board Caltrain at the 22nd Street Caltrain station on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident revealed a fissure that had been deepening over the past year. Internal communications reviewed by KQED between the MTC and Cubic staff show software bugs like these were present long before Weinstein’s warning and Clipper 2.0’s public debut. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Transit agency leaders and officials at the MTC had for months complained the company was struggling to resolve persistent errors with the software, while Cubic staffers said MTC hadn’t authorized the company to complete enough testing to ensure the system’s success. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the MTC, there was little time to spare. Executive Director Andrew Fremier said commissioners were eager to get the upgrades installed before the Super Bowl and World Cup, when hundreds of thousands of fans were expected to descend upon the Bay Area — and take transit to get to matches. With assurances from Cubic leadership that issues would be fixed quickly, Fremier said the commission determined the potential benefit of launching the systems’ new features outweighed the known risks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’re probably never going to have a perfect system,” Fremier told KQED. “ We didn’t want to be so risk-averse that we weren’t getting good products into people’s hands.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096162\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-05-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andrew Fremier, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, at the Bay Area Transit offices in San Francisco on Aug. 5, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, however, Weinstein’s warning proved prescient, and Clipper 2.0 began to unravel. Upon attempting to log in to their accounts, some customers were locked out by error messages; others were charged incorrect fares; ticket vending machines took some riders’ money without crediting their accounts; fare inspection devices failed; and hold times to speak to customer service staff soared up to 100 minutes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During one outage that began on May 18 and lasted approximately 27 hours, BART riders were unable to purchase or add value to their Clipper cards at the agency’s ticket vending machines and faced delays with transactions at BART fare gates, according to a staff memo. The culprit turned out to be Cubic’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085683/zero-credibility-major-clipper-outage-caused-by-cubics-failure-to-pay-att-bill\">failure to pay an AT&T bill\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The botched rollout comes at a particularly inopportune time for the agencies that rely on the platform to collect fares. The largest among them — BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit — are all facing existential budget crises and are seeking relief from voters through \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">two\u003c/a> separate tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">measures\u003c/a> in order to avoid drastic service cuts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The reputational damage that we are facing on an item that should have been a win at a time when we really need a win is just unacceptable,” Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), said at a June meeting of the Clipper Executive Board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096265\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-06-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider refills their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic Transportation Systems, a division of the San Diego-based global technology company Cubic Corporation, declined to answer specific questions about Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Cubic spokesperson Cory Shields described Clipper 2.0 as “one of the most complex fare payment systems in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Integrating the distinct fare structures and operating needs of each agency creates unique challenges that require close coordination among Cubic, MTC and the region’s operators,” Shields told KQED. “Our commitment to our partners and Bay Area riders is unwavering, and we will continue to build upon this progress to deliver the reliable system riders deserve.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The MTC initially estimated that upgrading the system’s roughly 15 million cards to Clipper 2.0 would take two to three months, but as of July 16, only about 15% of those cards have been converted to the new system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"12096269\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096269\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_courtesy1-1-Edit-1-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message is displayed on a Clipper vending machine. The photo was obtained via a California Public Records Act request seeking information about the rollout of Clipper 2.0. (Courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"12096252\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Investigation_DahlstromEckman_vending-machine-error_veritcle-.00_00_21_01.Still001-Edit-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message on a Clipper vending machine at the 16th Street BART Station on March 11, 2026. (Erin Baldassari/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The glitches, delays and service outages have increased the program’s cost by millions, and estimates by multiple transit agencies indicate more than $100,000 in lost fare revenue combined, although the MTC said it is still calculating the total revenue lost. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, the leaders of those agencies urged the commission to pursue “all contractual remedies” against Cubic to recover lost fares. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said his first focus is ensuring Clipper 2.0 actually works. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’ve asked Cubic to focus on most directly is getting the system stable to the point where we can shut down the old Clipper system and be functioning in the brand-new Clipper 2 environment,” he told KQED, “and then try to pick up the pieces about who might be responsible for what.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said he expects those conversations to play out “over the next few months.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Years in the making \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Next generation Clipper, or Clipper 2.0, is the first update to Clipper since it launched in 2010. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hope, Fremier said, was to offer a better product to riders that would in turn incentivize more people to take transit. Across the Bay Area’s nine counties, \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/commute-mode-choice\">more than two-thirds of commuters\u003c/a> drove to work alone in 2024, according to the MTC. Just 8% took transit on a typical workday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the original Clipper infrastructure wouldn’t support the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065714/clipper-card-\">suite of new features\u003c/a> that the MTC envisioned, including family accounts, reduced or free transfers and improvements to how users add funds. The update moved Clipper from a “card-based” system to an “account-based” system, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096159\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustration-2_7-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp> “The card used to do all the work, and it could only hold a certain amount of information, and that limited our ability to offer different fare products,” Fremier said. “By moving into newer technology, it offered us a lot more flexibility.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2018, MTC awarded Cubic a 10-year, $393 million contract, not including contingency funds, to develop and operate Clipper 2.0 for 10 years. That contract has since increased to $436 million to accommodate additional equipment and features. The company has held the previous contract for the original version of Clipper since 2009. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic has developed and upgraded fare payment systems in other major cities, including New York City’s \u003ca href=\"https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/20/mtas-demotes-omny-contractor-cubic-in-hopes-of-speeding-up-commuter-rail-fare-integration\">OMNY\u003c/a>, Chicago’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.courthousenews.com/to-really-foul-things-up-chicagoprivatizes-transit-payment-system/\">Ventra\u003c/a>, and Boston’s \u003ca href=\"https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/05/23/mbta-proposes-more-tweaks-to-long-delayed-fare-transformation-initiative\">MBTA\u003c/a> — projects that also faced many of the same \u003ca href=\"https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-announces-steps-to-address-ventra-issues/\">issues\u003c/a> and delays that plague Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Cubic was the sole bidder for the MTC’s contract, which officials acknowledge is uniquely complex. The system is used by nearly two dozen transit operators across nine counties with a variety of accepted payment methods, internal hardware, software programs and fare structures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096308\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CubicCorpGetty-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cubic Corporation logo at the Satellite 2024 conference and exhibition in Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, a spokesperson for MTC, said that while the commission did “everything it could do from a legal and business perspective” to attract multiple bids, its priority was minimizing disruptions for customers, which meant it had to keep Clipper 1.0 running through the transition. She said, however, that decision “added complexity” to the contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That would be hard for anyone but Cubic,” Long said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cubic also has very few competitors in the industry that are able to supply a full suite of services, according to Fremier. Still, he said commissioners thought Cubic’s previous experience running Clipper would be a “helpful benefit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Cubic responds\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In public meetings, Cubic representatives have apologized for the rocky rollout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s completely unacceptable, and I’m deeply sorry for the experiences that you are having,” Peter Montgomery-Torrellas, the former president of Cubic Transportation Systems, told the Clipper Executive Board at a Jan. 26 meeting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Montgomery-Torrellas left the company in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096264\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-20-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the North Berkeley BART station on July 28, 2026, in Berkeley. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In private communications, however, company representatives blamed some of Clipper 2.0’s issues on the MTC for not authorizing sufficient field testing prior to the launch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nine months before the rollout of Clipper 2.0, Cubic requested MTC increase the number of participants testing the new system from approximately 60 to at least 1,000. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To solidify the potential launch date for the C2 program, it is crucial to maximize the use of the production system,” Dennis Dewan, contracts manager at Cubic, wrote in an email to Weinstein on March 14, 2025. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dewan said since the start of that year, fewer than 1,000 rides had been processed across only nine agencies, involving fewer than 100 unique accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Comprehensive validation of the system necessitates many more taps across a larger range of use cases,” Dewan wrote, referring to when riders “tap” their Clipper card on a card reader. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-5_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider scans their phone on a Clipper machine at the 22nd Street Caltrain station in San Francisco on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But despite Cubic’s assertions that the system was ready for significantly larger pilot activity, the MTC declined to expand the number of testers, demanding Cubic resolve a known list of problems first.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“MTC does not plan to open the current field testing or to start [the] pilot with the public until an agreeable list of items is complete,” Weinstein told Dewan less than a week later. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those items included successfully demonstrating that customer data — such as account credentials, payment methods and travel history — could be migrated from the old system to the new one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In mid-April, 2025, testing by Cubic still showed “significant failure rates,” with only 49% of tests passing and more than 500 open software bugs, according to a formal letter to Cubic signed by Fremier. The back-and-forth about whether to expand the pilot continued through the spring and summer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By October, the first time a possible launch date was discussed, field testing was 30% complete, and Google Wallet — a digital wallet where people could store their Clipper card on their smartphone — remained blocked, Fremier wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260208-superbowlsunday00274_TV_qed-Edit-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Super Bowl attendees exit a VTA light rail train at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether field testing was ever fully completed, Long told KQED, “Field testing was conducted on all components that could be validated in real-world conditions,” including Clipper device functionality, system reporting and website performance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even a week before launch, Diana Hammons, senior manager of revenue growth and reporting at the SFMTA, which runs Muni, expressed dissatisfaction with Cubic’s handling of known errors, asking the company to collate them into a master list. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This e-mail chain is not an ideal way for us to be tracking the progress on these issues and for me to be able to effectively update our General Manager,” she wrote on Dec. 3. “We are seven days away from the scheduled launch date.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite known issues, Cubic officials assured MTC it could meet a Dec. 10 launch date for Clipper 2.0, Fremier said, with the MTC agreeing to continue testing in “a more live environment” — a decision he later defended.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I do think the decision and the reason why we made it was the right one at the time,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1975\" height=\"1317\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096206\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL.jpg 1975w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260803-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-04-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1975px) 100vw, 1975px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dave Mangot stands at the 24th Street BART station in San Francisco on Aug. 3, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Dave Mangot, the founder and CEO of the software delivery consultancy Mangoteque, who reviewed Cubic’s outage reports obtained by KQED, said the MTC should not have relied on “assurances” from Cubic that the company would be able to fix the problems in a timely manner. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Assurances are nonsense in software. Either the tests pass, or they don’t. That’s it,” Mangot said. “ Show me that this thing works like it’s supposed to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doing a comprehensive pilot with well-planned, well-defined and well-managed outcomes, including full systems load testing, would have been very important for a rollout of this magnitude, according to Shyam Dunna, the principal at nMomentum Corporation, a technology consulting and IT services firm that specializes in fare collection systems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It appears that this was not done thoroughly enough based on the reports of system issues,” Dunna said, acknowledging that it can be difficult to comment without a forensic inspection of what caused them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Whac-A-Mole\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Clipper 2.0 launched on Dec. 10, 2025, with an eager crowd of transit agency heads and local leaders crowding a podium at the Embarcadero BART/Muni station to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As a city, we are moving in the right direction, and our economy is coming back,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “But that progress relies on a stable transit system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That night, Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget at MTC, told transit agency staff in an email that bankcard tap-to-pay acceptance “went smoothly overall,” but Cubic was investigating several issues, including customers “unable to manage their accounts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-12-MC_qed-copy-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART fare gate displays an “Out of Service” message at North Berkeley Station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In the days that followed, internal emails and reports from MTC, transit agency staff and Cubic describe a software rollout similar to a game of Whac-A-Mole, in which issues would worsen and multiply while solutions remained elusive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>By January, MTC staff expressed doubts the company would be able to meet its initial schedule for upgrading original Clipper accounts to Clipper 2.0. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They did not design a system and migration process that can handle 600 passes and the significant number of rules and devices that we have in use,” Kelley Jackson, assistant director of Clipper Operations and Customer Experience at MTC, wrote in an email.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In several instances when problems did occur, Cubic’s initial response was to perform rolling restarts of servers, which Mangot described as a “turn everything off and on again” approach. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/072826-ClipperInvestigation-14-MC_qed-Edit-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rider scans their Clipper card at the 19th Street Oakland BART station on July 28, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Which is great if my mom has a problem with her Mac and she needs help, but this isn’t that,” Mangot said. “This is a payment system that’s running 22 different transit agencies. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again’ isn’t the answer.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response to a two-hour outage on March 25, when Clipper ticket vending machines were unable to process credit or debit card payments, a Cubic staffer wrote that the company should “estimate the cost of building and maintaining a proper load test environment,” as an action item in response to the outage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mangot said that response “seemed backwards.” Load testing, the process of testing a system under its expected peak capacity, typically happens before a new system launches. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ So many of these issues that they are running into with [servers] being overutilized, that’s why we do load testing,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Cheated’ and ‘embarrassed’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following the December launch, the Clipper Customer Service center became overwhelmed with around \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071026/a-hot-mess-transit-riders-officials-skewer-contractor-over-flawed-clipper-2-0-rollout\">47,000 calls\u003c/a> to agents in roughly its first month of operation, nearly four times the amount it was originally contracted to handle. At the same time, Clipper’s customer service staff reported delays accessing customer accounts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART riders like Omar Sultan found themselves locked out of their accounts for weeks, unable to access the money they had set aside for riding transit. Sultan told the BART Board of Directors in a January email that he missed the reimbursement deadline for transit through his employer because he was unable to access his account for so long.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Riders are being charged for BART trips without the ability to audit those charges — a situation that would not be acceptable in any other payment system. I contacted Clipper customer service regarding this issue and received no response or guidance,” Sultan wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096160\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Clipper-Card-Illustratoin-3_5-1536x992.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In the days following the launch of Clipper 2.0 — the region’s electronic train, bus and ferry tickets — the system began to unravel, with some customers locked out by error messages, others charged incorrect fares and ticket vending machines taking some riders’ money without crediting their accounts. (Darren Tu/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>AC Transit General Manager Salvador Llamas said the ongoing issues made it difficult to recruit passengers who qualify for Clipper START, a discount program for low-income riders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s getting difficult to encourage people to get on Clipper START or other programs when the [ticket vending machines] don’t even work,” Llamas said at a July Clipper executive board meeting. “It’s hard for us to encourage people to trust the system.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One longtime BART station agent who spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press said the problems with Clipper 2.0 made it harder to come to work, calling it “the worst systemwide morale killer amongst agents since I started working here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agent described months of problems with BART ticket vending machines where the machines would take riders’ money but not issue a Clipper card, and station agents “didn’t have an acceptable way to resolve the problem.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-bluesky-social wp-block-embed-bluesky-social\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dv5kwqbcc24iv2xrvlc5s33o/post/3mnsatydsds27\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I care about our riders’ experience and can’t help but feel personally embarrassed, and organizationally incompetent, when our ‘product’ falls so far short of any reasonable expectations,” the station agent said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The station agent said eventually they turned the vending machine’s ticket dispensing capability off “so passengers wouldn’t get cheated out of their money.” Those problems persisted for months until an update by Cubic on Aug. 3 solved the problem, the station agent said, but “These software issues never should have taken this long to be fixed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While problems persisted, transit agencies lost money. Caltrain estimated in a March 5 email to MTC staff that from Clipper 2.0’s launch through Jan. 31, it lost $70,000 because fare inspection devices had failed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On March 18, the MTC’s Davol told transit agency staff in an email that Cubic had identified around 125,000 card taps — when a rider pays for their trip using a Clipper card — that had not been priced, meaning the fares had not been deducted from customer accounts or settled with operators. Five days later, he said Cubic had suspended processing those taps because customers were being charged for trips that pre-existing passes should have otherwise covered, and that Cubic was reporting new instances of unpriced taps. By March, BART projected $33,000 in lost revenue because station agents had to give out free rides.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr />\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/iZooa/2/\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other errors included failing to update fare tables on New Year’s Day and charging some customers a local fare for express routes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In this fiscal environment, Caltrain cannot afford to continue to [go] down this path,” Bruce Thompson, manager of fare program operations at Caltrain, wrote in one email to MTC staff, citing the agency’s forecasted $75 million annual budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/caltrain-budget-deficit\">deficit\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Super Bowl and World Cup did indeed bring \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">record-setting\u003c/a> ridership to \u003ca href=\"https://www.caltrain.com/news/ridership-records-broken-fifa-world-cup-stadium-opener\">Caltrain\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260615-0\">BART\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091975/vtas-record-breaking-world-cup-ridership-nets-just-around-1-per-trip\">Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority\u003c/a>. But the ongoing issues with Clipper 2.0 forced the agencies to delay introducing new promotions and led some to promote other fare payment platforms, such as the Token Transit app, instead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “There’s no question that it hasn’t been a good rollout, and it hasn’t served our customers well,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard told KQED in June. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Between Dec. 10, 2025 and Aug. 10, 2026, Cubic logged 20 major incidents with the system, defined as an outage affecting things like card readers, or the Clipper website or app for more than an hour. The average length of the outages was approximately five hours. Of those 20 incidents, 19 were related to Cubic-managed systems, while one was related to a regional Microsoft outage, Long said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096260\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260729-ClipperInvestigation-NG-38_qed-Edit-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Caltrain rider uses a Clipper card machine at the Palo Alto Caltrain station on July 29, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>None of those outages affected riders’ ability to take transit if their Clipper card already had value on it, or if they could pay with a bank card, Long said, but she added that the outages did have “customer-facing impacts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last major outage was on June 10. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Long said the MTC is still evaluating the total financial impact of Clipper 2.0 to transit operators. In June, the Clipper Executive Board tacked on \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/meetings/attachments/6584/3c_Clipper_Two_Year_Budget.pdf?cb=a83f1316\">another $11 million\u003c/a> to its fiscal year 2026-27 budget for costs related to Clipper 2.0 delays, including $3.4 million to keep the previous version of Clipper operational for up to nine more months and an additional $7.6 million for increased customer service center staffing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This came shortly after Cubic blew through a self-imposed May 30 deadline to resolve all critical issues and begin upgrading accounts to Clipper 2.0 en masse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning from mistakes\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Adina Levin, the executive director of the Bay Area transit advocacy nonprofit Seamless Bay Area, the problems with Clipper 2.0’s delivery are representative of broader issues when government agencies are in charge of overseeing large-scale technology projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ What is needed is a learning process on what are the attributes of a well-managed technology project, and so what needs to be put in place to do things differently,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Levin said the MTC needs to be more involved in the technical planning of systems like Clipper 2.0 in order for them to be successful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260807-ClipperInvestigationPortraits-01-BL-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adina Levin sits at the Menlo Park Caltrain station on Aug. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is the network environment of this project, and is the system designed to work in this network? What is the testing plan to work in the network? The customer needs to be able to understand that in order to be able to manage it,” Levin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Levin suggested that for future projects, MTC could structure the contract with smaller components that could allow for more “competitive choices,” as Cubic being the single bidder meant there was no competition or alternatives to choose from. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As contract manager, Fremier said the MTC’s job “is to make sure that Cubic produces the system that they bid on and that we specified in the contract.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But he said so much of the work is done behind the scenes by programmers and people with technical expertise that there wasn’t much more the MTC could do to improve delivery of the system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ That’s not what we have on staff. We aren’t programmers. That’s a place that most owners, including us, do not have that expertise,” Fremier said. “That’s why you hire a professional contractor to do that.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Fremier, one takeaway is that the complexity of the Bay Area’s fare payment system contributed to issues rolling out the system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some agencies like Caltrain and BART charge riders based on how far they ride, while others like MUNI and AC Transit charge a flat fee. Long said agencies’ inspection devices and ticket vending machines all rely on different underlying software which must interact with Clipper 2.0. Even the discount offered to senior or youth riders varies between agencies, Long said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We’ve all learned lessons about what we might be able to do better, including maybe down the road simplifying some of the connectivity challenges that we have with all the different systems,” Fremier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fremier said he’s confident that over the course of the summer and into the fall, the MTC will be able to shut down the old version of Clipper and manage the entire system on Clipper 2.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once that is done, it may be time to start on Clipper 3.0.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ These contracts take several years to procure and several years to build, which is multiple years in the making, which means we need to almost get started now on trying to figure out what that next generation might be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-group-files-lawsuit-against-transit-funding-measure-says-its-deceptive",
"title": "Bay Area Group Files Lawsuit Against Transit Funding Measure, Says It’s ‘Deceptive’",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Group Files Lawsuit Against Transit Funding Measure, Says It’s ‘Deceptive’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ten Bay Area voters called on a judge Monday to change the ballot language of a proposed regional sales tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">measure\u003c/a> that transit advocates say is critical to avoid deep service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12051374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART car approaches the platform at Daly City Station in Daly City, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait to board the 29 Sunset bus near Lake Merced Boulevard and Middlefield Drive on May 11, 2026, in San Francisco. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Demanding a court injunction, opponents of the proposed November ballot initiative say it is biased and undercounts what the tax will generate. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ten Bay Area voters called on a judge Monday to change the ballot language of a proposed regional sales tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">measure\u003c/a> that transit advocates say is critical to avoid deep service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12051374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART car approaches the platform at Daly City Station in Daly City, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait to board the 29 Sunset bus near Lake Merced Boulevard and Middlefield Drive on May 11, 2026, in San Francisco. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bart-launches-a-new-schedule-monday-heres-whats-different-and-why",
"title": "BART Launches a New Schedule Monday. Here’s What’s Different and Why",
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"headTitle": "BART Launches a New Schedule Monday. Here’s What’s Different and Why | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you know your \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART train’s\u003c/a> arrival time down to the minute, check it again. On Monday, almost all of them are moving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART rolls out a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">systemwide schedule\u003c/a> Aug. 10, shifting most departures by a few minutes — and, the agency said, cutting wait times and easing crowding across the network. Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said riders should look up their trip in advance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Make sure you know if your train has been moved by a minute or two, because you’re going to be frustrated,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency said nearly all of the timetable changes trace back to Daly City Station. It sits next to a BART yard, and trains heading out of service have to cross a tangle of track switches to reach it, holding up trains still carrying riders. Trost said BART made changes so that no longer happens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station is deserted on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">Starting Monday\u003c/a>, Daly City becomes a center platform station like Embarcadero or Montgomery. All San Francisco-bound trains leave from one platform. Platform 3 becomes exit-only, where Blue and Green Line trains unload before heading to the yard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Center platforms are the easiest to use, Trost said, because riders don’t have to figure out whether they’re on the right side.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re on a Blue or Green line train headed to San Francisco International Airport, BART advises switching to a Red or Yellow line train at Balboa Park, where the transfer happens on the same platform. Transferring at Daly City now means changing platforms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s what changes Monday:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Richmond-bound from San Francisco: Yellow and Red line trains spaced an even 10 minutes apart, instead of 5 and 15 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Dublin- and Berryessa-bound: Gaps for the Green and Blue lines narrow from three and 17 minutes to eight and 12 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Bay Fair: Dublin riders headed to San José transfer across the platform to a waiting train, down from a 19-minute wait\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>MacArthur: Antioch riders headed toward Berkeley, El Cerrito or Richmond get a 4-minute connection, saving 17 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Pittsburg: Better-timed connections to and from the BART-to-Antioch shuttle\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>SFO: Red and Yellow line trains no longer sit at the platform together, easing confusion over which leaves first\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Millbrae: Some Caltrain connections shift, and BART has posted a new transfer timetable\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Richmond-bound riders, the 10-minute spacing means taking the direct Red line or catching a Yellow line train and transferring at 19th Street. Trost said the MacArthur transfer is built with enough room to walk down the stairs and back up without running, and tied the new Bay Fair connection to growing demand from the Tri-Valley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART is framing all of this as improvement without new spending. The agency is heading toward a fiscal cliff, as emergency funding that carried it through the pandemic runs out this fiscal year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fares that once covered roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis\">70% \u003c/a>of BART’s operating budget now cover a fraction of that, though BART has seen some \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">recent ridership recovery\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A regional sales tax measure to fund BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">qualified for the November ballot\u003c/a> in May. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That is why, in order to do better, we have to find a way to save money somewhere else or to just do things more efficiently with what we have,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The schedule absorbs the 10-car trains BART added July 20 during peak hours, with shorter, six- and eight-car trains off-peak to keep costs flat. It also accommodates late-night construction between Daly City and Millbrae, where crews are replacing the train-control system. Expect delays through that stretch after 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you know your \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART train’s\u003c/a> arrival time down to the minute, check it again. On Monday, almost all of them are moving.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you know your \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART train’s\u003c/a> arrival time down to the minute, check it again. On Monday, almost all of them are moving.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART rolls out a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">systemwide schedule\u003c/a> Aug. 10, shifting most departures by a few minutes — and, the agency said, cutting wait times and easing crowding across the network. Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said riders should look up their trip in advance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>BART rolls out a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">systemwide schedule\u003c/a> Aug. 10, shifting most departures by a few minutes — and, the agency said, cutting wait times and easing crowding across the network. Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said riders should look up their trip in advance.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Make sure you know if your train has been moved by a minute or two, because you’re going to be frustrated,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Make sure you know if your train has been moved by a minute or two, because you’re going to be frustrated,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The agency said nearly all of the timetable changes trace back to Daly City Station. It sits next to a BART yard, and trains heading out of service have to cross a tangle of track switches to reach it, holding up trains still carrying riders. Trost said BART made changes so that no longer happens.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The agency said nearly all of the timetable changes trace back to Daly City Station. It sits next to a BART yard, and trains heading out of service have to cross a tangle of track switches to reach it, holding up trains still carrying riders. Trost said BART made changes so that no longer happens.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station is deserted on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">Starting Monday\u003c/a>, Daly City becomes a center platform station like Embarcadero or Montgomery. All San Francisco-bound trains leave from one platform. Platform 3 becomes exit-only, where Blue and Green Line trains unload before heading to the yard. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">Starting Monday\u003c/a>, Daly City becomes a center platform station like Embarcadero or Montgomery. All San Francisco-bound trains leave from one platform. Platform 3 becomes exit-only, where Blue and Green Line trains unload before heading to the yard. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Center platforms are the easiest to use, Trost said, because riders don’t have to figure out whether they’re on the right side.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Center platforms are the easiest to use, Trost said, because riders don’t have to figure out whether they’re on the right side.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re on a Blue or Green line train headed to San Francisco International Airport, BART advises switching to a Red or Yellow line train at Balboa Park, where the transfer happens on the same platform. Transferring at Daly City now means changing platforms.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you’re on a Blue or Green line train headed to San Francisco International Airport, BART advises switching to a Red or Yellow line train at Balboa Park, where the transfer happens on the same platform. Transferring at Daly City now means changing platforms.\u003c/p>\n"
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"Richmond-bound from San Francisco: Yellow and Red line trains spaced an even 10 minutes apart, instead of 5 and 15 minutes",
"Dublin- and Berryessa-bound: Gaps for the Green and Blue lines narrow from three and 17 minutes to eight and 12 minutes",
"Bay Fair: Dublin riders headed to San José transfer across the platform to a waiting train, down from a 19-minute wait",
"MacArthur: Antioch riders headed toward Berkeley, El Cerrito or Richmond get a 4-minute connection, saving 17 minutes",
"Pittsburg: Better-timed connections to and from the BART-to-Antioch shuttle",
"SFO: Red and Yellow line trains no longer sit at the platform together, easing confusion over which leaves first",
"Millbrae: Some Caltrain connections shift, and BART has posted a new transfer timetable"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Richmond-bound from San Francisco: Yellow and Red line trains spaced an even 10 minutes apart, instead of 5 and 15 minutes\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Richmond-bound from San Francisco: Yellow and Red line trains spaced an even 10 minutes apart, instead of 5 and 15 minutes\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Dublin- and Berryessa-bound: Gaps for the Green and Blue lines narrow from three and 17 minutes to eight and 12 minutes\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Dublin- and Berryessa-bound: Gaps for the Green and Blue lines narrow from three and 17 minutes to eight and 12 minutes\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Bay Fair: Dublin riders headed to San José transfer across the platform to a waiting train, down from a 19-minute wait\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>Bay Fair: Dublin riders headed to San José transfer across the platform to a waiting train, down from a 19-minute wait\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>MacArthur: Antioch riders headed toward Berkeley, El Cerrito or Richmond get a 4-minute connection, saving 17 minutes\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>MacArthur: Antioch riders headed toward Berkeley, El Cerrito or Richmond get a 4-minute connection, saving 17 minutes\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Pittsburg: Better-timed connections to and from the BART-to-Antioch shuttle\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>SFO: Red and Yellow line trains no longer sit at the platform together, easing confusion over which leaves first\u003c/li>\n",
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"\n\u003cli>SFO: Red and Yellow line trains no longer sit at the platform together, easing confusion over which leaves first\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Richmond-bound riders, the 10-minute spacing means taking the direct Red line or catching a Yellow line train and transferring at 19th Street. Trost said the MacArthur transfer is built with enough room to walk down the stairs and back up without running, and tied the new Bay Fair connection to growing demand from the Tri-Valley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART is framing all of this as improvement without new spending. The agency is heading toward a fiscal cliff, as emergency funding that carried it through the pandemic runs out this fiscal year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fares that once covered roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis\">70% \u003c/a>of BART’s operating budget now cover a fraction of that, though BART has seen some \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">recent ridership recovery\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A regional sales tax measure to fund BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">qualified for the November ballot\u003c/a> in May. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That is why, in order to do better, we have to find a way to save money somewhere else or to just do things more efficiently with what we have,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The schedule absorbs the 10-car trains BART added July 20 during peak hours, with shorter, six- and eight-car trains off-peak to keep costs flat. It also accommodates late-night construction between Daly City and Millbrae, where crews are replacing the train-control system. Expect delays through that stretch after 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A single change at Daly City Station ripples across the system, shifting departure times and cutting some transfer waits as much as 17 minutes.",
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"title": "BART Launches a New Schedule Monday. Here’s What’s Different and Why | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you know your \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART train’s\u003c/a> arrival time down to the minute, check it again. On Monday, almost all of them are moving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART rolls out a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">systemwide schedule\u003c/a> Aug. 10, shifting most departures by a few minutes — and, the agency said, cutting wait times and easing crowding across the network. Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said riders should look up their trip in advance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Make sure you know if your train has been moved by a minute or two, because you’re going to be frustrated,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agency said nearly all of the timetable changes trace back to Daly City Station. It sits next to a BART yard, and trains heading out of service have to cross a tangle of track switches to reach it, holding up trains still carrying riders. Trost said BART made changes so that no longer happens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094457\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/DalyCityStationGetty-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The platform at the Daly City Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station is deserted on April 8, 2020, in Daly City, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs\">Starting Monday\u003c/a>, Daly City becomes a center platform station like Embarcadero or Montgomery. All San Francisco-bound trains leave from one platform. Platform 3 becomes exit-only, where Blue and Green Line trains unload before heading to the yard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Center platforms are the easiest to use, Trost said, because riders don’t have to figure out whether they’re on the right side.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re on a Blue or Green line train headed to San Francisco International Airport, BART advises switching to a Red or Yellow line train at Balboa Park, where the transfer happens on the same platform. Transferring at Daly City now means changing platforms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s what changes Monday:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Richmond-bound from San Francisco: Yellow and Red line trains spaced an even 10 minutes apart, instead of 5 and 15 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Dublin- and Berryessa-bound: Gaps for the Green and Blue lines narrow from three and 17 minutes to eight and 12 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Bay Fair: Dublin riders headed to San José transfer across the platform to a waiting train, down from a 19-minute wait\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>MacArthur: Antioch riders headed toward Berkeley, El Cerrito or Richmond get a 4-minute connection, saving 17 minutes\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Pittsburg: Better-timed connections to and from the BART-to-Antioch shuttle\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>SFO: Red and Yellow line trains no longer sit at the platform together, easing confusion over which leaves first\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Millbrae: Some Caltrain connections shift, and BART has posted a new transfer timetable\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Richmond-bound riders, the 10-minute spacing means taking the direct Red line or catching a Yellow line train and transferring at 19th Street. Trost said the MacArthur transfer is built with enough room to walk down the stairs and back up without running, and tied the new Bay Fair connection to growing demand from the Tri-Valley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>BART is framing all of this as improvement without new spending. The agency is heading toward a fiscal cliff, as emergency funding that carried it through the pandemic runs out this fiscal year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fares that once covered roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis\">70% \u003c/a>of BART’s operating budget now cover a fraction of that, though BART has seen some \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\">recent ridership recovery\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A regional sales tax measure to fund BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">qualified for the November ballot\u003c/a> in May. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That is why, in order to do better, we have to find a way to save money somewhere else or to just do things more efficiently with what we have,” Trost said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The schedule absorbs the 10-car trains BART added July 20 during peak hours, with shorter, six- and eight-car trains off-peak to keep costs flat. It also accommodates late-night construction between Daly City and Millbrae, where crews are replacing the train-control system. Expect delays through that stretch after 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Opposition Group Says Bay Area Transit Doesn't Deserve More Money This November",
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"headTitle": "Opposition Group Says Bay Area Transit Doesn’t Deserve More Money This November | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Transit leaders have warned voters in five \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> counties for months that if they fail to pass a regional sales tax measure on November’s ballot, BART, Muni and other agencies will have to dramatically cut service, spiking the cost of living and commute times for many in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://transitaccountability.com/index.html\">campaign\u003c/a> launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association on Wednesday wants voters to reject that proposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ There are a lot of other alternatives that should be looked at first, rather than just continually coming back and asking the voters to approve more taxes,” said Tom Rubin, a member of the governing board for the campaign called the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The opposition committee pointed to the over $6 billion in taxes, tolls and government grants that they said major Bay Area transit agencies received in fiscal year 2024-25 and said the agencies should instead reallocate existing funding rather than asking taxpayers for more. By pausing funding for major capital projects, including BART Silicon Valley Phase II, California High Speed Rail and Caltrain’s downtown San Francisco expansion, the committee said transit agencies could fully fund operations in the near term and put a slimmed-down tax proposal to fund transit in front of voters in the 2028 election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Let’s stop spending huge amounts of money on planning and constructing very stupid mega projects without a purpose and use that money for other purposes, such as operating what we have now,” Rubin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1989px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1989\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg 1989w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1020x684.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1920x1287.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1989px) 100vw, 1989px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters stand on the platform as a train pulls into the Powell Street station in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Proponents of the sales tax measure, known as the Connect Bay Area Act, have pushed back and questioned the feasibility of the committee’s plan. Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the campaign, said the committee’s arguments were “not grounded in reality.” Most of the money for those capital projects is from either federal or state sources that “simply can’t be used for operating costs,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s nice to pretend transit funding works like that, but it doesn’t,” Cretan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethan Elkind, the director of the climate program at UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, who is not involved in the campaign, called the committee’s proposal “incredibly misleading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ In some cases, there are matching funds provided from the state and local level for these federal dollars, but it’s not clear where the matching funds are coming from, and in many cases, those have restrictions as well,” Elkind said.[aside postID=news_12084841 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260123-signaturekickoff00181_TV_qed.jpg']If approved by voters, the Connect Bay Area Act would generate around $1 billion annually for 14 years to support BART, AC Transit, Muni and Caltrain, along with other agencies. It would impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those agencies are facing critical budget deficits due to pandemic-related drops in revenue and ridership, and all have warned of immense cuts to service unless the Connect Bay Area Act passes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a false alarm. If we do not hit a sustainable funding source by this election, stations will close, lines will shut down, and the Bay Area will become less affordable for workers, families, and seniors,” Cretan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rubin and supporters of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit also said the agencies should look inward to their own expenses, and suggested they could save money by reducing overtime pay, evaluating contracts with labor unions and automating BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee’s website lists the highest-paid transit employees in 2024, namely, a BART Senior Police Officer who took home more than $661,000 in total pay and benefits, including over $272,500 in overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ These are just people who know how to use the system and get an incredible amount of overtime and other special pay,” Rubin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613-1536x984.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Oakland Airport Connector train pulls into the Coliseum BART station in Oakland, California, on Friday, March 18, 2016. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While there are real negative examples of what some might consider to be excessively paid employees at transit agencies, Elkind said, “We’re talking about pennies compared to the scale of the need here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s budget deficit for fiscal year 2027 is $376 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ You’re not going to fully fund BART by making sure a police officer is docked a few hundred thousand dollars in pay,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rubin said the committee is currently self-funded by its own members. He acknowledged that they are heavily outspent by the Connect Bay Area campaign, whose top funders include the company Salesforce and tech CEO Chris Larsen. The Connect Bay Area campaign is also endorsed by a broad coalition of local labor unions, business groups and elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Transit leaders have warned voters in five \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> counties for months that if they fail to pass a regional sales tax measure on November’s ballot, BART, Muni and other agencies will have to dramatically cut service, spiking the cost of living and commute times for many in the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://transitaccountability.com/index.html\">campaign\u003c/a> launched by the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association on Wednesday wants voters to reject that proposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ There are a lot of other alternatives that should be looked at first, rather than just continually coming back and asking the voters to approve more taxes,” said Tom Rubin, a member of the governing board for the campaign called the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The opposition committee pointed to the over $6 billion in taxes, tolls and government grants that they said major Bay Area transit agencies received in fiscal year 2024-25 and said the agencies should instead reallocate existing funding rather than asking taxpayers for more. By pausing funding for major capital projects, including BART Silicon Valley Phase II, California High Speed Rail and Caltrain’s downtown San Francisco expansion, the committee said transit agencies could fully fund operations in the near term and put a slimmed-down tax proposal to fund transit in front of voters in the 2028 election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Let’s stop spending huge amounts of money on planning and constructing very stupid mega projects without a purpose and use that money for other purposes, such as operating what we have now,” Rubin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034008\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1989px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034008\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1989\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg 1989w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1020x684.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1920x1287.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1989px) 100vw, 1989px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters stand on the platform as a train pulls into the Powell Street station in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Proponents of the sales tax measure, known as the Connect Bay Area Act, have pushed back and questioned the feasibility of the committee’s plan. Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the campaign, said the committee’s arguments were “not grounded in reality.” Most of the money for those capital projects is from either federal or state sources that “simply can’t be used for operating costs,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s nice to pretend transit funding works like that, but it doesn’t,” Cretan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethan Elkind, the director of the climate program at UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, who is not involved in the campaign, called the committee’s proposal “incredibly misleading.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ In some cases, there are matching funds provided from the state and local level for these federal dollars, but it’s not clear where the matching funds are coming from, and in many cases, those have restrictions as well,” Elkind said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If approved by voters, the Connect Bay Area Act would generate around $1 billion annually for 14 years to support BART, AC Transit, Muni and Caltrain, along with other agencies. It would impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those agencies are facing critical budget deficits due to pandemic-related drops in revenue and ridership, and all have warned of immense cuts to service unless the Connect Bay Area Act passes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not a false alarm. If we do not hit a sustainable funding source by this election, stations will close, lines will shut down, and the Bay Area will become less affordable for workers, families, and seniors,” Cretan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Rubin and supporters of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit also said the agencies should look inward to their own expenses, and suggested they could save money by reducing overtime pay, evaluating contracts with labor unions and automating BART.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee’s website lists the highest-paid transit employees in 2024, namely, a BART Senior Police Officer who took home more than $661,000 in total pay and benefits, including over $272,500 in overtime pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ These are just people who know how to use the system and get an incredible amount of overtime and other special pay,” Rubin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087115\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613-1536x984.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Oakland Airport Connector train pulls into the Coliseum BART station in Oakland, California, on Friday, March 18, 2016. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While there are real negative examples of what some might consider to be excessively paid employees at transit agencies, Elkind said, “We’re talking about pennies compared to the scale of the need here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s budget deficit for fiscal year 2027 is $376 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ You’re not going to fully fund BART by making sure a police officer is docked a few hundred thousand dollars in pay,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rubin said the committee is currently self-funded by its own members. He acknowledged that they are heavily outspent by the Connect Bay Area campaign, whose top funders include the company Salesforce and tech CEO Chris Larsen. The Connect Bay Area campaign is also endorsed by a broad coalition of local labor unions, business groups and elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors has failed to properly manage, oversee and financially control the project that is further expanding BART into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s according to a newly released report from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury this week, which found that the project “exposes VTA to financial risks” and that its own board of directors knows that oversight needs to be improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is building a 6-mile extension that will add four stations, connecting the Berryessa/North San José BART station through downtown San José and to the city of Santa Clara. But the project has come with delays and rising costs — a price tag of $4.7 billion in 2014 has ballooned to $12.75 billion, according to the report. VTA is targeting the project to be done in 2037, though an oversight consultant estimates completion in 2039.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no realistic plan to deal with foreseeable financial risks,” the report said, “including significant uncertainty about BSVII’s construction and operating costs, reliance on expiring voter-approved sales tax measures, uncertain federal government support, cash flow, and declining ridership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the project’s funding sources, the report adds, are subject to risks. The project was banking on $6.3 billion from the Federal Transit Administration, but it only got $5.1 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066417\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction crews work at the West Portal Site of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project in San José on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project also relies on the regional sales tax measure that would help fund AC Transit, BART and other Bay Area operators, even though it won’t be decided by voters until the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA said that it takes the recommendations, including adopting a strategy that reduces “dependency on new sales tax measures” and preparing an alternative funding strategy, “seriously and remain[s] committed to continuous improvement, transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of the issues identified in the report have been raised previously in various forums,” VTA said in a statement. “Most have been resolved, while others are actively being addressed.”[aside postID=news_12053738 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250623-VTAWESTPORTAL-JG-4_qed.jpg']VTA said that it included establishing the board’s Oversight Committee, which looks to provide guidance and oversee things like the costs of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another civil grand jury report in the past found problems with oversight, during which “its lack of transparency around changes to project scope and cost were identified as significant deficiencies,” the report added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of a few deliberations or actions providing guidance and VTA staff receiving private input from individual board members, the report found that “the full Board does not benefit from Oversight Committee analysis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan serves as vice chair of the board and chairs the Oversight Commission. He said that VTA “must earn the public’s trust today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The greatest risk to this project is time delay. I’ve encouraged the Committee and VTA staff and contractors to accelerate actual building rather than endless second-guessing that does more for the consultant class than our constituents,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The civil grand jury said that the longer it takes for the project to be completed, the more likely costs associated with the construction and reliance on local sales taxes will grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors has 90 days from June 17 to respond to the findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors has failed to properly manage, oversee and financially control the project that is further expanding BART into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s according to a newly released report from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury this week, which found that the project “exposes VTA to financial risks” and that its own board of directors knows that oversight needs to be improved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency is building a 6-mile extension that will add four stations, connecting the Berryessa/North San José BART station through downtown San José and to the city of Santa Clara. But the project has come with delays and rising costs — a price tag of $4.7 billion in 2014 has ballooned to $12.75 billion, according to the report. VTA is targeting the project to be done in 2037, though an oversight consultant estimates completion in 2039.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no realistic plan to deal with foreseeable financial risks,” the report said, “including significant uncertainty about BSVII’s construction and operating costs, reliance on expiring voter-approved sales tax measures, uncertain federal government support, cash flow, and declining ridership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of the project’s funding sources, the report adds, are subject to risks. The project was banking on $6.3 billion from the Federal Transit Administration, but it only got $5.1 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066417\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251208-BART-SILICON-VALLEY-TOUR-MD-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Construction crews work at the West Portal Site of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Project in San José on Dec. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project also relies on the regional sales tax measure that would help fund AC Transit, BART and other Bay Area operators, even though it won’t be decided by voters until the November election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA said that it takes the recommendations, including adopting a strategy that reduces “dependency on new sales tax measures” and preparing an alternative funding strategy, “seriously and remain[s] committed to continuous improvement, transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Many of the issues identified in the report have been raised previously in various forums,” VTA said in a statement. “Most have been resolved, while others are actively being addressed.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>VTA said that it included establishing the board’s Oversight Committee, which looks to provide guidance and oversee things like the costs of the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another civil grand jury report in the past found problems with oversight, during which “its lack of transparency around changes to project scope and cost were identified as significant deficiencies,” the report added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of a few deliberations or actions providing guidance and VTA staff receiving private input from individual board members, the report found that “the full Board does not benefit from Oversight Committee analysis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan serves as vice chair of the board and chairs the Oversight Commission. He said that VTA “must earn the public’s trust today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The greatest risk to this project is time delay. I’ve encouraged the Committee and VTA staff and contractors to accelerate actual building rather than endless second-guessing that does more for the consultant class than our constituents,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The civil grand jury said that the longer it takes for the project to be completed, the more likely costs associated with the construction and reliance on local sales taxes will grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The VTA Board of Directors has 90 days from June 17 to respond to the findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Trump Transit Secretary Rescinds Key Civil Rights Law Once Used to Challenge BART Project",
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"content": "\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Transportation will no longer enforce a bedrock civil rights regulation that prevents federally funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/transportation\">transportation\u003c/a> projects from having unintentional disparate impacts on protected classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a rule change \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2026-11790/rescinding-portions-of-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely-with-the-statutory-text-and-to\">announced \u003c/a>Wednesday — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/11/2026-11790/rescinding-portions-of-department-of-transportations-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely\">published Thursday\u003c/a> without public comment — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy approved eliminating disparate impact liability, a key tenet of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, from the U.S. DOT’s regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive summary states the rule did not serve the public interest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are serious statutory and constitutional concerns with the legality of the department’s Title VI regulations, which go beyond intentional discrimination by prohibiting conduct that has an unintentional disparate impact,” the federal register entry reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funding. The law also requires that policy decisions don’t disproportionately impact people who are protected by the nation’s civil rights laws, regardless of whether the policy explicitly intends that harm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil rights advocates have successfully used Title VI to file civil rights complaints in the Bay Area, including against BART, when the agency built an extension in neighborhoods where a majority of residents were people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://mavensnotebook.com/2023/08/09/this-just-in-epa-accepts-civil-rights-complaint-against-california-state-water-board/\">complaint\u003c/a>, brought by Native American tribes and environmental advocates, accused the State Water Resources Board of mismanaging water quality along the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. The law has also had a preventative effect, making disparate impact analyses part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.actransit.org/DI-DB\">policy \u003c/a>\u003cu>planning \u003c/u>at agencies like AC Transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1251\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597-1536x970.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers board an airport-bound train from the Coliseum BART station on the Oakland Airport Connector line in Oakland, California on Friday, March 18, 2016. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ This a major rollback of civil rights protections,” said Laurel Paget-Seekins, senior policy advocate at Public Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit law firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule change means the DOT will no longer require transit agencies to weigh equity when considering changes to policies regarding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067737/clipper-2-0-leaves-ac-transit-cash-riders-behind\">fares\u003c/a>, service frequency and location, or language access, along with the impacts of highway construction and other projects, as long as the action is not explicitly discriminatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has its own Title VI protections that prohibit recipients of state funds from discriminating against protected groups, which remain in place. But Paget-Seekins said that unlike the federal Title VI protections, the state doesn’t require agencies that receive funding to collect data and do preventative analyses. “Whether Bay Area transit agencies will continue to do this analysis voluntarily — and whether California will require them to — is now an important question that deserves public scrutiny,” Paget-Seekins said.[aside postID=news_12084077 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_003-KQED.jpg']Public Advocates used Title VI to successfully file a civil rights \u003ca href=\"https://publicadvocates.org/campaigns/bart-oakland-airport-connector/\">complaint\u003c/a> against BART in 2009, after the agency failed to complete an analysis of how its planned Oakland Airport Connector would impact nearby communities. In response, the Federal Transit Administration withdrew $70 million in funds for the project, which was dispersed to other regional transit agencies and projects, and compelled BART to complete a service equity analysis for the \u003ca href=\"https://transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/research/2503-cs3-oak-airport-connector.pdf\">project\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon has called on the DOT to maintain disparate impact protections in transportation projects since March. Simon, a former BART Board Director, is legally blind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a transit-dependent person, I know how important it is for agencies receiving federal funds to consider disparate impact on the communities they serve,” Simon said in a March press release. “Here, the Trump administration has failed on two fronts — rolling back civil rights protections and preventing the public from providing feedback or sharing concerns. It’s disgraceful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration issued an \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/28/2025-07378/restoring-equality-of-opportunity-and-meritocracy\">executive order\u003c/a> in April 2025 announcing its intention to eliminate disparate impact protections across the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/10/2025-22448/rescinding-portions-of-department-of-justice-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely-with-the\">rescinded \u003c/a>disparate impact protections in its regulations using a similar rule change mechanism and language. This week, the DOJ issued an \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-concludes-eeoc-disparate-impact-guidelines-violate-constitution\">opinion \u003c/a>stating that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines on disparate impact protections were unconstitutional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Correction:\u003c/strong> An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed language from a Federal Register ruling to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy signed the ruling but was not the source of the quoted language.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Transportation will no longer enforce a bedrock civil rights regulation that prevents federally funded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/transportation\">transportation\u003c/a> projects from having unintentional disparate impacts on protected classes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a rule change \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2026-11790/rescinding-portions-of-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely-with-the-statutory-text-and-to\">announced \u003c/a>Wednesday — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/11/2026-11790/rescinding-portions-of-department-of-transportations-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely\">published Thursday\u003c/a> without public comment — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy approved eliminating disparate impact liability, a key tenet of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, from the U.S. DOT’s regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive summary states the rule did not serve the public interest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are serious statutory and constitutional concerns with the legality of the department’s Title VI regulations, which go beyond intentional discrimination by prohibiting conduct that has an unintentional disparate impact,” the federal register entry reads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funding. The law also requires that policy decisions don’t disproportionately impact people who are protected by the nation’s civil rights laws, regardless of whether the policy explicitly intends that harm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil rights advocates have successfully used Title VI to file civil rights complaints in the Bay Area, including against BART, when the agency built an extension in neighborhoods where a majority of residents were people of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://mavensnotebook.com/2023/08/09/this-just-in-epa-accepts-civil-rights-complaint-against-california-state-water-board/\">complaint\u003c/a>, brought by Native American tribes and environmental advocates, accused the State Water Resources Board of mismanaging water quality along the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. The law has also had a preventative effect, making disparate impact analyses part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.actransit.org/DI-DB\">policy \u003c/a>\u003cu>planning \u003c/u>at agencies like AC Transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087116\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087116\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1251\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502597-1536x970.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers board an airport-bound train from the Coliseum BART station on the Oakland Airport Connector line in Oakland, California on Friday, March 18, 2016. \u003ccite>(Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ This a major rollback of civil rights protections,” said Laurel Paget-Seekins, senior policy advocate at Public Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit law firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule change means the DOT will no longer require transit agencies to weigh equity when considering changes to policies regarding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067737/clipper-2-0-leaves-ac-transit-cash-riders-behind\">fares\u003c/a>, service frequency and location, or language access, along with the impacts of highway construction and other projects, as long as the action is not explicitly discriminatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has its own Title VI protections that prohibit recipients of state funds from discriminating against protected groups, which remain in place. But Paget-Seekins said that unlike the federal Title VI protections, the state doesn’t require agencies that receive funding to collect data and do preventative analyses. “Whether Bay Area transit agencies will continue to do this analysis voluntarily — and whether California will require them to — is now an important question that deserves public scrutiny,” Paget-Seekins said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Public Advocates used Title VI to successfully file a civil rights \u003ca href=\"https://publicadvocates.org/campaigns/bart-oakland-airport-connector/\">complaint\u003c/a> against BART in 2009, after the agency failed to complete an analysis of how its planned Oakland Airport Connector would impact nearby communities. In response, the Federal Transit Administration withdrew $70 million in funds for the project, which was dispersed to other regional transit agencies and projects, and compelled BART to complete a service equity analysis for the \u003ca href=\"https://transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/research/2503-cs3-oak-airport-connector.pdf\">project\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon has called on the DOT to maintain disparate impact protections in transportation projects since March. Simon, a former BART Board Director, is legally blind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a transit-dependent person, I know how important it is for agencies receiving federal funds to consider disparate impact on the communities they serve,” Simon said in a March press release. “Here, the Trump administration has failed on two fronts — rolling back civil rights protections and preventing the public from providing feedback or sharing concerns. It’s disgraceful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration issued an \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/28/2025-07378/restoring-equality-of-opportunity-and-meritocracy\">executive order\u003c/a> in April 2025 announcing its intention to eliminate disparate impact protections across the government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/10/2025-22448/rescinding-portions-of-department-of-justice-title-vi-regulations-to-conform-more-closely-with-the\">rescinded \u003c/a>disparate impact protections in its regulations using a similar rule change mechanism and language. This week, the DOJ issued an \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-concludes-eeoc-disparate-impact-guidelines-violate-constitution\">opinion \u003c/a>stating that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines on disparate impact protections were unconstitutional.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Correction:\u003c/strong> An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed language from a Federal Register ruling to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy signed the ruling but was not the source of the quoted language.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Zero Credibility’: Major Clipper Outage Caused by Cubic’s Failure to Pay AT&T Bill",
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"content": "\u003cp>Frustration with Cubic Transportation Systems bubbled over at Monday’s meeting of the Clipper Executive Board, after the fare collection company revealed that a 27-hour outage that brought down \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART\u003c/a>’s ticket vending machines and fare gates last month was caused by the company failing to pay its AT&T bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 18, Cubic and BART discovered a network outage affecting all of the transit agency’s Clipper readers, leaving customers unable to purchase or add value to their cards at BART vending machines and delaying transactions at BART’s fare gates, according to a staff memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage was caused by an AT&T network circuit that works between BART’s data center and Cubic’s ceasing to work, said Lalit Singh, chief operations officer at Cubic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when we figured out that we have multiple accounts with AT&T. On one of the accounts, the payments were not made, and we couldn’t find where the circuits, which are in support of the BART system, were because they were not in our account system,” Singh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The admission brought a strong admonishment from BART General Manager Robert Powers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Cubic not paying their bill? Are you kidding me? That’s ridiculous. BART is so done with Cubic right now. You have zero credibility, Cubic. Zero,” Powers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046682\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046682\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers tag their Clipper cards at Montgomery BART Station in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 2024. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The news came as Cubic missed a self-imposed target date of May 30 to resolve critical issues with a long-awaited upgrade to the fare payment system, known as next-generation Clipper or Clipper 2.0. Nearly six months after its launch date, the upgrade continues to cause problems for riders and transit agencies alike, with agencies reporting inconsistencies with financial reconciliation, fare inspection devices and customer service software, to name a few.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With frustration growing, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Andrew Fremier announced Monday that the commission was preparing for a closed-session meeting later this month to “discuss contractual remedies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the program has been riddled with setbacks, Fremier did note some of its accomplishments. Since Dec. 10, 1.7 million Clipper cards have been converted to Clipper 2.0, and 45% of Clipper fares are paid with Clipper 2.0 accounts, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the depth of issues with Clipper has so far prevented Cubic from completing bulk upgrades of accounts to Clipper 2.0, instead resorting to addressing issues with the new system on a case-by-case basis. Cubic had previously identified May 30 as the target date for beginning bulk migrations, but was unable to realize that due to delays.[aside postID=news_12078144 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/Clipper2.0Getty.jpg']“Even just this morning, there was another back-office database issue that impacted Clipper sales channels for approximately one hour before Cubic restored operations,” said Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the board also approved a 2-year, $124 million budget funding Clipper operations, which carries increased costs due to the Clipper 2.0 rollout requiring additional customer service center staff and the need to keep the prior version of Clipper running longer than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland resident Bryan Culbertson implored the board to sever ties with Cubic during public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ So that we have a future where we’re not having these meetings over and over and over again of Cubic failing transit riders,” Culbertson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremier said the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is also planning an after-action review to “learn more about the factors that have contributed to these challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives from transit agencies also stressed the need to resolve issues with financial reconciliation promptly, as the end of the fiscal year for many agencies nears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Cubic is impacting BART’s ability to provide high-quality public transportation, and that’s a problem. My board members are saying, ‘How much longer are you gonna take this?’” Powers said, adding that “BART engineering is looking at what my options are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to an unsuccessful attempt at fixing critical issues last weekend, Cubic’s target date for resolving major problems with Clipper 2.0 now stretches into the end of this month, at least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Frustration with Cubic Transportation Systems bubbled over at Monday’s meeting of the Clipper Executive Board, after the fare collection company revealed that a 27-hour outage that brought down \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART\u003c/a>’s ticket vending machines and fare gates last month was caused by the company failing to pay its AT&T bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 18, Cubic and BART discovered a network outage affecting all of the transit agency’s Clipper readers, leaving customers unable to purchase or add value to their cards at BART vending machines and delaying transactions at BART’s fare gates, according to a staff memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The outage was caused by an AT&T network circuit that works between BART’s data center and Cubic’s ceasing to work, said Lalit Singh, chief operations officer at Cubic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when we figured out that we have multiple accounts with AT&T. On one of the accounts, the payments were not made, and we couldn’t find where the circuits, which are in support of the BART system, were because they were not in our account system,” Singh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The admission brought a strong admonishment from BART General Manager Robert Powers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Cubic not paying their bill? Are you kidding me? That’s ridiculous. BART is so done with Cubic right now. You have zero credibility, Cubic. Zero,” Powers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12046682\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12046682\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/20241204-BART-JY-024_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers tag their Clipper cards at Montgomery BART Station in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 2024. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The news came as Cubic missed a self-imposed target date of May 30 to resolve critical issues with a long-awaited upgrade to the fare payment system, known as next-generation Clipper or Clipper 2.0. Nearly six months after its launch date, the upgrade continues to cause problems for riders and transit agencies alike, with agencies reporting inconsistencies with financial reconciliation, fare inspection devices and customer service software, to name a few.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With frustration growing, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Andrew Fremier announced Monday that the commission was preparing for a closed-session meeting later this month to “discuss contractual remedies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the program has been riddled with setbacks, Fremier did note some of its accomplishments. Since Dec. 10, 1.7 million Clipper cards have been converted to Clipper 2.0, and 45% of Clipper fares are paid with Clipper 2.0 accounts, Fremier said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the depth of issues with Clipper has so far prevented Cubic from completing bulk upgrades of accounts to Clipper 2.0, instead resorting to addressing issues with the new system on a case-by-case basis. Cubic had previously identified May 30 as the target date for beginning bulk migrations, but was unable to realize that due to delays.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Even just this morning, there was another back-office database issue that impacted Clipper sales channels for approximately one hour before Cubic restored operations,” said Angus Davol, assistant director of Clipper development and budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday, the board also approved a 2-year, $124 million budget funding Clipper operations, which carries increased costs due to the Clipper 2.0 rollout requiring additional customer service center staff and the need to keep the prior version of Clipper running longer than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland resident Bryan Culbertson implored the board to sever ties with Cubic during public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ So that we have a future where we’re not having these meetings over and over and over again of Cubic failing transit riders,” Culbertson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fremier said the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is also planning an after-action review to “learn more about the factors that have contributed to these challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives from transit agencies also stressed the need to resolve issues with financial reconciliation promptly, as the end of the fiscal year for many agencies nears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ Cubic is impacting BART’s ability to provide high-quality public transportation, and that’s a problem. My board members are saying, ‘How much longer are you gonna take this?’” Powers said, adding that “BART engineering is looking at what my options are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to an unsuccessful attempt at fixing critical issues last weekend, Cubic’s target date for resolving major problems with Clipper 2.0 now stretches into the end of this month, at least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"radiolab": {
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"reveal": {
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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