From San Francisco Chronicle
Budget-wary BART to focus on minor work
By Rachel Gordon
BART officials, fearing the sputtering economy could hurt revenue from fares and sales taxes, said Thursday they are not planning to launch new service initiatives during the upcoming fiscal year but will concentrate on maintaining the decades-old fleet of trains.
"The fiscal year 2009 budget reflects the cost of operating an aging system at unprecedented service levels, at a time of uncertainty regarding the economy," said BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger.
With combined fare and sales tax revenue accounting for 79 percent of BART's operating budget, "the economic news is worrisome and has caused us to take a cautious outlook for the upcoming fiscal year," Dugger said. The rest of the transit system's money comes from the state and federal governments, among other sources.
BART administrators are proposing a $673.4 million operating budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The BART Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on the plan June 14.
No service cuts or fare increases are anticipated. Instead, robust ridership, an influx of revenue from advertising on the trains and in the stations, and growing sales tax revenue are expected to help balance the books.
Under the budget proposal, officials hope to pump more money into maintaining the trains, two-thirds of which were put into service when BART began operations 35 years ago. The other trains are about 20 years old. BART plans to replace its train fleet starting in 2013.
The focus on maintenance - which includes replacing worn seat cushions and installing composite flooring on the trains - comes as BART has experienced a steady increase in ridership, which has further strained the system.
The weekday ridership averages 364,450, which is about 5.3 percent higher than a year ago. Officials forecast 2.5 percent ridership growth next year.
E-mail Rachel Gordon at rgordon@sfchronicle.com |
