SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Lawmakers from the San Francisco Bay Area announced they are developing new legislation to fast-track spending to reform and even consolidate the region's public transportation systems, which have struggled particularly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
State Senators Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, and Aisha Wahab, a Democrat from Silicon Valley, announced Monday they will introduce legislation to push for funding Bay Area public transportation while considering reforms to improve 27 different transit systems. Wiener chairs the Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit and Wahab leads the California Senate Public Safety Committee.
The senators arranged a press conference Monday in downtown San Francisco at Bay Area Rapid Transit station at Powell Street. The conference was occasionally interrupted by the sounds of bus traffic and the nearby shouts of "cease-fire now" by protesters of Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza.
Senate Bill 1031, The Connect Bay Area Act, proposes authorizing a 2026 ballot measure to use at least $750 million each year to improve transit service and fund capital improvements on public transit, roads and electric vehicle infrastructure — leaving the revenue source as a regional decision.
The measure also looks to create a regional transit network manager and start an assessment of the benefits of potentially consolidating Bay Area transit agencies.
“We deserve better,” Wahab said. “We deserve a world-class transit system that sets the standard for safety, speed, efficiency, affordability and technological innovation, directly enhancing daily travel.”
The legislation is in the development stage and will involve input from transit operators, cities and counties and labor and business advocates, Wiener said.
He said he aims for the legislation to require regional action to improve different parts of transit systems such as fare payment systems, real-time schedules and mapping and wayfinding. Funding under this legislation may be conditioned on the needs of the transit operators who participate in the new network integration, he said.
“To accomplish the above-described network integration, the measure will also create a regional transit network manager with the authority to deliver results. That’s the accountability voters want to see,” Wiener said. “With these changes we can lead Bay Area transportation to a bright future, with a better user experience, better integration, financial stability and driven by cutting edge technology.”
Wiener has in previous years pushed for more funding to reform the Bay Area's transit system, following a period with a 95% loss in ridership across transit agencies. About $4 billion for capital infrastructure was already allocated for this use in 2022.
Follow @nhanson_reports
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Sudan war marks one-year anniversary April 15, 2024 -
California certifies March 5 primary election results April 12, 2024
