SAN FRANCISCO — Transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area have become the latest to say they’re facing massive service cuts without state action.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports a $750 million loan promised by Gov. Gavin Newsom now appears unlikely to be finalized before the state legislature ends its session on Friday, Sept. 12, which could lead to major reductions in service for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (Muni), and other agencies.
Legislators and Newsom announced a $2 billion transit deal in June that included the interest-free loan to prevent cuts over the next two years [see “California lawmakers announce deal …,” Trains.com, June 10, 2025]. But the loan was contingent on details of repayment, and an agreement has not been reached, with a Tuesday deadline looming. State Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguin (D-Berkeley) say they have been told that the state’s Department of Finance will not finalize those details before the legislature adjourns.
Wiener told the Chronicle that “BART in particular could collapse” without funding help, closing some station and limiting service to hourly on some routes. Muni could cut frequencies in half on some lines.
While Wiener and Arreguin have sponsored legislation enabling a November 2026 ballot measure in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties to increase transit funding, they say agencies still need money to survive until that point.
“It’s essential that this loan happen,” the two senators said in a statement released on Saturday (Sept. 6). “California has a long and bad history of not adequately funding public transportation, particularly compared to other large blue states. The state needs to step up and ensure we don’t see debilitating service cuts at BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit, and other operators. …
“Public transportation is absolutely essential to meet our commitments on return to work, downtown recovery, improving air quality, combatting the climate crisis, and basic day to day life. While Republicans are defunding transit systems in Pennsylvania and other purple and red states, California must lead by example and protect the vital service our transit systems provide every day.”
