San Bruno B.A.R.T.

  The Bay Area Rapid Transit District is facing a possible $3.4 million deficit for the 2009 fiscal year beginning July 1 based on slower growth in ridership and sales tax revenues, transit agency spokesman Linton Johnson said today.

  Johnson emphasized that the budget presented to BART directors Thursday is only a pro forma budget and the preliminary budget won't be released until March 31. The board is scheduled to adopt the final budget for fiscal 2009 in late June.

  Johnson said BART, which caries about 355,000 passengers on weekdays, is projecting only a 2.5 percent growth in ridership in fiscal 2009, compared to 4.8 percent growth in the current year compared to the previous year.

  He said that because of the slowing economy, sales tax revenues are only expected to increase by 1.8 percent.

  BART gets 60 percent of its operating budget from passenger fares and 38 percent from sales tax revenues, according to Johnson.

  The challenge for BART officials and directors in the next several months will be to try to figure out ways to close the projected budget deficit, Johnson said.

  He said that even in bad economic times, BART has always emphasized having its trains arrive on time as well as safe and frequent service.

  "We will look at everything else before we cut into that," Johnson said.

  He noted that when the economy was bad between about 2001 to 2005, BART maintained high levels of service but cut workers who cleaned trains and stations.

  In the last several years BART has renewed its efforts to keep its trains and stations clean.

  Johnson said "it's way to early" to say if BART will look at reducing its cleaning staff again.