Mark Foley

Dear @SFBART,   YAY! WE WON!   The residents of the Bay Area have given public transit an enormous vote of confidence and BART a 14-year lifeline.   But that support comes with expectations: change, transparency, accountability, and ultimately, financial self-sufficiency.   We cannot mistake this victory for permission to continue doing business as usual. The clock is ticking, and we need to fundamentally rethink both our revenue model and our cost structure to address BART’s long-term structural budget deficit.   The traditional model, built around weekday commuters traveling to and from downtown offices, no longer works. And even if more employees return to the office, we cannot afford to depend exclusively on commuter fares to sustain our system.   We need to reinvent BART for the next generation of riders, revenue, and regional mobility.   We have to start somewhere. Here are a few thoughts to get the conversation moving:   1. DEVELOP A LONG-TERM INNOVATION & FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE ROADMAP  - Create a 5-, 10-, and 15-year roadmap with measurable goals, performance benchmarks, and clear accountability   2. BUDGET, OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY & NEW REVENUE  - Rightsize staffing: Leverage workplace efficiencies, technology, and automation  - Reduce non-emergency overtime: When recurring overtime becomes the norm, evaluate whether additional staffing is more cost-effective  - Monetize station parking assets: Explore digital billboards and other advertising opportunities  - Implement dynamic parking pricing: Consider surge pricing, as well as evening and weekend parking fees  - Explore dynamic fare pricing: Evaluate time-of-day and direction-of-travel pricing to better manage capacity and generate revenue 3. RIDER EXPERIENCE & FARE INNOVATION  - Extend weekend service: Keep the system open until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and New Year’s Eve (Thanks, Maddy!)  - Explore early openings on weekends to encourage airport travel  - Rethink fare structures: Introduce a simplified pricing model:  - Short trips: 1-4 stations  - Longer trips: 5+ stations  - Dedicated airport fare  - Expand BayPass: Develop an individual rider option  - Reward frequent riders: Explore a “Ride 4 Days a Week, Get 3 Free” program  - Expand pass options: Offer monthly, family, and tourist passes  - Maintain equitable access: Fare-free programs for eligible students and riders with disabilities  - Strengthen first- and last-mile connections: Work with small bus operators and feeder-service partners to identify sustainable funding opportunities for their services and strengthen coordination around BART schedule changes  - Improve Paratransit: Evaluate bringing the service in-house or developing a procurement model that attracts more competitive bids and delivers better value  - Put politics aside on BSVII: Ensure the project meets or exceeds BART’s safety and operational requirements - or reconsider moving forward   4. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) Every TOD project should create a destination, not simply add housing. We need restaurants, bars, clubs, entertainment, retail, and other attractions that give people reasons to visit our stations throughout the day and evening We cannot rely solely on TOD residents to generate the ridership and economic activity needed to make these investments successful   5. LEGISLATIVE & REGIONAL REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES  - Revisit Proposition 13: Pursue meaningful property tax reform  - Explore a sustainable payroll tax: Develop a long-term, dedicated funding mechanism that better reflects the regional economic benefits of public transit  - Eliminate transaction fees on public transit purchases via credit or debit cards

THE BOTTOM LINE The voters did their part. Now it’s our turn.   This 14-year lifeline gives us an extraordinary opportunity to rethink how BART operates, how it generates revenue, how it serves its riders, and how it positions itself for the future.   Let’s not waste it.   We need bold ideas, a willingness to challenge conventional thinking, and the discipline to turn those ideas into measurable results…The Next Generation BART   Ack, ack… Bye for now!   Signed, Jerry Maguire

Online: bart.gov/about/bod/multimedi… Full agenda at bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?…

Taking BART to the Oakland Ballers’ Public Transit Night: Ride The Rally! Go @OaklandBallers Go @rideact Go @SFBART