🌍🗳️🤝 With Commuters Staying Home, Transit Agencies Try to Reinvent Themselves
For California, di Bay Area Rapid Transit don suffer well-well say e need state bailout and maybe even one new business model. Di peak hour wey we dey sabi before don change for di Montgomery Street station wey dey di heart of San Francisco. 🔁🏢🚆
No more di workers wey carry laptop dey rush enter train under di big offices of di tech companies wey dey bring big money. Around 5:30 p.m. on one recent weekday, na woman wey dey drag big shopping bags with three small girls carry plenty seats for di train without stress. 🛍️👩👧👧🚇
Three years after di pandemic start, remote work still dey part of di life for plenti office workers and some of di major transit systems for United States no dey do well at all, including Bay Area Rapid Transit. Dis network wey stretch reach 131 miles depend well-well on di people wey dey live for di suburbs wey dey travel go San Francisco everyday, and e no depend too much on local passengers wey dey waka small-small around town. 🏙️🏢🚆
Di number of people wey dey ride BART during di week don drop reach 32 percent of wetin e bin be before di pandemic start. Dis one come show how things bad for San Francisco. Big retailers don dey commot from downtown sake of say people no dey waka reach again, and people wey dey analyze tins believe say di city still never reach bottom. Dem still get homeless camps and drug use wey dey discourage visitors, plus passengers dey complain about safety and how dirty di place be. 😞🛑🚮
BART officials don start to dey look for di future wey no go dey centered around downtown work culture. Dem dey think whether dem go fit focus more on serving people wey wan go concert and sporting events for night and weekend. 🎶🎉🚆
Across di United States, transit systems wey dey rely on office workers dey find ways to avoid total collapse as commuters dey stay house. Many of dem dey beg local governments for help sake of di federal pandemic relief funds don almost finish, but dem dey also dey quick find new ways to take do tins. 🏢💰🏢
Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Boston don try to remove fares. Dallas dey offer subsidized Uber rides to people wey use public transit. Washington Metro dey invest for housing and retail shops for plenti of dia stations. 🚌🚕🏪
“If person dey tell you say e know di way out of dis wahala, na lie e dey lie to you,” na wetin Brian D. Taylor, di director of di Institute of Transportation Studies for University of California, Los Angeles talk. “Dis one na really challenging time.” 😰🔍💼
For di San Francisco region, BART na something wey dem create half-century ago to reduce congestion as more and more people begin dey waka go di city for work. Before di pandemic, di system dey very popular and sometimes, di trains dey too full. Some pipo don even dey talk say dem wan spend $15 billion build one new tunnel wey go help more train passengers enter downtown San Francisco. But now, di same pipo wey full di BART trains don turn to wahala for post-Covid world, sake of di tech workers and professionals dey stay house. 🚦🏙️🏢
BART get one of di lowest ridership rates for public transit for di whole country compared to before di pandemic, according to data from di American Public Transportation Association. Oda transit agencies for California dey manage better than BART’s 32 percent — di Muni line wey focus on San Francisco dey 58 percent, di bus and train system for Los Angeles also dey 58 percent, and di AC Transit bus system wey base for Oakland dey operate at 54 percent capacity. New York City subway and bus network dey at 72 percent. 📊🚆🚌
Alejandra Alvarez, wey dey 65 years old, don dey commute on BART for twenty years from di East Bay suburb of Richmond to San Francisco, where she dey work for one doctor’s office. She don see as di number of passengers during di rush hour don reduce for di past few years. She even talk say one time, one man try to snatch her iPhone, and anoda time, one woman come dey undress inside di train. 😲📱👗
“Some days dey like dat, and some days, everytin dey okay,” na wetin Ms. Alvarez yan as she dey wait for her BART train for one recent evening. “And e no dey too crowded now, wey make e dey kind of nice.” 😊👵🚇
BART and oda transit operators dey lose money for each empty seat or row during di rush hour. Buses and trains don dey depend on billions of dollars from federal Covid relief funds to keep dem operations dey go, but transit leaders believe say di money go finish for few years. 😔🚌💰
For California, after transit agencies beg for help, di State Legislature finally agree last week say dem go provide $1.1 billion for three years so dem no go need to cut public transportation too much. State lawmakers still decide say dem go redirect $2 billion from transit infrastructure to daily operations — dis one show say di dreams of expansion don shift to survival needs. Governor Gavin Newsom, wey bin want reduce transit funds to solve di $32 billion state budget deficit, still need to approve di budget proposals. 🏛️📊💼
For Bay Area, to save BART na to save San Francisco. City leaders dey fear say if dem cut transit too much, e go discourage workers and tourists more, wey go make recovery even harder and create one “doom loop.” BART go gain large part of di state funding wey di Legislature don approve. Robert Powers, wey be di general manager of BART, yan say e dey hope say di changes wey dem dey plan, like shifting di train schedule to serve more people wey wan go leisure activities, go give dem more time until dem fit find new funding or workers come back. 💪👥🌁
Oda transit agencies dey try new things and offer different services. Next month, di Metro for Los Angeles go allow passengers ride for free after dem don pay certain amount each day or week. Denver dey offer free trips for bus and rail system throughout July and August. SEPTA system for Philadelphia dey sell discounted monthly transit passes to employers like Wawa convenience stores and Penn Medicine, to encourage workers make dem no dey drive. For Seattle, children don dey fit ride public transit for free since last year fall, so dem fit encourage di next generation of public transportation users, na wetin Dow Constantine, di county executive of King County talk. Di county still dey give free transit pass to anybody wey watch hockey or basketball game for di Climate Pledge Arena for downtown Seattle. 💥🚌🏢
Mr. Constantine say e want make all dis efforts help rebuild ridership “for wetin I believe don change permanently.” Big changes wey go increase transit use, like development for areas near stations, congestion pricing, or reducing parking for cities, no be something wey transit agencies fit control, according to Ethan Elkind, wey be environmental law professor for University of California, Berkeley and wey write book about di history of Los Angeles subway system. Mr. Elkind talk say “if you put New York City subway for middle of Oklahoma, e no go get passengers — dat na reality for American transit.” He still talk say “dem get only small small tin dem fit do with service and fares to attract riders back.” 😬🚇🚦
For plenti cities, people fit dey go office only on Wednesdays, or dem wan pick dia pikin dem from school for afternoon, or dem wan quickly go buy something for grocery store. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, wey dey operate buses and rail for Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, don introduce new bus network wey scrap some routes wey no too many pipo dey use, including some wey don dey exist since World War II. DART still dey increase di number of times wey popular routes dey come to make bus transportation more convenient for impromptu trips. Di agency don even work with Uber to give customers discounted rides to places wey bus and train no fit reach. For $6, passengers fit buy one day pass wey go cover di cost of rail, bus, and Uber rides, na wetin Gordon Shattles, agency spokesman yan. “Di only tin we no fit move na di rail tracks,” Mr. Shattles talk. 🚍🚆🚕
As di world dey change, transit agencies dey try find new ways to survive and adapt to di post-Covid reality. Di journey to recovery fit dey long, but dem dey hope say with innovative strategies and support from di government and di people, public transportation go fit bounce back and remain one vital part of di urban landscape. 🌍🚌🤝
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌍🗳️🤝 With Commuters Staying Home, Transit Agencies Try to Reinvent Themselves
In California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit is facing significant challenges and is in need of a state bailout and potentially a new business model. The Montgomery Street station in the heart of San Francisco no longer sees the hustle and bustle of laptop-toting workers squeezing into trains beneath the towering offices of tech companies. Instead, on a recent weekday at 5:30 p.m., a woman with oversized shopping bags effortlessly secured several rows of seating. 🛍️👩👧👧🚇
Three years after the start of the pandemic, remote work remains a prominent feature of many office workers’ lives, and few transit systems in the United States have been hit as hard as the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). The 131-mile network heavily relies on suburban residents commuting into San Francisco, with less emphasis on local passengers traveling within the city. The weekday ridership on BART has plummeted to 32 percent of pre-pandemic levels, exacerbating San Francisco’s challenges. The downtown area is suffering from the absence of daily foot traffic, leading major retailers to abandon the area. The city’s core is believed to still be in decline, with homeless encampments and drug use further deterring visitors, and passengers expressing concerns about safety and cleanliness. 😞🛑🚮
BART officials are coming to terms with the fact that the future can no longer revolve around the downtown work culture. They are contemplating shifting their focus towards serving concertgoers and sports fans during nights and weekends. 🎶🎉🚆
Across the United States, transit systems that have traditionally relied on office workers are grappling with financial collapse as commuters continue to stay at home. Many systems are seeking bailouts from local governments as federal pandemic relief funds dwindle, while simultaneously attempting to reinvent themselves. 🏢💰🏢
Cities like Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Boston have experimented with fare elimination, while Dallas is offering subsidized Uber rides to transit users. The Washington Metro is investing in housing and retail shops at its stations. However, the road to recovery remains challenging, with no easy solutions in sight, according to Brian D. Taylor, the director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. 😰🔍💼
In the San Francisco region, BART was established fifty years ago to alleviate congestion as more and more people commuted to the city for work. Prior to the pandemic, the system was bustling with overcrowded trains, and there were even discussions about constructing a second underwater tunnel to accommodate additional passengers. However, the same commuters who once filled BART trains have become a liability in the post-Covid world, as tech workers and professionals continue to work remotely. BART now has one of the lowest ridership rates in the country compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association. Other transit agencies in California are faring slightly better, with the San Francisco-focused Muni line and Los Angeles’ bus and train system operating at 58 percent capacity, and the AC Transit bus system based in Oakland operating at 54 percent capacity. The New York City subway and bus network is operating at 72 percent capacity. 📊🚆🚌
Alejandra Alvarez, a 65-year-old commuter who has been riding BART from the East Bay suburb of Richmond to San Francisco for twenty years, has witnessed a decline in rush hour passengers over the past few years. She has experienced incidents such as attempted phone theft and even witnessed a woman undressing inside the train. Despite the challenges, she appreciates the less crowded trains. 😊👵🚇
Transit agencies like BART are facing revenue losses due to empty seats and rows during rush hour. Bus and rail systems have been relying on billions of dollars in federal Covid relief funds to continue operations, but these funds are expected to run out within a few years. In California, after pleas from transit agencies, the State Legislature recently agreed to provide $1.1 billion over three years to prevent severe cuts in public transportation. Lawmakers also redirected $2 billion from transit infrastructure to daily operations, signaling a shift from ambitious expansion plans to survival needs. The budget proposals still require approval from Governor Gavin Newsom, who initially proposed cutting transit funds to address a $32 billion state budget deficit. 🏛️📊💼
Saving BART is not just about saving the transit system but also about saving San Francisco. City leaders fear that drastic transit cuts will discourage office workers and tourists, making recovery even more challenging and creating a negative cycle. BART stands to receive a significant portion of the state funding approved by the Legislature. Robert Powers, the general manager of BART, hopes that proposed changes, such as adjusting the train schedule to cater to leisure riders, will buy the system time until new funding is secured or commuters return. 💪👥🌁
Other transit agencies are also exploring new approaches and services. In Los Angeles, starting next month, the Metro will allow passengers to ride for free after reaching a certain payment threshold each day or week. Denver is offering free trips on its bus and rail system throughout July and August. The SEPTA system in Philadelphia is selling heavily discounted monthly transit passes to employers such as Wawa convenience stores and Penn Medicine to discourage workers from driving. In Seattle, children have been able to ride public transit for free since last fall, and anyone attending hockey or basketball games at the Climate Pledge Arena in downtown Seattle receives a free transit pass. The efforts aim to rebuild ridership in what is believed to be a permanently changed environment. 🚌🚇💥
Significant changes that could boost transit use, such as increased development near stations, congestion pricing, or reduced parking in cities, are often outside the purview of transit agencies. Ethan Elkind, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on the history of the Los Angeles subway system, acknowledges the limitations, stating that even placing the New York City subway in the middle of Oklahoma would not guarantee ridership. However, agencies can focus on service improvements and fare adjustments to entice riders back. 😬🚇🚦
As the world continues to change, transit agencies are striving to survive and adapt to the post-Covid reality. The journey to recovery may be long, but with innovative strategies and support from governments and the public, public transportation can bounce back and remain a crucial part of the urban landscape. 🌍🚌🤝
