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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>We’ve all been there — running down the sidewalk as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-muni\">Muni\u003c/a> bus pulls to a stop just across the street. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But recently, some \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> riders have complained that as they weigh whether to break a sweat trying to catch a ride, they aren’t able to tell what line they’re rushing toward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you’re picking up a bus on Market [Street], and 20 people are waiting for 5 different buses … ‘Which bus is this’ is the hot topic of conversation,” one Reddit user wrote.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In August, buses’ front signs started to alternate displays of “Fare Required” with the usual line information and destination, which San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency spokesperson Erica Kato said is part of the agency’s “Fares For Our Future” campaign, aimed at increasing payment compliance as Muni weathers major funding shortfalls.\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>Some commuters, however, have said that the change has inadvertently led them to board the wrong bus in recent weeks — without the classic orange-LED line numbers plastered on their headsigns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Others said that some of the signs have a different message, reading “Mask Required,” though that variation is likely an accidental holdover from COVID-era policies on some onboard computers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To improve compliance, Muni said it’s hiring additional fare inspectors to issue fines to those who don’t pay and increasing awareness of discounts for seniors, youth and low-income riders. The agency will also continue to modernize its payment collection methods and require SFMTA employees to tap agency-issued Clipper cards instead of showing their staff badges as proof of payment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We consistently hear from the public that many people are frustrated when they see other people not paying for their rides,” SFMTA said in a statement last month. “Designed in part to address that feedback, Fares for Our Future includes a comprehensive package of 100-day and 6 month+ actions. We care about the future of Muni and know you do as well.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kato said the message is displayed on a changeable sign, and only flashes “Fare Required” for a few seconds before returning to the line and destination name.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The headsign message is expected to continue through late November, just after San Franciscans cast their votes on a proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087755/san-francisco-voters-will-vote-on-munis-future-in-november\">parcel tax to fund Muni\u003c/a>, which the agency has said is necessary to keep buses running. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While some riders have been confused or frustrated by the change, others think the messages are a worthy reminder.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Regardless, most seem pretty aligned on one thing: “There’s no good reason not to have the route number static on the screen 100% of the time,” Redditor Erik_em wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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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>“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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"headTitle": "BART Reports Major Crime Drop 1 Year After New Fare Gates | KQED",
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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>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>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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"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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"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\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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"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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"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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"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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"title": "Exclusive: Errors Plagued Clipper 2.0 Long Before Botched Launch, Records Reveal",
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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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"\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\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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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"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/10/2026/08/072826-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",
"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-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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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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"\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-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
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null,
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null,
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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",
"innerContent": [
"\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\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg 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\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message on a Clipper vending machine at the 16th Street BART Station on March 11, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg 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\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An error message on a Clipper vending machine at the 16th Street BART Station on March 11, 2026. \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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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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"\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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"\n\u003cp>Fremier said he expects those conversations to play out “over the next few months.” \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Years in the making ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Years in the making \u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Years in the making \u003c/h2>\n"
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{
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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",
"innerContent": [
"\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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"\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",
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"\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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"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
"innerContent": [
"\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",
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"\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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"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",
"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-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",
"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-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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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"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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"\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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"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",
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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-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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"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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"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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"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>The last major outage was on June 10. \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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"\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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"\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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"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-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=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\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",
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"\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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"\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>“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>“ 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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"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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"\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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"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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"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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"title": "Bay Area Group Files Lawsuit Against Transit Funding Measure, Says It’s ‘Deceptive’ | KQED",
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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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"title": "BART Launches a New Schedule Monday. Here’s What’s Different and Why",
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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>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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Millbrae: Some Caltrain connections shift, and BART has posted a new transfer timetable\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>“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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"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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"content": "\u003cp>Despite record-breaking ridership shuttling passengers to recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/world-cup\">World Cup\u003c/a> matches, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) netted only about $1 per passenger, according to new data shared by the agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials announced last week that VTA transported nearly 230,000 passengers to and from Levi’s Stadium over the six matches that took place between mid-June and July 1, setting an all-time special event ridership record. But the estimated fare revenue was just over $238,000. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If all the fans taking those 230,000 trips paid a $2.50 single adult fare each time, VTA would have made an additional $336,000 — though that amount could have been diminished by senior and youth rider discounts, as well as free transfers, event promotions and other discounts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan told KQED on Tuesday that “the agency needs to do better” in farebox recovery and fare enforcement. \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/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Matt Mahan gives his opening speech at the World Cup flag-raising ceremony at San José City Hall in San José on May 12, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I think this should be a wake-up call,” said Mahan, who has long been critical of VTA’s reliance on sales taxes, and not fares, to fund operations. “ The actual fare enforcement and the level of revenue collection could have and should have been better.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The revenue figures, requested by KQED, come as voters in Santa Clara County and four other counties in the Bay Area will be asked to approve an additional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">sales tax\u003c/a> this November, in order to fund operations at VTA and other major Bay Area transit agencies, as the agencies struggle to overcome pandemic-related drops in revenue and ridership. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA is facing a nearly $900,000 budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which is projected to increase to $15 million by fiscal year 2027, and continue to worsen in the following years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">group opposed\u003c/a> to the proposed tax launched its own counter campaign earlier this month, on a platform that Bay Area transit agencies should cut costs and spend the taxpayer money they already have before asking for more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We are a public service, and we want to do whatever it takes to get people to where they need to go. That involves losing money sometimes,” said Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA has long relied primarily on revenue from sales taxes to fund its operations. Sales tax revenues currently account for over 86% of its operating budget revenue, while fares account for just over 5%, according to the agency’s latest biennial \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/business-center/financial-investor-information#docaccess-16054ef2141c695ea60f614ff3470f474b1da1be4bfa5cbd538c8542b0880b7b\">budget\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Unfortunately, fare recovery is not our big revenue, and we believe that we need to operate public transit anyway because it’s important enough to our community that they have repeatedly passed public tax measures to support it,” Hendler Ross said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan, who is also vice chairperson on the VTA Board of Directors, said beyond increasing fare enforcement, VTA should do a survey of fare collection enforcement and associated issues from other agencies around the country. Officials from BART have said installation of its next-generation \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate\">faregates\u003c/a>, completed last year, increased revenue by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion.\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/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091989\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A bus drives by FIFA World Cup signage on June 12, 2026, in San José. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA is a proof-of-payment system, which relies on riders to pay when they board, and on random checks by fare inspectors to enforce fare policy. Mahan said BART’s model isn’t necessarily replicable for the VTA’s light rail and buses, but the agency could improve fare collection by making paying for transit quicker, more intuitive and reliable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I strongly push back on the logic that because we have public revenues, we shouldn’t take farebox recovery and revenue generation seriously,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He added he thought it was also important to keep fares at a “reasonable level,” in order to keep them less expensive than the cost of owning a car in Santa Clara County. \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/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091977\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. national men’s team soccer fans walk toward the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said VTA currently employs just six fare inspectors and has had a shortage of fare inspectors for “a long time.” She said the agency is currently training 10 transit security officers, whose responsibilities include checking fares, and plans to hire an additional nine to 10 officers sometime later this fall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed transit tax heading to the November ballot would help VTA offer better, more frequent service, she said, adding it would also help the “greater good.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ If I never drive on Highway 280, I’m still paying taxes that keep that road working,” she said. “You never know when someone’s gonna need to hop on public transit. So we’re talking about supporting the greater good, and that’s what this country has always been built on.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officials announced last week that VTA transported nearly 230,000 passengers to and from Levi’s Stadium over the six matches that took place between mid-June and July 1, setting an all-time special event ridership record. But the estimated fare revenue was just over $238,000. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If all the fans taking those 230,000 trips paid a $2.50 single adult fare each time, VTA would have made an additional $336,000 — though that amount could have been diminished by senior and youth rider discounts, as well as free transfers, event promotions and other discounts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If all the fans taking those 230,000 trips paid a $2.50 single adult fare each time, VTA would have made an additional $336,000 — though that amount could have been diminished by senior and youth rider discounts, as well as free transfers, event promotions and other discounts.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan told KQED on Tuesday that “the agency needs to do better” in farebox recovery and fare enforcement. \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/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-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\">Mayor Matt Mahan gives his opening speech at the World Cup flag-raising ceremony at San José City Hall in San José on May 12, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ I think this should be a wake-up call,” said Mahan, who has long been critical of VTA’s reliance on sales taxes, and not fares, to fund operations. “ The actual fare enforcement and the level of revenue collection could have and should have been better.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ I think this should be a wake-up call,” said Mahan, who has long been critical of VTA’s reliance on sales taxes, and not fares, to fund operations. “ The actual fare enforcement and the level of revenue collection could have and should have been better.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The revenue figures, requested by KQED, come as voters in Santa Clara County and four other counties in the Bay Area will be asked to approve an additional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">sales tax\u003c/a> this November, in order to fund operations at VTA and other major Bay Area transit agencies, as the agencies struggle to overcome pandemic-related drops in revenue and ridership. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>VTA is facing a nearly $900,000 budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which is projected to increase to $15 million by fiscal year 2027, and continue to worsen in the following years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>VTA is facing a nearly $900,000 budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which is projected to increase to $15 million by fiscal year 2027, and continue to worsen in the following years.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">group opposed\u003c/a> to the proposed tax launched its own counter campaign earlier this month, on a platform that Bay Area transit agencies should cut costs and spend the taxpayer money they already have before asking for more. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ We are a public service, and we want to do whatever it takes to get people to where they need to go. That involves losing money sometimes,” said Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ We are a public service, and we want to do whatever it takes to get people to where they need to go. That involves losing money sometimes,” said Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>VTA has long relied primarily on revenue from sales taxes to fund its operations. Sales tax revenues currently account for over 86% of its operating budget revenue, while fares account for just over 5%, according to the agency’s latest biennial \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/business-center/financial-investor-information#docaccess-16054ef2141c695ea60f614ff3470f474b1da1be4bfa5cbd538c8542b0880b7b\">budget\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>VTA has long relied primarily on revenue from sales taxes to fund its operations. Sales tax revenues currently account for over 86% of its operating budget revenue, while fares account for just over 5%, according to the agency’s latest biennial \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/business-center/financial-investor-information#docaccess-16054ef2141c695ea60f614ff3470f474b1da1be4bfa5cbd538c8542b0880b7b\">budget\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Unfortunately, fare recovery is not our big revenue, and we believe that we need to operate public transit anyway because it’s important enough to our community that they have repeatedly passed public tax measures to support it,” Hendler Ross said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Unfortunately, fare recovery is not our big revenue, and we believe that we need to operate public transit anyway because it’s important enough to our community that they have repeatedly passed public tax measures to support it,” Hendler Ross said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mahan, who is also vice chairperson on the VTA Board of Directors, said beyond increasing fare enforcement, VTA should do a survey of fare collection enforcement and associated issues from other agencies around the country. Officials from BART have said installation of its next-generation \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate\">faregates\u003c/a>, completed last year, increased revenue by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mahan, who is also vice chairperson on the VTA Board of Directors, said beyond increasing fare enforcement, VTA should do a survey of fare collection enforcement and associated issues from other agencies around the country. Officials from BART have said installation of its next-generation \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate\">faregates\u003c/a>, completed last year, increased revenue by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>VTA is a proof-of-payment system, which relies on riders to pay when they board, and on random checks by fare inspectors to enforce fare policy. Mahan said BART’s model isn’t necessarily replicable for the VTA’s light rail and buses, but the agency could improve fare collection by making paying for transit quicker, more intuitive and reliable. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>VTA is a proof-of-payment system, which relies on riders to pay when they board, and on random checks by fare inspectors to enforce fare policy. Mahan said BART’s model isn’t necessarily replicable for the VTA’s light rail and buses, but the agency could improve fare collection by making paying for transit quicker, more intuitive and reliable. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ I strongly push back on the logic that because we have public revenues, we shouldn’t take farebox recovery and revenue generation seriously,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He added he thought it was also important to keep fares at a “reasonable level,” in order to keep them less expensive than the cost of owning a car in Santa Clara County. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He added he thought it was also important to keep fares at a “reasonable level,” in order to keep them less expensive than the cost of owning a car in Santa Clara County. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said VTA currently employs just six fare inspectors and has had a shortage of fare inspectors for “a long time.” She said the agency is currently training 10 transit security officers, whose responsibilities include checking fares, and plans to hire an additional nine to 10 officers sometime later this fall. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposed transit tax heading to the November ballot would help VTA offer better, more frequent service, she said, adding it would also help the “greater good.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ If I never drive on Highway 280, I’m still paying taxes that keep that road working,” she said. “You never know when someone’s gonna need to hop on public transit. So we’re talking about supporting the greater good, and that’s what this country has always been built on.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "VTA has long relied on sales taxes, not fares, to fund its operations. San José’s Mayor says this should be a wake-up call for the agency to generate more money from fares. ",
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"title": "VTA’s Record-Breaking World Cup Ridership Nets Just Around $1 Per Trip | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Despite record-breaking ridership shuttling passengers to recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/world-cup\">World Cup\u003c/a> matches, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) netted only about $1 per passenger, according to new data shared by the agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials announced last week that VTA transported nearly 230,000 passengers to and from Levi’s Stadium over the six matches that took place between mid-June and July 1, setting an all-time special event ridership record. But the estimated fare revenue was just over $238,000. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If all the fans taking those 230,000 trips paid a $2.50 single adult fare each time, VTA would have made an additional $336,000 — though that amount could have been diminished by senior and youth rider discounts, as well as free transfers, event promotions and other discounts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan told KQED on Tuesday that “the agency needs to do better” in farebox recovery and fare enforcement. \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/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260512-WORLDCUPFLAG-TV-01469-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Matt Mahan gives his opening speech at the World Cup flag-raising ceremony at San José City Hall in San José on May 12, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I think this should be a wake-up call,” said Mahan, who has long been critical of VTA’s reliance on sales taxes, and not fares, to fund operations. “ The actual fare enforcement and the level of revenue collection could have and should have been better.”\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>The revenue figures, requested by KQED, come as voters in Santa Clara County and four other counties in the Bay Area will be asked to approve an additional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">sales tax\u003c/a> this November, in order to fund operations at VTA and other major Bay Area transit agencies, as the agencies struggle to overcome pandemic-related drops in revenue and ridership. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA is facing a nearly $900,000 budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which is projected to increase to $15 million by fiscal year 2027, and continue to worsen in the following years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">group opposed\u003c/a> to the proposed tax launched its own counter campaign earlier this month, on a platform that Bay Area transit agencies should cut costs and spend the taxpayer money they already have before asking for more. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We are a public service, and we want to do whatever it takes to get people to where they need to go. That involves losing money sometimes,” said Stacey Hendler Ross, a spokesperson for VTA. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA has long relied primarily on revenue from sales taxes to fund its operations. Sales tax revenues currently account for over 86% of its operating budget revenue, while fares account for just over 5%, according to the agency’s latest biennial \u003ca href=\"https://www.vta.org/business-center/financial-investor-information#docaccess-16054ef2141c695ea60f614ff3470f474b1da1be4bfa5cbd538c8542b0880b7b\">budget\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Unfortunately, fare recovery is not our big revenue, and we believe that we need to operate public transit anyway because it’s important enough to our community that they have repeatedly passed public tax measures to support it,” Hendler Ross said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mahan, who is also vice chairperson on the VTA Board of Directors, said beyond increasing fare enforcement, VTA should do a survey of fare collection enforcement and associated issues from other agencies around the country. Officials from BART have said installation of its next-generation \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate\">faregates\u003c/a>, completed last year, increased revenue by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion.\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/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091989\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/VTAWorldCupFares-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A bus drives by FIFA World Cup signage on June 12, 2026, in San José. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>VTA is a proof-of-payment system, which relies on riders to pay when they board, and on random checks by fare inspectors to enforce fare policy. Mahan said BART’s model isn’t necessarily replicable for the VTA’s light rail and buses, but the agency could improve fare collection by making paying for transit quicker, more intuitive and reliable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I strongly push back on the logic that because we have public revenues, we shouldn’t take farebox recovery and revenue generation seriously,” Mahan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He added he thought it was also important to keep fares at a “reasonable level,” in order to keep them less expensive than the cost of owning a car in Santa Clara County. \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/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091977\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260701-WorldCupUSALevis-01-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. national men’s team soccer fans walk toward the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hendler Ross said VTA currently employs just six fare inspectors and has had a shortage of fare inspectors for “a long time.” She said the agency is currently training 10 transit security officers, whose responsibilities include checking fares, and plans to hire an additional nine to 10 officers sometime later this fall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposed transit tax heading to the November ballot would help VTA offer better, more frequent service, she said, adding it would also help the “greater good.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ If I never drive on Highway 280, I’m still paying taxes that keep that road working,” she said. “You never know when someone’s gonna need to hop on public transit. So we’re talking about supporting the greater good, and that’s what this country has always been built on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Muni Music Turns Buses and Trains Into a Unique Musical Composition",
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"content": "\u003cp>In Robert Burns’ world, the Powell-Mason \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/transportation\">Cable Car\u003c/a> is heralded by a flute and a tubular bell. The M-Ocean View carries a soft mallet and a sub bass. The N-Judah is a marimba and a bass pizzicato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken altogether, the generative composition creates a lo-fi, sonic interpretation of the Bay Area’s most-ridden transit service, San Francisco’s Muni. And it’s available for anyone to listen to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I thought to myself, what if I turned Muni into an instrument?” said Burns, creator of the site, \u003ca href=\"http://munimusic.com\">munimusic.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site shows a map of San Francisco, and the real-time location of the more than 500 Muni trains, buses and cable cars that could be on the street at any one time. Each vehicle plays a unique pair of sounds based on its position and route and a chime when they arrive at a stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors can watch and listen to Muni vehicles plug along in real time, hear when they arrive and revel in an ambient interpretation of public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Burns, an IT professional, and a more than 30-year San Franciscan and a Muni rider, the project is part tribute, part natural inclination to experiment with technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082038\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni Music, a website created by Robert Burns, is displayed on his computer in San Francisco on April 30, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For fans of Muni, it’s the latest manifestation of local pride in the transit service that’s taken varied forms, from branded merchandise to trivia nights to riding routes for fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns used publicly available data to create the map and then made digital instruments to pair with the routes. He said he’s had the Muni Music domain since 2002, but only launched the website in April, after “many, many iterations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An initial version was rhythm-based and sounded more like a drum circle. And the sheer volume of Muni’s buses broke his browser. The site currently logs about five visits a week. “ If this actually becomes something that people used, I would be amazed,” Burns said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns isn’t the first person to look at a transit map and think: Could this be music? Take \u003ca href=\"https://www.trainjazz.com/\">Train Jazz\u003c/a> — a similar website, created by a New York City resident, which turns that city’s transit agency into a jazz ensemble.[aside postID=news_12087114 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408502613.jpg']Another website based on New York City’s transit map, called \u003ca href=\"http://mta.me\">MTA.me\u003c/a>, only plays notes when trains cross paths, like plucking strings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And last month a group of artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260520\">debuted\u003c/a> a sculpture that converts BART’s train data into sound using a tube and a heating element.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the Bay Area-based composer Mason Bates, these kinds of projects, where people convert data into music, might best be called public sound art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ It’s not really about whether the resulting artwork is particularly good or beautiful; it’s more about finding fun ways for the public to learn about some kind of initiative, whether it be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/audiblecosmos\">NASA space data\u003c/a>, or in this case, Muni data,” Bates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates said rather than getting hung up on the quality of the music, the purpose of these sites is to use digital tools to make data more digestible. By sonifying transit data, these projects allow listeners to experience the entirety of a transit system all at once.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We are swimming in data these days, right? So translating it in some way that can be fun or artistic is a new thing that’s happening,” he said. “This brings the public in to engage with a non-artistic enterprise in an artistic way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Muni Music, each moment is different from the next, as the number of Muni vehicles on the road — and their position — fluctuate throughout the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If trains are predominantly in the west end of the city, like the L-Taraval, sound will come predominantly out of the left side of a pair of headphones. The opposite is true for the T-Third Street, which runs on the east side of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082037\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082037\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni Music, a website created by Robert Burns, is displayed on his computer in San Francisco on April 30, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ Seeing the volume of vehicles that are out there at any given moment shows people how active the system is and how frequent service is. And when it’s all played together, we’re really picking people up and dropping them off at a really quick rate,” SFMTA spokesperson Michael Roccaforte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns said he sees a relationship between his job in IT and managing a public transit agency: two fields that don’t get much praise, but get a lot of attention when things go wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an homage. It’s kinda like, ‘Hey, thanks, Muni, thanks for being there, and here’s my little attempt at giving something back,’” Burns said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s some utility to the website as well. Burns used it the other day to check when the next train was coming, and then he rode home with his own Muni soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In Robert Burns’ world, the Powell-Mason \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/transportation\">Cable Car\u003c/a> is heralded by a flute and a tubular bell. The M-Ocean View carries a soft mallet and a sub bass. The N-Judah is a marimba and a bass pizzicato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken altogether, the generative composition creates a lo-fi, sonic interpretation of the Bay Area’s most-ridden transit service, San Francisco’s Muni. And it’s available for anyone to listen to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I thought to myself, what if I turned Muni into an instrument?” said Burns, creator of the site, \u003ca href=\"http://munimusic.com\">munimusic.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The site shows a map of San Francisco, and the real-time location of the more than 500 Muni trains, buses and cable cars that could be on the street at any one time. Each vehicle plays a unique pair of sounds based on its position and route and a chime when they arrive at a stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors can watch and listen to Muni vehicles plug along in real time, hear when they arrive and revel in an ambient interpretation of public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Burns, an IT professional, and a more than 30-year San Franciscan and a Muni rider, the project is part tribute, part natural inclination to experiment with technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082038\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00525-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni Music, a website created by Robert Burns, is displayed on his computer in San Francisco on April 30, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For fans of Muni, it’s the latest manifestation of local pride in the transit service that’s taken varied forms, from branded merchandise to trivia nights to riding routes for fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns used publicly available data to create the map and then made digital instruments to pair with the routes. He said he’s had the Muni Music domain since 2002, but only launched the website in April, after “many, many iterations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An initial version was rhythm-based and sounded more like a drum circle. And the sheer volume of Muni’s buses broke his browser. The site currently logs about five visits a week. “ If this actually becomes something that people used, I would be amazed,” Burns said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns isn’t the first person to look at a transit map and think: Could this be music? Take \u003ca href=\"https://www.trainjazz.com/\">Train Jazz\u003c/a> — a similar website, created by a New York City resident, which turns that city’s transit agency into a jazz ensemble.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Another website based on New York City’s transit map, called \u003ca href=\"http://mta.me\">MTA.me\u003c/a>, only plays notes when trains cross paths, like plucking strings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And last month a group of artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260520\">debuted\u003c/a> a sculpture that converts BART’s train data into sound using a tube and a heating element.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the Bay Area-based composer Mason Bates, these kinds of projects, where people convert data into music, might best be called public sound art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ It’s not really about whether the resulting artwork is particularly good or beautiful; it’s more about finding fun ways for the public to learn about some kind of initiative, whether it be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/audiblecosmos\">NASA space data\u003c/a>, or in this case, Muni data,” Bates said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bates said rather than getting hung up on the quality of the music, the purpose of these sites is to use digital tools to make data more digestible. By sonifying transit data, these projects allow listeners to experience the entirety of a transit system all at once.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ We are swimming in data these days, right? So translating it in some way that can be fun or artistic is a new thing that’s happening,” he said. “This brings the public in to engage with a non-artistic enterprise in an artistic way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Muni Music, each moment is different from the next, as the number of Muni vehicles on the road — and their position — fluctuate throughout the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If trains are predominantly in the west end of the city, like the L-Taraval, sound will come predominantly out of the left side of a pair of headphones. The opposite is true for the T-Third Street, which runs on the east side of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082037\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082037\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260430-MUNIMUSIC-TV-00516-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muni Music, a website created by Robert Burns, is displayed on his computer in San Francisco on April 30, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“ Seeing the volume of vehicles that are out there at any given moment shows people how active the system is and how frequent service is. And when it’s all played together, we’re really picking people up and dropping them off at a really quick rate,” SFMTA spokesperson Michael Roccaforte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burns said he sees a relationship between his job in IT and managing a public transit agency: two fields that don’t get much praise, but get a lot of attention when things go wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an homage. It’s kinda like, ‘Hey, thanks, Muni, thanks for being there, and here’s my little attempt at giving something back,’” Burns said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s some utility to the website as well. Burns used it the other day to check when the next train was coming, and then he rode home with his own Muni soundtrack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "giants-pride-controversy-data-center-in-pittsburg-and-youth-backed-improvements-to-sf-bus-route",
"title": "Giants’ Pride Controversy, Data Center in Pittsburg, and Youth-Backed Improvements to SF Bus Route",
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"headTitle": "Giants’ Pride Controversy, Data Center in Pittsburg, and Youth-Backed Improvements to SF Bus Route | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>In this June 2026 edition of the monthly news roundup, we discuss the Giants’ pride month controversy, the debate over a new data center coming to Pittsburg, and how high school students pushed for improvements to their local bus line in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC9556918216&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/pittsburg-controversy-over-data-center-old-delta-view-golf-course\">Pittsburg controversy over data center on old Delta View Golf Course\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/pittsburg-california-steel-mill-21307691.php\">This Bay Area suburb lost its main industry. Can it rebuild?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084077/in-san-francisco-students-become-transit-advocates-to-fix-the-citys-school-bus\">In San Francisco, Students Become Transit Advocates to Fix ‘the City’s School Bus’ \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/sf-giants-fans-pride-response-22318144.php\">Fans chew out SF Giants for team’s ‘weak’ response to Pride Night saga\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"\" title=\"\">\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Episode transcript\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:51] I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted, and welcome to our June news roundup where we talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. In the studio with me is Senior Editor Alan Montecillo. Hey, Alan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:01:07] Hello, good morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:08] And our very special guest this week is KQED producer Francesca Fenzi. Hey Francesca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:01:14] Hey, thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:15] Yeah, it’s so nice to have you here with us filling in on the show before our July break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:01:22] Yes, as long-time listeners of the show know, we do not make new episodes in the month of July. There’s a few reasons why we do this. The main one is that it’s a lot of work to make three episodes a week with only three people. And so this is really the only time of year where we have the ability to do any kind of long-term planning, any strategizing about the future of the show. It’s also frankly the only times, Ericka, when both you and I can take vacation at the same time. So in July we’ll be taking a bit of a break, doing some planning, and we’ll also be introducing a new producer for the show, which we will have later on in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:59] Right, right. So lots to come for you all listeners when we get back in August, but make sure you stay subscribed to The Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:02:08] Maybe catch up on old episodes you didn’t finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:02:11] Totally, or take a listen to some Bay Curious while you’re missing us. We’re also wrapping up the end of Pride Month here, and I guess to dive into our stories for this month, Francesca, not a great way to transition into your, I guess, kind of Pride month story, but tell us about the story you brought for us today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:02:38] Yes, yes. Well, as you may already know a little bit, there has been a bit of a pride controversy around the Giants, the San Francisco baseball team. So at a Pride Month event on June 12, this was a game themed around pride that the Giants play every year, or at least they’ve played this every year since about 2021. So it’s been going for a while. And three pitchers for the Giants walked onto the field with inscribed Bible verses on their hats. And that kicked off a controversy that we’re still feeling the ripple effects of for the rest of the month\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:03:12] Right. So these were, um, for pride night, they were wearing these caps, right? That had the normal SF logo, but that was rainbow colored, right. And so the pictures had written references to Bible verses kind of over or on the hats. Is that right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:03:25] Yeah, exactly. So the typical uniform that players wear for this pride event, it’s the same San Francisco Giants jersey with rainbow insignia on the on the jerseys on the hats. And these three pictures, particularly the starting pitcher Landen Roupp, when he came onto the field, his hat had a reference to a passage from the book of Genesis, which had been scrolled over the rainbow logo. This is a passage that characterizes the rainbow as a sort of covenant between God and the faithful in Christianity. Obviously, rainbow is super prominent symbol for the queer community as well. So this Bible verse has been used by Christian groups in the past that oppose same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general to sort of, you know, kind of counter the narrative that rainbows are symbolic for the, the queer Community. And it’s kind of a controversial move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:16] Yeah, and I’ve seen quite a bit of the backlash online. I mean, a lot of Giants fans feeling really disappointed in the team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:04:28] Yes, the fan response has been pretty negative, particularly from the queer community. Obviously, San Francisco is a city that has long been a mecca for queer people, super gay city. And historically, the baseball team has been really aligned with that. The Giants were the first professional sports team to host a game raising awareness for and money for the AIDS epidemic. That was in 1994. And then, of course, in 2021, they began. This Pride event and we’re actually the first team to incorporate Rainbow Colors and do a Pride-themed game annually. Many other Major League Baseball teams have adopted that practice now. So the Giants have a pretty pro-LGBTQ community history and I think fans were very upset by that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:05:14] So three players who wrote these verses over the Pride themed hats, I’m sure they’ve seen a lot of the backlash that’s happened. Have they responded to this publicly at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:05:26] Well, so the players themselves have largely let the Bible verses speak for themselves. There was a post-game interview with that starting pitcher who I mentioned, Landon Roop. He more or less described this as something that represents his relationship to Christianity, the covenant between him and God, and tried to kind of downplay it as something that was a broader cultural statement and more about a personal belief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:53] What about the franchise more broadly and also the MLB, how are they responding to this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:05:58] Yeah, so the major league baseball officials did reprimand these pitchers, but not for the contents of their message. So MLB has a policy against slogans and writing on team uniforms generally, and they made a really big point of citing this as a rules violation of that standing no slogans policy. In fact, they even compared it to writing things like Happy Birthday Mom, which was another real example that a player’s been disciplined for in the past. So I think that landed a little lackluster for fans who were hoping to see the league take more of a stance on the content and the messaging. And then the team’s president, Buster Posey, this is his second year managing the team and he sort of dodged the controversy altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reporter \u003c/strong>[00:06:43] Buster, you were a member of this organization for a long time, and every year there’s been a night to honor the gay community. Did you object to those nights when you were player?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buster Posey \u003c/strong>[00:06:57] I mentioned that I’m not going to revisit it, so if you want to ask baseball questions, I’ll answer baseball questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reporter \u003c/strong>[00:07:02] Were you planning to reach out to the gay community about any of this or no?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buster Posey \u003c/strong>[00:07:06] Again, if you wanna go baseball questions I made my statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:07:09] Really awkward press conference where he actively avoided answering many questions about this. In addition to some of the questions about how the team was playing and some other uncomfortable things he didn’t want to have to talk about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:07:23] I feel like whenever anything remotely controversial happens in San Francisco, many people across the country take notice and have opinions about it, particularly conservative media and conservative political figures. I know there’s been some stuff around that, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:07:37] Yes, yes, certainly this became a national news story. The New York Times has been reporting about it. Fox News has been recording about it, and part of the reason why this has blown up so much is that it fits into this broader context of the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric, which has been demonizing queer and trans people. That, of course, has frustrated and frightened many people in the community, particularly in this month of pride, which is usually and a time to celebrate. And then it’s also fitting into this larger conversation that’s playing out in sports. This is, of course, not the first time that athletes or even Bay Area athletes have used their platform or visibility to advocate for personal beliefs. The most prominent example of that probably being 49ers football player Colin Kaepernick. He, of of course we all remember, took a knee to protest police brutality and racial injustice in 2016 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. This current controversy with the Giants has become a flash point for some of those conversations about what the role of players’ beliefs should be in sport. And of course, the conservative media outlets have kind of latched onto this as being a one-for-one comparison. Fans have pushed back on this and have been describing the Bible verses as bigotry and something that is excluding a body of the fandom, a group of people, and not necessarily akin to the Black Lives Matter. Protests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:06] And if I’m understanding correctly as well, Francesca, the Giants aren’t doing very well in terms of their games either, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:09:16] That has been I think the roughest part is that they are the Giants are not doing well this season. They are fourth in the division. They’ve lost a lot of games and I think even more specifically, they have lost a lotta games even when they’ve scored a lot of runs. So the fans have really pushed the blame on that to the bullpen and onto the pitchers for losing these advantages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:42] Well, Francesca, thank you so much for bringing that story. Appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:09:45] Yeah, my pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:47] Well, we’re gonna take a quick break, but when we come back, we’re going to talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:45] And welcome back to the Bay’s June News Roundup, where we talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. And now we’re gonna talk about a story that I am bringing from Pittsburg in Contra Costa County, where the city is planning to build a 300,000 square foot data center on a former golf course. And residents are not happy about it. Earlier this month, more than 300 Pittsburg residents packed this city hall meeting to express their concerns over this new data center. For context, Pittsburg is this working class suburb. It’s got real blue collar roots and it lost its main industry, the steel plant a couple years ago. And so it’s really sort of struggled with its economic identity and its economic future. And so meanwhile, the city says that this kind of is the answer to its economic problems, but of course others say this doesn’t really reflect the long-term vision that residents have for their city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:11:55] So, uh, this data center you mentioned on a former golf course, 300,000 square feet, um, who is behind it and what is it supposed to be used for?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:06] The company behind this data center is called AVAIO. They say that they develop this sort of energy smart hyper scale data centers that are used for AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:12:18] So the argument for this data center in Pittsburg is related to jobs and economic opportunity. You mentioned though that there’s some vocal pushback against it. What are those folks saying?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:30] There’s a lot of concern from folks, the kind of things that you hear often when it comes to pushback on these data centers, concern about the resources it’ll take, the power, the water that it’ll take to cool down these data centers. But another really big part of this in Pittsburg in particular is this big question that residents have of like, can this valuable land be used for? Something else. Something that actually benefits the community on a daily basis. Maybe it’s a park or mixed-use retail dining, for example, or more community gathering spaces. Something that folks can really use on the day-to-day in their daily lives to improve life in Pittsburg. Another big part of this, too, is this question of transparency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pittsburg resident \u003c/strong>[00:13:28] How about you listen to the community when you represent. You represent that. If you want some money, I got some change in my pocket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:13:33] The interesting thing is that this data center was approved unanimously a couple of years ago, actually, in November of 2024. It seems like the public backlash is only sort of happening now, and that is in part because of these transparency concerns. I think a lot of folks spoke at this city council meeting earlier this month, really feeling not included in the process of deciding to build this data center, not feeling like they had enough opportunity to express their concerns about it. There’s a petition going around that’s been signed by more than 20,000 people now, and it states that this is not an opposition to technology or progress, but it’s a call for, quote, thoughtful planning and responsible land use that reflects the priorities of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:14:24] Regarding the timeline, I also wonder if part of this is because there’s more of an AI backlash sentiment in the air in 2026 than there was in 2024, in that not just in the Bay, but nationwide opposition to data centers is perhaps one of the few tangible things that AI skeptics feel they can do to oppose this seemingly kind of so-called, framed as inevitable growth of AI. Not being a Pittsburgh resident. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I wonder if part of that, if you’re the city, you’re like, well, we had this two years ago, like, what’s your problem with it now, I think the conversation day to day around AI data centers is pretty different than it was two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:15:08] No, totally. I mean, I feel like I know so much more about the water usage of these data centers than I did two years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:15:15] Same. Has the company behind this data center in Pittsburgh said where they’re planning to pull energy and resources from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:15:25] City officials have said that the power will not come from the PG&E power grid that supplies local residents, but instead something called the Pittsburgh Power Company. And so they’re really trying to say, like, this won’t cause any increase in local rates, for example, in people’s PG&Es bills. And then they’re saying that the water that will be used to cool the center will be primarily recycled water from the Delta Diablo treatment plant, according to the city of Pittsburgh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Allison Spells \u003c/strong>[00:15:57] There are two concerns you hear about data centers all across the country, electricity and water. In Pittsburgh, the approved project handles both in ways that are specific to this community, and this is where it really stands apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:16:11] John Funberg, the Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development, and Allison Spells, who’s a Senior Planner for the city, really emphasized in this video that, you know, the project is operating under very strict environmental rules that they did, their due diligence to do an environmental impact report on the potential, you now, consequences of having a data center in the community. And they say that they have plans for how to mitigate the environmental impact of this project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:16:46] And if I understand it correctly, this is not the only data center in the Bay Area that is meeting with some local pushback, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:16:55] Yeah, that’s correct. Not too far away in Oakley, actually, the city recently unanimously voted to ban data centers. And then in December, Amazon began construction on a super controversial data center in Gilroy. So this is, I feel like another example of just these communities that exist on like the fringes of Silicon Valley. That are sort of struggling economically and then having to choose between a future where data centers are the future or it’s something else. And that is it for my very complicated news roundup story. Alan, we’re gonna turn to you for the last one here. What story did you bring for us today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:17:48] So I have a fun, inspiring, lighter story about transit activism in San Francisco. This is a story by KQED’s Elise Manoukian about how students have been successfully pushing for improvements to their local bus line, specifically the 29. Shout out to the sunset, that’s where I live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:18:07] And so Alan, for those of us who don’t live in San Francisco, tell me more about the 29 and who it serves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:18:13] This bus line goes through about 35 different schools across the city. 12% of riders on the 29 are students. That’s more than the city’s average. It goes from Baker Beach on one end, south through the Richmond, Golden Gate Park, the Sunset. It goes through San Francisco State and actually cuts east through Ingleside, Excelsior, Bayview. It’s actually the longest daytime bus route. And what students say, and honestly, many riders, including myself, would observe, is that. There’ve been lots of problems with crowding, delays, reliability. I mean, this is a very used bus line, actually. It’s about at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership because it, it serves lots of neighborhoods and not downtown. But if you can imagine a public bus line that has lots of students, you know, at around eight o’clock and 3.30, there’s just a huge influx of people getting on the bus. So you wind up with busses that get bunched together. Maybe you think you’re going to get on a bus, but it’s too full and you got to wait for the next one. Maybe you’re a student waiting for your bus in the morning and then you’re late for class because the bus you thought was gonna be available is not available. Some of that advocacy that came from students, particularly a group called the Lowell Transit Club at Lowell High School, had been pushing for changes since, honestly, before COVID, since around 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:19:30] I definitely remember being a student at San Francisco State, standing at the bus stop and then seeing a packed 29, filled like sardine, people just like squished in there and just always being like, God, I’m not going to get on that. The worst, truly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:19:48] The worst feeling. And so what were some of the changes that these students proposed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:19:54] Right, so some of these students at the Lowell Transit Club had been going to public meetings and organizing feedback campaigns, talking directly to SFMTA officials. So a lot of these are sort of quality of life improvements, consolidating bus stops to help increase the speed, infrastructure improvements, making wider sidewalks so it’s easier to board. Sometimes consolidating stops can get a bit contentious because you get into this problem of access, like maybe you live near a bus stop and it’s no longer available. But then the trade-off is that You know, fewer stops equals going faster. Some of these proposed changes had even been, um, going on before COVID. So yeah, a series of changes designed to create faster service, more convenient service, and avoid this sort of overcrowding problem where, or this issue when you think you’re going to get on a bus and it’s packed to the brim and you just got to wait for the next one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:20:43] I mean, I think it’s interesting that some of these students have been working on this since like before the pandemic. I imagine some of them have probably graduated by this point, but I don’t know. It seems like an inspiring story about like, what you can do to like improve their community’s transit system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:21:05] Yeah, I mean, I think it’s inspiring. This student advocacy has been going on, like you said, in various ways since 2019. So at this point in high school time, that’s like multiple generations of students who have been talking directly to SFMTA. I think its great whenever local officials are willing to talk directly to the people who use the thing that they’re in charge of and see what they can do with limited resources. And yeah, in many cases, some of these students can’t even vote yet. But they are constituents nonetheless, because they use a thing funded by tax dollars. And it’s not over yet either. There are some students who say they want a rapid line on the 29, kind of like the 38 that goes down Geary. Can we get a rapid-line that has fewer stops but faster service? SFMTA said they like the idea, but they want to stabilize funding before they consider it. But some of these students are also part of that organizing effort for the sales tax measures on the ballot this November. Even though they can’t vote in it. So, so yeah, I mean, organizing, talking to your official, it doesn’t always yield what you want, but it can happen. You can improve things where you live little by little.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In this June 2026 edition of the monthly news roundup, we discuss the Giants’ pride month controversy, the debate over a new data center coming to Pittsburg, and how high school students pushed for improvements to their local bus line in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC9556918216&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/pittsburg-controversy-over-data-center-old-delta-view-golf-course\">Pittsburg controversy over data center on old Delta View Golf Course\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/pittsburg-california-steel-mill-21307691.php\">This Bay Area suburb lost its main industry. Can it rebuild?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084077/in-san-francisco-students-become-transit-advocates-to-fix-the-citys-school-bus\">In San Francisco, Students Become Transit Advocates to Fix ‘the City’s School Bus’ \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/sf-giants-fans-pride-response-22318144.php\">Fans chew out SF Giants for team’s ‘weak’ response to Pride Night saga\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"\" title=\"\">\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Episode transcript\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:51] I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted, and welcome to our June news roundup where we talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. In the studio with me is Senior Editor Alan Montecillo. Hey, Alan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:01:07] Hello, good morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:08] And our very special guest this week is KQED producer Francesca Fenzi. Hey Francesca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:01:14] Hey, thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:15] Yeah, it’s so nice to have you here with us filling in on the show before our July break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:01:22] Yes, as long-time listeners of the show know, we do not make new episodes in the month of July. There’s a few reasons why we do this. The main one is that it’s a lot of work to make three episodes a week with only three people. And so this is really the only time of year where we have the ability to do any kind of long-term planning, any strategizing about the future of the show. It’s also frankly the only times, Ericka, when both you and I can take vacation at the same time. So in July we’ll be taking a bit of a break, doing some planning, and we’ll also be introducing a new producer for the show, which we will have later on in July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:59] Right, right. So lots to come for you all listeners when we get back in August, but make sure you stay subscribed to The Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:02:08] Maybe catch up on old episodes you didn’t finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:02:11] Totally, or take a listen to some Bay Curious while you’re missing us. We’re also wrapping up the end of Pride Month here, and I guess to dive into our stories for this month, Francesca, not a great way to transition into your, I guess, kind of Pride month story, but tell us about the story you brought for us today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:02:38] Yes, yes. Well, as you may already know a little bit, there has been a bit of a pride controversy around the Giants, the San Francisco baseball team. So at a Pride Month event on June 12, this was a game themed around pride that the Giants play every year, or at least they’ve played this every year since about 2021. So it’s been going for a while. And three pitchers for the Giants walked onto the field with inscribed Bible verses on their hats. And that kicked off a controversy that we’re still feeling the ripple effects of for the rest of the month\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:03:12] Right. So these were, um, for pride night, they were wearing these caps, right? That had the normal SF logo, but that was rainbow colored, right. And so the pictures had written references to Bible verses kind of over or on the hats. Is that right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:03:25] Yeah, exactly. So the typical uniform that players wear for this pride event, it’s the same San Francisco Giants jersey with rainbow insignia on the on the jerseys on the hats. And these three pictures, particularly the starting pitcher Landen Roupp, when he came onto the field, his hat had a reference to a passage from the book of Genesis, which had been scrolled over the rainbow logo. This is a passage that characterizes the rainbow as a sort of covenant between God and the faithful in Christianity. Obviously, rainbow is super prominent symbol for the queer community as well. So this Bible verse has been used by Christian groups in the past that oppose same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general to sort of, you know, kind of counter the narrative that rainbows are symbolic for the, the queer Community. And it’s kind of a controversial move.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:04:16] Yeah, and I’ve seen quite a bit of the backlash online. I mean, a lot of Giants fans feeling really disappointed in the team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:04:28] Yes, the fan response has been pretty negative, particularly from the queer community. Obviously, San Francisco is a city that has long been a mecca for queer people, super gay city. And historically, the baseball team has been really aligned with that. The Giants were the first professional sports team to host a game raising awareness for and money for the AIDS epidemic. That was in 1994. And then, of course, in 2021, they began. This Pride event and we’re actually the first team to incorporate Rainbow Colors and do a Pride-themed game annually. Many other Major League Baseball teams have adopted that practice now. So the Giants have a pretty pro-LGBTQ community history and I think fans were very upset by that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:05:14] So three players who wrote these verses over the Pride themed hats, I’m sure they’ve seen a lot of the backlash that’s happened. Have they responded to this publicly at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:05:26] Well, so the players themselves have largely let the Bible verses speak for themselves. There was a post-game interview with that starting pitcher who I mentioned, Landon Roop. He more or less described this as something that represents his relationship to Christianity, the covenant between him and God, and tried to kind of downplay it as something that was a broader cultural statement and more about a personal belief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:53] What about the franchise more broadly and also the MLB, how are they responding to this?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:05:58] Yeah, so the major league baseball officials did reprimand these pitchers, but not for the contents of their message. So MLB has a policy against slogans and writing on team uniforms generally, and they made a really big point of citing this as a rules violation of that standing no slogans policy. In fact, they even compared it to writing things like Happy Birthday Mom, which was another real example that a player’s been disciplined for in the past. So I think that landed a little lackluster for fans who were hoping to see the league take more of a stance on the content and the messaging. And then the team’s president, Buster Posey, this is his second year managing the team and he sort of dodged the controversy altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reporter \u003c/strong>[00:06:43] Buster, you were a member of this organization for a long time, and every year there’s been a night to honor the gay community. Did you object to those nights when you were player?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buster Posey \u003c/strong>[00:06:57] I mentioned that I’m not going to revisit it, so if you want to ask baseball questions, I’ll answer baseball questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reporter \u003c/strong>[00:07:02] Were you planning to reach out to the gay community about any of this or no?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buster Posey \u003c/strong>[00:07:06] Again, if you wanna go baseball questions I made my statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:07:09] Really awkward press conference where he actively avoided answering many questions about this. In addition to some of the questions about how the team was playing and some other uncomfortable things he didn’t want to have to talk about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:07:23] I feel like whenever anything remotely controversial happens in San Francisco, many people across the country take notice and have opinions about it, particularly conservative media and conservative political figures. I know there’s been some stuff around that, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:07:37] Yes, yes, certainly this became a national news story. The New York Times has been reporting about it. Fox News has been recording about it, and part of the reason why this has blown up so much is that it fits into this broader context of the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric, which has been demonizing queer and trans people. That, of course, has frustrated and frightened many people in the community, particularly in this month of pride, which is usually and a time to celebrate. And then it’s also fitting into this larger conversation that’s playing out in sports. This is, of course, not the first time that athletes or even Bay Area athletes have used their platform or visibility to advocate for personal beliefs. The most prominent example of that probably being 49ers football player Colin Kaepernick. He, of of course we all remember, took a knee to protest police brutality and racial injustice in 2016 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. This current controversy with the Giants has become a flash point for some of those conversations about what the role of players’ beliefs should be in sport. And of course, the conservative media outlets have kind of latched onto this as being a one-for-one comparison. Fans have pushed back on this and have been describing the Bible verses as bigotry and something that is excluding a body of the fandom, a group of people, and not necessarily akin to the Black Lives Matter. Protests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:06] And if I’m understanding correctly as well, Francesca, the Giants aren’t doing very well in terms of their games either, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:09:16] That has been I think the roughest part is that they are the Giants are not doing well this season. They are fourth in the division. They’ve lost a lot of games and I think even more specifically, they have lost a lotta games even when they’ve scored a lot of runs. So the fans have really pushed the blame on that to the bullpen and onto the pitchers for losing these advantages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:42] Well, Francesca, thank you so much for bringing that story. Appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:09:45] Yeah, my pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:09:47] Well, we’re gonna take a quick break, but when we come back, we’re going to talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:45] And welcome back to the Bay’s June News Roundup, where we talk about some of the other stories on our radars this month. And now we’re gonna talk about a story that I am bringing from Pittsburg in Contra Costa County, where the city is planning to build a 300,000 square foot data center on a former golf course. And residents are not happy about it. Earlier this month, more than 300 Pittsburg residents packed this city hall meeting to express their concerns over this new data center. For context, Pittsburg is this working class suburb. It’s got real blue collar roots and it lost its main industry, the steel plant a couple years ago. And so it’s really sort of struggled with its economic identity and its economic future. And so meanwhile, the city says that this kind of is the answer to its economic problems, but of course others say this doesn’t really reflect the long-term vision that residents have for their city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:11:55] So, uh, this data center you mentioned on a former golf course, 300,000 square feet, um, who is behind it and what is it supposed to be used for?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:06] The company behind this data center is called AVAIO. They say that they develop this sort of energy smart hyper scale data centers that are used for AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:12:18] So the argument for this data center in Pittsburg is related to jobs and economic opportunity. You mentioned though that there’s some vocal pushback against it. What are those folks saying?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:30] There’s a lot of concern from folks, the kind of things that you hear often when it comes to pushback on these data centers, concern about the resources it’ll take, the power, the water that it’ll take to cool down these data centers. But another really big part of this in Pittsburg in particular is this big question that residents have of like, can this valuable land be used for? Something else. Something that actually benefits the community on a daily basis. Maybe it’s a park or mixed-use retail dining, for example, or more community gathering spaces. Something that folks can really use on the day-to-day in their daily lives to improve life in Pittsburg. Another big part of this, too, is this question of transparency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pittsburg resident \u003c/strong>[00:13:28] How about you listen to the community when you represent. You represent that. If you want some money, I got some change in my pocket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:13:33] The interesting thing is that this data center was approved unanimously a couple of years ago, actually, in November of 2024. It seems like the public backlash is only sort of happening now, and that is in part because of these transparency concerns. I think a lot of folks spoke at this city council meeting earlier this month, really feeling not included in the process of deciding to build this data center, not feeling like they had enough opportunity to express their concerns about it. There’s a petition going around that’s been signed by more than 20,000 people now, and it states that this is not an opposition to technology or progress, but it’s a call for, quote, thoughtful planning and responsible land use that reflects the priorities of the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:14:24] Regarding the timeline, I also wonder if part of this is because there’s more of an AI backlash sentiment in the air in 2026 than there was in 2024, in that not just in the Bay, but nationwide opposition to data centers is perhaps one of the few tangible things that AI skeptics feel they can do to oppose this seemingly kind of so-called, framed as inevitable growth of AI. Not being a Pittsburgh resident. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I wonder if part of that, if you’re the city, you’re like, well, we had this two years ago, like, what’s your problem with it now, I think the conversation day to day around AI data centers is pretty different than it was two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:15:08] No, totally. I mean, I feel like I know so much more about the water usage of these data centers than I did two years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:15:15] Same. Has the company behind this data center in Pittsburgh said where they’re planning to pull energy and resources from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:15:25] City officials have said that the power will not come from the PG&E power grid that supplies local residents, but instead something called the Pittsburgh Power Company. And so they’re really trying to say, like, this won’t cause any increase in local rates, for example, in people’s PG&Es bills. And then they’re saying that the water that will be used to cool the center will be primarily recycled water from the Delta Diablo treatment plant, according to the city of Pittsburgh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Allison Spells \u003c/strong>[00:15:57] There are two concerns you hear about data centers all across the country, electricity and water. In Pittsburgh, the approved project handles both in ways that are specific to this community, and this is where it really stands apart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:16:11] John Funberg, the Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development, and Allison Spells, who’s a Senior Planner for the city, really emphasized in this video that, you know, the project is operating under very strict environmental rules that they did, their due diligence to do an environmental impact report on the potential, you now, consequences of having a data center in the community. And they say that they have plans for how to mitigate the environmental impact of this project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:16:46] And if I understand it correctly, this is not the only data center in the Bay Area that is meeting with some local pushback, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:16:55] Yeah, that’s correct. Not too far away in Oakley, actually, the city recently unanimously voted to ban data centers. And then in December, Amazon began construction on a super controversial data center in Gilroy. So this is, I feel like another example of just these communities that exist on like the fringes of Silicon Valley. That are sort of struggling economically and then having to choose between a future where data centers are the future or it’s something else. And that is it for my very complicated news roundup story. Alan, we’re gonna turn to you for the last one here. What story did you bring for us today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:17:48] So I have a fun, inspiring, lighter story about transit activism in San Francisco. This is a story by KQED’s Elise Manoukian about how students have been successfully pushing for improvements to their local bus line, specifically the 29. Shout out to the sunset, that’s where I live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:18:07] And so Alan, for those of us who don’t live in San Francisco, tell me more about the 29 and who it serves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:18:13] This bus line goes through about 35 different schools across the city. 12% of riders on the 29 are students. That’s more than the city’s average. It goes from Baker Beach on one end, south through the Richmond, Golden Gate Park, the Sunset. It goes through San Francisco State and actually cuts east through Ingleside, Excelsior, Bayview. It’s actually the longest daytime bus route. And what students say, and honestly, many riders, including myself, would observe, is that. There’ve been lots of problems with crowding, delays, reliability. I mean, this is a very used bus line, actually. It’s about at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership because it, it serves lots of neighborhoods and not downtown. But if you can imagine a public bus line that has lots of students, you know, at around eight o’clock and 3.30, there’s just a huge influx of people getting on the bus. So you wind up with busses that get bunched together. Maybe you think you’re going to get on a bus, but it’s too full and you got to wait for the next one. Maybe you’re a student waiting for your bus in the morning and then you’re late for class because the bus you thought was gonna be available is not available. Some of that advocacy that came from students, particularly a group called the Lowell Transit Club at Lowell High School, had been pushing for changes since, honestly, before COVID, since around 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:19:30] I definitely remember being a student at San Francisco State, standing at the bus stop and then seeing a packed 29, filled like sardine, people just like squished in there and just always being like, God, I’m not going to get on that. The worst, truly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Francesca Fenzi \u003c/strong>[00:19:48] The worst feeling. And so what were some of the changes that these students proposed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:19:54] Right, so some of these students at the Lowell Transit Club had been going to public meetings and organizing feedback campaigns, talking directly to SFMTA officials. So a lot of these are sort of quality of life improvements, consolidating bus stops to help increase the speed, infrastructure improvements, making wider sidewalks so it’s easier to board. Sometimes consolidating stops can get a bit contentious because you get into this problem of access, like maybe you live near a bus stop and it’s no longer available. But then the trade-off is that You know, fewer stops equals going faster. Some of these proposed changes had even been, um, going on before COVID. So yeah, a series of changes designed to create faster service, more convenient service, and avoid this sort of overcrowding problem where, or this issue when you think you’re going to get on a bus and it’s packed to the brim and you just got to wait for the next one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:20:43] I mean, I think it’s interesting that some of these students have been working on this since like before the pandemic. I imagine some of them have probably graduated by this point, but I don’t know. It seems like an inspiring story about like, what you can do to like improve their community’s transit system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alan Montecillo \u003c/strong>[00:21:05] Yeah, I mean, I think it’s inspiring. This student advocacy has been going on, like you said, in various ways since 2019. So at this point in high school time, that’s like multiple generations of students who have been talking directly to SFMTA. I think its great whenever local officials are willing to talk directly to the people who use the thing that they’re in charge of and see what they can do with limited resources. And yeah, in many cases, some of these students can’t even vote yet. But they are constituents nonetheless, because they use a thing funded by tax dollars. And it’s not over yet either. There are some students who say they want a rapid line on the 29, kind of like the 38 that goes down Geary. Can we get a rapid-line that has fewer stops but faster service? SFMTA said they like the idea, but they want to stabilize funding before they consider it. But some of these students are also part of that organizing effort for the sales tax measures on the ballot this November. Even though they can’t vote in it. So, so yeah, I mean, organizing, talking to your official, it doesn’t always yield what you want, but it can happen. You can improve things where you live little by little.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Franciscans\u003c/a> will be asked to pay for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/muni\">Muni \u003c/a>in a whole new way this November. Not just at fare gates and ticket vending machines, but through an annual parcel tax as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074874/amid-bid-to-save-bay-area-transit-muni-gets-a-campaign-of-its-own\">Stronger Muni For All campaign\u003c/a> announced Tuesday that it submitted enough valid signatures to qualify a parcel tax measure for the upcoming Nov. 3 general election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Muni connects every corner of this city, and without dedicated funding, the service cuts would be devastating. Cutting Muni would drive up costs for working families, set back our economic recovery, and clog our streets with more traffic,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, one of the measure’s supporters, said in a press release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure is a high-stakes, last-ditch effort at securing sustainable funding for the Bay Area’s most-ridden public transit agency as it confronts a more than $300 million budget deficit beginning in July. Every funding source that Muni relies on — from tax revenue, grants and parking fees to Muni fares — has cratered since the pandemic, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni. SFMTA projects the deficit will grow to $430 million by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved by voters, property owners would be billed annually based on their type of property and square footage. Most owners of single-family properties would need to pay $129 annually, multifamily property owners would owe $249 and commercial landlords would have to shell out $799, with additional tax levied if the properties exceed a certain square footage limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075259\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075259\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks during a kickoff event for the “Stronger Muni for All” measure at Dolores Park in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. Supporters say the proposal would prevent major Muni service cuts as the transit system faces a budget shortfall. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About $150 million of the revenue generated annually from this tax would be used to reduce Muni’s deficit, and about $10 million would pay for “marginal service quality improvements,” according to the SFMTA. The measure would expire in 15 years, and the tax amount would be annually adjusted for inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fate of Muni, and other major Bay Area transit agencies, also rests on the passage of a separate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>, called the Connect Bay Area Act. That measure would generate around $1 billion annually for BART, AC Transit, Caltrain and Muni, as well as some smaller East Bay transit agencies, by imposing a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco over 14 years. That campaign said it submitted enough signatures to qualify the measure last month and is awaiting validation by county election officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If one or both measures fail to pass, Muni warned it would be forced to eliminate up to 20 routes, reduce evening service up to 60%, reduce or eliminate historic cable car routes and double wait times for some lines.[aside postID=news_12084841 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260123-signaturekickoff00181_TV_qed.jpg']The SFMTA Board of Directors unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt recommendations made by an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084766/bay-area-transit-agencies-saved-1-billion-since-2020-can-they-sustain-those-savings\">independent oversight committee\u003c/a> meant to increase revenue and cost savings at the agency. The recommendations are a required part of SB 63, the state bill that authorized the regional tax measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA plans to generate more revenue by improving fare compliance on Muni vehicles and increasing staffing of parking control officers. The agency also plans to save money by reviewing high-spend contracts and right-sizing fleets to match demand, for example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These efforts, combined with the two ballot measures, will close the deficit, according to the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Max Szabo, a spokesperson for Stronger Muni For All, acknowledged the difficult climate in which the campaign was asking voters to tax themselves for the future of transit. He said the primary concern voters are facing up and down the ballot is affordability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, we have to make the case that this is something that should be shouldered by the public in order to advance our quality of life and the livability of the region we call home,” Szabo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Franciscans\u003c/a> will be asked to pay for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/muni\">Muni \u003c/a>in a whole new way this November. Not just at fare gates and ticket vending machines, but through an annual parcel tax as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074874/amid-bid-to-save-bay-area-transit-muni-gets-a-campaign-of-its-own\">Stronger Muni For All campaign\u003c/a> announced Tuesday that it submitted enough valid signatures to qualify a parcel tax measure for the upcoming Nov. 3 general election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Muni connects every corner of this city, and without dedicated funding, the service cuts would be devastating. Cutting Muni would drive up costs for working families, set back our economic recovery, and clog our streets with more traffic,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, one of the measure’s supporters, said in a press release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure is a high-stakes, last-ditch effort at securing sustainable funding for the Bay Area’s most-ridden public transit agency as it confronts a more than $300 million budget deficit beginning in July. Every funding source that Muni relies on — from tax revenue, grants and parking fees to Muni fares — has cratered since the pandemic, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni. SFMTA projects the deficit will grow to $430 million by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved by voters, property owners would be billed annually based on their type of property and square footage. Most owners of single-family properties would need to pay $129 annually, multifamily property owners would owe $249 and commercial landlords would have to shell out $799, with additional tax levied if the properties exceed a certain square footage limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12075259\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12075259\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260303-MUNIFUNDINGKICKOFF-24-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks during a kickoff event for the “Stronger Muni for All” measure at Dolores Park in San Francisco on March 3, 2026. Supporters say the proposal would prevent major Muni service cuts as the transit system faces a budget shortfall. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>About $150 million of the revenue generated annually from this tax would be used to reduce Muni’s deficit, and about $10 million would pay for “marginal service quality improvements,” according to the SFMTA. The measure would expire in 15 years, and the tax amount would be annually adjusted for inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fate of Muni, and other major Bay Area transit agencies, also rests on the passage of a separate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>, called the Connect Bay Area Act. That measure would generate around $1 billion annually for BART, AC Transit, Caltrain and Muni, as well as some smaller East Bay transit agencies, by imposing a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco over 14 years. That campaign said it submitted enough signatures to qualify the measure last month and is awaiting validation by county election officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If one or both measures fail to pass, Muni warned it would be forced to eliminate up to 20 routes, reduce evening service up to 60%, reduce or eliminate historic cable car routes and double wait times for some lines.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The SFMTA Board of Directors unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt recommendations made by an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084766/bay-area-transit-agencies-saved-1-billion-since-2020-can-they-sustain-those-savings\">independent oversight committee\u003c/a> meant to increase revenue and cost savings at the agency. The recommendations are a required part of SB 63, the state bill that authorized the regional tax measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA plans to generate more revenue by improving fare compliance on Muni vehicles and increasing staffing of parking control officers. The agency also plans to save money by reviewing high-spend contracts and right-sizing fleets to match demand, for example.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These efforts, combined with the two ballot measures, will close the deficit, according to the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Max Szabo, a spokesperson for Stronger Muni For All, acknowledged the difficult climate in which the campaign was asking voters to tax themselves for the future of transit. He said the primary concern voters are facing up and down the ballot is affordability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, we have to make the case that this is something that should be shouldered by the public in order to advance our quality of life and the livability of the region we call home,” Szabo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "yosemite-national-park-visitor-congestion-crowding-camping-reservations-where-to-visit-outside-yosemite-valley-yarts",
"title": "Worried About Yosemite Crowds? The Tips That Could Save Your Summer Trip",
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"headTitle": "Worried About Yosemite Crowds? The Tips That Could Save Your Summer Trip | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you have a trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yosemite\">Yosemite National Park\u003c/a> planned this year, you might be watching recent headlines about crowding in the park with mounting concern for your own visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yosemite’s summer season is already in full swing, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjfrmPiWvJ8\">as crowds descended on the popular valley trails\u003c/a> this Memorial Day, with some visitors \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Yosemite/comments/1tmfn0t/parking_full_at_739am/\">reporting parking lots completely full each weekend morning.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Videos captured by visitors of the popular Mist Trail show \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazingaby/video/7643941000976616735\">shoulder-to-shoulder lines\u003c/a> to see the park’s famous waterfalls at peak flow during the springtime. Other videos showed\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@ramireztreeservice512/video/7643256604854340877\"> long lines at park entrance gates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some advocacy groups, including the \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/05/26/national-parks-face-a-strained-summer-as-staffing-shortages-deepen/\">Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks\u003c/a>, blame the overcrowding on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074364/yosemite-national-park-no-reservations-2026-glacier-arches-timed-entry\">park’s decision to end its vehicle reservation system\u003c/a> this year — and continue to raise concerns about seasonal and full-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066741/a-morale-bomb-national-park-workers-face-wage-cuts-and-dubiously-legal-review-system\">staffing at parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response, a spokesperson from the National Park Service told KQED that high visitation and traffic delays during holiday weekends like Memorial Day are common and “not evidence of operational failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, “they reflect the reality of managing one of the nation’s most-visited national parks during peak demand,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074513\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074513\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors hike the Mist Trail toward Vernal Falls on Aug. 31, 2025, in Yosemite National Park, California. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If Memorial Day is an indication of what’s to come, visitors to Yosemite over the next few months should expect similar wait times and crowds during peak days and times all summer long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if \u003cem>you \u003c/em>already have a Yosemite trip planned, luckily there are things you can do to — hopefully — make your visit as stress-free as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We talked to the experts for their tips on visiting Yosemite this summer, and the ways you can try to avoid the now-inevitable crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Gobybus\"> Go by bus\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Packyourownfood\"> Pack your own food\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Bringabike\"> Bring a bike\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Consider your trip timing — and which entrance to use\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The key thing for any visitor planning on heading to Yosemite this summer is to be \u003cem>prepared \u003c/em>for the crowds, said Cory Goehring, a senior naturalist with the Yosemite Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that partners with the park on conservation and programs for visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being prepared means expecting delays and full parking lots at the park’s main attractions in Yosemite Valley, the iconic loop containing some of the park’s most famous landmarks like El Capitan, as well as hotels and visitor centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12060163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12060163\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Views over the Yosemite Valley floor at sunset. \u003ccite>(Matthew Micah Wright/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Haven’t actually planned your Yosemite trip yet? Try to pick off-peak times to visit, like mid-week when crowds will be significantly more scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Goehring said his typical advice is to arrive early to beat the crowds, but he said so far this year, “we are starting to see lines start to form at 7 a.m.,” he said. “So people are hearing that advice and taking it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, he tells visitors to check their traffic and map apps to see how long the delay at the entry gate might be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also try entering the park via a less-popular entrance, like Big Oak Flat, Hetch Hetchy or via Tioga Pass. But be aware: These entrances are multiple hours from one another and from Yosemite Valley, so be sure to double-check your destination and accommodation before taking the long way around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Look beyond Yosemite Valley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Being realistic about visitor levels this summer means “it’s a good time to have a plan B,” Goehring said — and to be ready to explore further afield than the common tourist track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that everyone wants to come to Yosemite Valley,” he said. “But there’s still magic to be had outside of Yosemite Valley if you need to pivot because of the parking lots filling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The park is a huge 1,200 square miles, and you should take advantage of it, Goehring said. Attractions in the valley like Half Dome or El Cap will be slammed with visitors, so consider checking out less-trafficked — but often equally beautiful —areas like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hh.htm\">Hetch Hetchy\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/tuolumne.htm\">Tuolumne Meadows\u003c/a> instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086278\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1343\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997-1536x1042.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Gateway” sign at Camp Mather points to the road to Hetch Hetchy reservoir on Oct. 28, 2021, in Yosemite National Park, California. \u003ccite>(George Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And while, yes, the valley offers some of the park’s most stunning views, you should know: many of its trails are actually extremely steep and just as crowded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the Memorial Day weekend, \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazingaby/video/7643941000976616735\">the popular Mist Trail in particular\u003c/a> saw a major traffic jam as visitors packed the popular day hike, which takes hikers up steep stone steps to views of Vernal and Nevada Falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of the valley, Goehring suggested less crowded alternatives for hikes like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/lyell-canyon--3\">Lyell Canyon\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/may-lake--7\">May Lake\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/mcgurk-meadow/mcgurk-meadow.htm\">McGurk Meadow\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Goehring also recommended finding \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/glacierhikes.htm\">day hikes off the Glacier Point Road like the Ostrander Trail\u003c/a>, which take hikers off the beaten path and deeper into the wild parts of the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can get some really nice, peaceful wilderness experiences by going on day hikes on some of those trails,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Gobybus\">\u003c/a>Leave your car behind\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have a car — or just don’t want to brave the difficult parking situation inside the park — \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/\">you can take public transportation via YARTS\u003c/a> into Yosemite and take advantage of the many shuttle services once inside the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mary-Michal Rawlings, public affairs manager for YARTS, said with Yosemite “such an iconic, pristine environment … we want to do our part to preserve it by keeping as many cars off the road as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The park is just inundated with cars,” she said. “People aren’t parking appropriately, there are no parking spaces, and so obviously a big benefit to riding YARTS this year is that you don’t have to worry about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086279\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People ride the shuttle in Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 16, 2026 in Yosemite, California. The National Park Service announced it will be doing away with summer reservation requirements at several popular parks, including Yosemite, leading to a surge in crowds. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As well as knowing you’re choosing a more environmentally conscious option for getting into and around Yosemite, using public transit like this also “just takes that stress of the trip away,” Rawlings said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the summer, YARTS has four lines that take riders into the park from all four of its entrances, both east and west of the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are stops at other iconic destinations and gateway towns along the way, like in June Lake and Lee Vining on the east side and Wawona and Mariposa to the west.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re coming from the Merced area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/plan-your-trip/how-to-ride/\">YARTS offers free extended parking\u003c/a> at several locations in the city. There are also free Park & Ride facilities in Mariposa and Midpines.[aside postID=news_12047124 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Sonora-Pass-3-1-scaled.jpg']Or, if you’re coming from even farther away using public transit, YARTS offers connections to Greyhound and Amtrak and to cities like Sonora, Merced and Fresno, where you can continue your journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just remember: YARTS is using the same roads as all those cars, and there are no special bus lanes approaching Yosemite or inside the park itself — so you still may experience some traffic and a wait to get through the entry gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one big benefit of being on the bus instead of in your car, Rawlings said, is the bathroom: “There’s lavatories on board. So you’re not sitting in the middle of nowhere thinking, ‘Uh-oh, I’ve got to go to the bathroom, now what?’ You sit back in that relaxed, comfortable AC, you look out the window, and hopefully that takes the stress out of the journey.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While YARTS sets aside half a bus’s tickets for walk-ons, Rawlings advises \u003ca href=\"https://tickets.yarts.com/\">making a reservation in advance\u003c/a> to secure your spot. \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/tickets-and-fares/\">Fares vary by starting and ending point\u003c/a>, but are generally anywhere from $10-$60 each way depending on the length of your trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once inside the park, you can take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm\">Yosemite Valley Shuttle\u003c/a>, which has two different lines — one short and one long loop — and is completely free. There are also a number of shuttles and tour buses that can get you nearly anywhere you’d like to be in the park, including to Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Snag an $8 Yosemite campsite by entering on public transit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Camping in Yosemite is notoriously competitive, and reservations for the high season are booked up months in advance. But another benefit of using YARTS to enter: you get automatic access to the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm\"> four backpackers campgrounds\u003c/a> throughout the park when you arrive, with no advance reservations required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These campgrounds, which include locations in Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, are typically set aside for people entering the park on foot or by bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People look for parking near Curry Village in Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Yosemite, California. The National Park Service announced it will be doing away with summer reservation requirements at several popular parks, including Yosemite, leading to a surge in crowds. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But users of public transportation like YARTS are \u003cem>also \u003c/em>allowed to stay in them for consecutive nights — so long as they don’t stay more than one night in any one campground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staying a night in one of these backpackers campgrounds costs $8 per person, and you can pay the fee using the Recreation.gov mobile app onsite, which will work without internet access if you’ve already downloaded it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And you can bring all the gear you need for that overnight stay, too, Rawlings said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While first-come, first-served, YARTS buses have a decent amount of capacity for gear and even space for a couple of larger pieces of equipment like bikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Packyourownfood\">\u003c/a>Bring your own food — but keep it safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It isn’t just the entrances and parking that attract long lines in the park. Yosemite Valley’s limited infrastructure, including its kiosks, cafes and restaurants, is also bound to be busy this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One solution that will also help you avoid the high prices charged at these concessionaires: Pack your own food in a cooler for the day or weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm\">But make sure you’re not just leaving your food outside at a campsite or in your car overnight\u003c/a>, since bears are notoriously determined to source a meal — and can even force their way into a locked vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12002438\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12002438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A bear wearing a tag and transmitter collar walks near a campground in Yosemite National Park. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goehring said all of the major trailheads and parking lots have bear storage lockers, so you can leave your food securely while you head out on any adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But don’t forget: It’s not just food that you should be storing, Goehring said. Anything that’s scented — like chapstick, deodorant, or even empty coolers — should all be stored safely away from where bears can access them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have an empty cooler with no food in it, bears are really, really smart, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002429/california-camping-tahoe-yosemite-bears-safety-what-to-do-bear-spray\">they can recognize those\u003c/a>, so you definitely want to store those properly,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Bringabike\">\u003c/a>If you have to drive, use a bike (maybe even for free)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You’ll have a much nicer time, Goehring said, if you can park your car at your campsite, accommodation or in another secure spot inside the park for the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From there, remember you can take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm\">Yosemite Valley Shuttle\u003c/a> — or one of those other shuttles and tour buses — around the park to your adventures each day, or you can simply ride a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have your own bike to bring,\u003ca href=\"https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/biking\"> there are several locations offering rental bikes around the park\u003c/a>, including Curry Village, Yosemite Village and the Yosemite Valley Lodge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12065956\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12065956\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Souvenirs, books, hiking gear and other items line the shelves at the Welcome Center in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Yosemite Conservancy even has a \u003ca href=\"https://yosemite.org/yosemite-bike-share/\">free bicycle borrowing program. \u003c/a>Available from June through October in good weather from the Yosemite Village Day Use Parking Area and Camp 4, you can use the nonprofit’s bikes for up to two hours at a time in the valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To snag a free bike, download the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linka-go/id1300433189\">LINKA GO\u003c/a> app, create an account and scan the bike’s QR code to unlock it. Just be sure to obey traffic laws and remember to return it locked up to one of the two hubs, helmet and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is an awesome way to move around the valley and help reduce congestion,” Goehring said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Memorial Day weekend, with no reservation system, spelled long lines and no parking for the rest of the season. Here’s how to maximize your chances of still having a good time in the park this summer.",
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"title": "Worried About Yosemite Crowds? The Tips That Could Save Your Summer Trip | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you have a trip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yosemite\">Yosemite National Park\u003c/a> planned this year, you might be watching recent headlines about crowding in the park with mounting concern for your own visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yosemite’s summer season is already in full swing, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjfrmPiWvJ8\">as crowds descended on the popular valley trails\u003c/a> this Memorial Day, with some visitors \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Yosemite/comments/1tmfn0t/parking_full_at_739am/\">reporting parking lots completely full each weekend morning.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Videos captured by visitors of the popular Mist Trail show \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazingaby/video/7643941000976616735\">shoulder-to-shoulder lines\u003c/a> to see the park’s famous waterfalls at peak flow during the springtime. Other videos showed\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@ramireztreeservice512/video/7643256604854340877\"> long lines at park entrance gates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some advocacy groups, including the \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2026/05/26/national-parks-face-a-strained-summer-as-staffing-shortages-deepen/\">Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks\u003c/a>, blame the overcrowding on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074364/yosemite-national-park-no-reservations-2026-glacier-arches-timed-entry\">park’s decision to end its vehicle reservation system\u003c/a> this year — and continue to raise concerns about seasonal and full-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066741/a-morale-bomb-national-park-workers-face-wage-cuts-and-dubiously-legal-review-system\">staffing at parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response, a spokesperson from the National Park Service told KQED that high visitation and traffic delays during holiday weekends like Memorial Day are common and “not evidence of operational failure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, “they reflect the reality of managing one of the nation’s most-visited national parks during peak demand,” the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074513\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074513\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/YosemiteGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors hike the Mist Trail toward Vernal Falls on Aug. 31, 2025, in Yosemite National Park, California. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If Memorial Day is an indication of what’s to come, visitors to Yosemite over the next few months should expect similar wait times and crowds during peak days and times all summer long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if \u003cem>you \u003c/em>already have a Yosemite trip planned, luckily there are things you can do to — hopefully — make your visit as stress-free as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We talked to the experts for their tips on visiting Yosemite this summer, and the ways you can try to avoid the now-inevitable crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Gobybus\"> Go by bus\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Packyourownfood\"> Pack your own food\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#Bringabike\"> Bring a bike\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Consider your trip timing — and which entrance to use\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The key thing for any visitor planning on heading to Yosemite this summer is to be \u003cem>prepared \u003c/em>for the crowds, said Cory Goehring, a senior naturalist with the Yosemite Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that partners with the park on conservation and programs for visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being prepared means expecting delays and full parking lots at the park’s main attractions in Yosemite Valley, the iconic loop containing some of the park’s most famous landmarks like El Capitan, as well as hotels and visitor centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12060163\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12060163\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/YosemiteGetty3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Views over the Yosemite Valley floor at sunset. \u003ccite>(Matthew Micah Wright/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Haven’t actually planned your Yosemite trip yet? Try to pick off-peak times to visit, like mid-week when crowds will be significantly more scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Goehring said his typical advice is to arrive early to beat the crowds, but he said so far this year, “we are starting to see lines start to form at 7 a.m.,” he said. “So people are hearing that advice and taking it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, he tells visitors to check their traffic and map apps to see how long the delay at the entry gate might be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also try entering the park via a less-popular entrance, like Big Oak Flat, Hetch Hetchy or via Tioga Pass. But be aware: These entrances are multiple hours from one another and from Yosemite Valley, so be sure to double-check your destination and accommodation before taking the long way around.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Look beyond Yosemite Valley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Being realistic about visitor levels this summer means “it’s a good time to have a plan B,” Goehring said — and to be ready to explore further afield than the common tourist track.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know that everyone wants to come to Yosemite Valley,” he said. “But there’s still magic to be had outside of Yosemite Valley if you need to pivot because of the parking lots filling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The park is a huge 1,200 square miles, and you should take advantage of it, Goehring said. Attractions in the valley like Half Dome or El Cap will be slammed with visitors, so consider checking out less-trafficked — but often equally beautiful —areas like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hh.htm\">Hetch Hetchy\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/tuolumne.htm\">Tuolumne Meadows\u003c/a> instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086278\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1343\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1350909997-1536x1042.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Gateway” sign at Camp Mather points to the road to Hetch Hetchy reservoir on Oct. 28, 2021, in Yosemite National Park, California. \u003ccite>(George Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And while, yes, the valley offers some of the park’s most stunning views, you should know: many of its trails are actually extremely steep and just as crowded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the Memorial Day weekend, \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@trailblazingaby/video/7643941000976616735\">the popular Mist Trail in particular\u003c/a> saw a major traffic jam as visitors packed the popular day hike, which takes hikers up steep stone steps to views of Vernal and Nevada Falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside of the valley, Goehring suggested less crowded alternatives for hikes like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/lyell-canyon--3\">Lyell Canyon\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/may-lake--7\">May Lake\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/mcgurk-meadow/mcgurk-meadow.htm\">McGurk Meadow\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Goehring also recommended finding \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/glacierhikes.htm\">day hikes off the Glacier Point Road like the Ostrander Trail\u003c/a>, which take hikers off the beaten path and deeper into the wild parts of the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can get some really nice, peaceful wilderness experiences by going on day hikes on some of those trails,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Gobybus\">\u003c/a>Leave your car behind\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have a car — or just don’t want to brave the difficult parking situation inside the park — \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/\">you can take public transportation via YARTS\u003c/a> into Yosemite and take advantage of the many shuttle services once inside the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mary-Michal Rawlings, public affairs manager for YARTS, said with Yosemite “such an iconic, pristine environment … we want to do our part to preserve it by keeping as many cars off the road as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The park is just inundated with cars,” she said. “People aren’t parking appropriately, there are no parking spaces, and so obviously a big benefit to riding YARTS this year is that you don’t have to worry about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086279\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435266-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People ride the shuttle in Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 16, 2026 in Yosemite, California. The National Park Service announced it will be doing away with summer reservation requirements at several popular parks, including Yosemite, leading to a surge in crowds. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As well as knowing you’re choosing a more environmentally conscious option for getting into and around Yosemite, using public transit like this also “just takes that stress of the trip away,” Rawlings said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the summer, YARTS has four lines that take riders into the park from all four of its entrances, both east and west of the Sierra Nevada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are stops at other iconic destinations and gateway towns along the way, like in June Lake and Lee Vining on the east side and Wawona and Mariposa to the west.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re coming from the Merced area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/plan-your-trip/how-to-ride/\">YARTS offers free extended parking\u003c/a> at several locations in the city. There are also free Park & Ride facilities in Mariposa and Midpines.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Or, if you’re coming from even farther away using public transit, YARTS offers connections to Greyhound and Amtrak and to cities like Sonora, Merced and Fresno, where you can continue your journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just remember: YARTS is using the same roads as all those cars, and there are no special bus lanes approaching Yosemite or inside the park itself — so you still may experience some traffic and a wait to get through the entry gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one big benefit of being on the bus instead of in your car, Rawlings said, is the bathroom: “There’s lavatories on board. So you’re not sitting in the middle of nowhere thinking, ‘Uh-oh, I’ve got to go to the bathroom, now what?’ You sit back in that relaxed, comfortable AC, you look out the window, and hopefully that takes the stress out of the journey.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While YARTS sets aside half a bus’s tickets for walk-ons, Rawlings advises \u003ca href=\"https://tickets.yarts.com/\">making a reservation in advance\u003c/a> to secure your spot. \u003ca href=\"https://www.yarts.com/tickets-and-fares/\">Fares vary by starting and ending point\u003c/a>, but are generally anywhere from $10-$60 each way depending on the length of your trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once inside the park, you can take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm\">Yosemite Valley Shuttle\u003c/a>, which has two different lines — one short and one long loop — and is completely free. There are also a number of shuttles and tour buses that can get you nearly anywhere you’d like to be in the park, including to Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Snag an $8 Yosemite campsite by entering on public transit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Camping in Yosemite is notoriously competitive, and reservations for the high season are booked up months in advance. But another benefit of using YARTS to enter: you get automatic access to the\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm\"> four backpackers campgrounds\u003c/a> throughout the park when you arrive, with no advance reservations required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These campgrounds, which include locations in Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, are typically set aside for people entering the park on foot or by bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12086280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12086280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2276435220-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People look for parking near Curry Village in Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Yosemite, California. The National Park Service announced it will be doing away with summer reservation requirements at several popular parks, including Yosemite, leading to a surge in crowds. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But users of public transportation like YARTS are \u003cem>also \u003c/em>allowed to stay in them for consecutive nights — so long as they don’t stay more than one night in any one campground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staying a night in one of these backpackers campgrounds costs $8 per person, and you can pay the fee using the Recreation.gov mobile app onsite, which will work without internet access if you’ve already downloaded it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And you can bring all the gear you need for that overnight stay, too, Rawlings said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While first-come, first-served, YARTS buses have a decent amount of capacity for gear and even space for a couple of larger pieces of equipment like bikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Packyourownfood\">\u003c/a>Bring your own food — but keep it safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It isn’t just the entrances and parking that attract long lines in the park. Yosemite Valley’s limited infrastructure, including its kiosks, cafes and restaurants, is also bound to be busy this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One solution that will also help you avoid the high prices charged at these concessionaires: Pack your own food in a cooler for the day or weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm\">But make sure you’re not just leaving your food outside at a campsite or in your car overnight\u003c/a>, since bears are notoriously determined to source a meal — and can even force their way into a locked vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12002438\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12002438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/BearCollarCamp-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A bear wearing a tag and transmitter collar walks near a campground in Yosemite National Park. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Goehring said all of the major trailheads and parking lots have bear storage lockers, so you can leave your food securely while you head out on any adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But don’t forget: It’s not just food that you should be storing, Goehring said. Anything that’s scented — like chapstick, deodorant, or even empty coolers — should all be stored safely away from where bears can access them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have an empty cooler with no food in it, bears are really, really smart, so \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002429/california-camping-tahoe-yosemite-bears-safety-what-to-do-bear-spray\">they can recognize those\u003c/a>, so you definitely want to store those properly,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"Bringabike\">\u003c/a>If you have to drive, use a bike (maybe even for free)\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You’ll have a much nicer time, Goehring said, if you can park your car at your campsite, accommodation or in another secure spot inside the park for the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From there, remember you can take the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm\">Yosemite Valley Shuttle\u003c/a> — or one of those other shuttles and tour buses — around the park to your adventures each day, or you can simply ride a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have your own bike to bring,\u003ca href=\"https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/biking\"> there are several locations offering rental bikes around the park\u003c/a>, including Curry Village, Yosemite Village and the Yosemite Valley Lodge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12065956\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12065956\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251027-YosemiteShutdown-51-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Souvenirs, books, hiking gear and other items line the shelves at the Welcome Center in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Yosemite Conservancy even has a \u003ca href=\"https://yosemite.org/yosemite-bike-share/\">free bicycle borrowing program. \u003c/a>Available from June through October in good weather from the Yosemite Village Day Use Parking Area and Camp 4, you can use the nonprofit’s bikes for up to two hours at a time in the valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To snag a free bike, download the \u003ca href=\"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linka-go/id1300433189\">LINKA GO\u003c/a> app, create an account and scan the bike’s QR code to unlock it. Just be sure to obey traffic laws and remember to return it locked up to one of the two hubs, helmet and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is an awesome way to move around the valley and help reduce congestion,” Goehring said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Early Returns Show Strong Support for SMART Tax Extension in Sonoma, Marin",
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"content": "\u003cp>Voters in Sonoma and Marin counties appeared to approve Measure B, a sales tax measure that would fund the Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit District, or SMART, for another 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure extends an existing one-quarter cent sales tax, which would have expired in 2029.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just feels really good that the community has put their trust in us,” Eddy Cumins, SMART’s general manager, said Tuesday night. “Five years ago, the community was very clear about what they wanted to see and I think that the SMART team has delivered that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The yes vote comes just months before Bay Area voters will decide on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">another sales tax measure\u003c/a> to fund BART, MUNI, AC Transit and other local transit systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>North Bay voters approved the existing tax in 2008, which has paid for construction and operation of SMART trains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early returns on Tuesday showed 70% of Marin voters and 70% of Sonoma voters approved the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six years ago, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804544/smart-train-sales-tax-extension-headed-for-defeat-in-sonoma-and-marin\">similar measure failed\u003c/a>. Nearly half of Sonoma County voters — 49.8% — and 53.5% of Marin County voters supported it, but it fell short of the two-thirds threshold needed to pass. Experts attributed the defeat to SMART’s high operating costs and modest ridership.[aside label=\"Live 2026 Election Results\" link1='https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/marin,Marin County: Stay informed with the latest results for elected leaders and measures passed' hero=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2026/05/Aside-Results-2026-Local-Elections-Marin-County-1200x1200@2x.png]“Victory for Measure B was a foregone conclusion because they raised and spent well over a million dollars — and we raised and spent zero,” Kingston Cole with the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers said in an emailed statement. “It’s an extravagant waste of taxpayers’ money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But agency ridership data show more residents of Marin and Sonoma counties are using the train. In April, the agency celebrated the \u003ca href=\"https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=ef9652a97e0297d8fc5daff48&id=60c01491b3\">highest monthly ridership\u003c/a> in its history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://sonomamarintrain.org/sites/default/files/Documents/SMART%20Ridership%20Web%20Posting_4.26.pdf\">agency data\u003c/a>, ridership has rebounded since the pandemic, with more than 1 million customers using the rail last year, compared with 122,849 in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, SMART increased service by 19%, adding more frequent trains earlier in the morning and later in the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also coordinated with Golden Gate Transit and other regional transit providers to create a more seamless and frequent network of trains and buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Bay loves SMART, and they showed their support big time by overwhelmingly passing Measure B,” state Sen. Mike McGuire, who represents Marin and Sonoma counties, said Tuesday night. “SMART is the backbone of public transit in Marin and Sonoma counties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Sonoma and Marin County voters are supporting Measure B to extend a quarter-cent sales tax funding SMART rail for 30 years, ahead of upcoming Bay Area transit ballot measures.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Voters in Sonoma and Marin counties appeared to approve Measure B, a sales tax measure that would fund the Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit District, or SMART, for another 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure extends an existing one-quarter cent sales tax, which would have expired in 2029.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just feels really good that the community has put their trust in us,” Eddy Cumins, SMART’s general manager, said Tuesday night. “Five years ago, the community was very clear about what they wanted to see and I think that the SMART team has delivered that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The yes vote comes just months before Bay Area voters will decide on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">another sales tax measure\u003c/a> to fund BART, MUNI, AC Transit and other local transit systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>North Bay voters approved the existing tax in 2008, which has paid for construction and operation of SMART trains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early returns on Tuesday showed 70% of Marin voters and 70% of Sonoma voters approved the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Six years ago, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11804544/smart-train-sales-tax-extension-headed-for-defeat-in-sonoma-and-marin\">similar measure failed\u003c/a>. Nearly half of Sonoma County voters — 49.8% — and 53.5% of Marin County voters supported it, but it fell short of the two-thirds threshold needed to pass. Experts attributed the defeat to SMART’s high operating costs and modest ridership.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Victory for Measure B was a foregone conclusion because they raised and spent well over a million dollars — and we raised and spent zero,” Kingston Cole with the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers said in an emailed statement. “It’s an extravagant waste of taxpayers’ money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But agency ridership data show more residents of Marin and Sonoma counties are using the train. In April, the agency celebrated the \u003ca href=\"https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=ef9652a97e0297d8fc5daff48&id=60c01491b3\">highest monthly ridership\u003c/a> in its history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://sonomamarintrain.org/sites/default/files/Documents/SMART%20Ridership%20Web%20Posting_4.26.pdf\">agency data\u003c/a>, ridership has rebounded since the pandemic, with more than 1 million customers using the rail last year, compared with 122,849 in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, SMART increased service by 19%, adding more frequent trains earlier in the morning and later in the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also coordinated with Golden Gate Transit and other regional transit providers to create a more seamless and frequent network of trains and buses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Bay loves SMART, and they showed their support big time by overwhelmingly passing Measure B,” state Sen. Mike McGuire, who represents Marin and Sonoma counties, said Tuesday night. “SMART is the backbone of public transit in Marin and Sonoma counties.”\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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"mindshift": {
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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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"order": 12
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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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"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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"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
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