EVERY DAY, THOUSANDS OF BAY AREA RESIDENTS descend into underground stations, tap their Clipper cards at designated entry points, and board trains that carry them across multiple cities and counties. Since its service began in 1972, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has been a major part of the region, serving more than 3 billion commuters, students, tourists and residents since its inception.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic (now in the endemic phase) pushed BART into a nearly $400 million deficit, the transit system currently relies on increased financial assistance from the state to stay afloat.
In order to provide this aid to major public transit systems like BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 63 into law in October 2025.
The law — also known as the Connect Bay Area Act — authorizes a 14-year sales tax in five Bay Area counties. The counties of Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara will receive a 0.5% sales tax, while the county of San Francisco will receive a 1% sales tax.
If enough signatures are gathered through the citizen-initiative to place the measure on this November’s ballot, it will be up to voters to decide how much they’re willing to pay for the future of public transit.
However, if the law doesn’t make the ballot or if voters reject it, drastic cuts to BART service will ensue, resulting in the closure of nearly 15 stations and a schedule change that will end daily service at 9 p.m.
Finding a way home
Many taxpayers find the decision difficult, especially considering the already high cost of living in California. But for students who depend on BART to move around the Bay Area, the stakes are more immediate, as they’re unsure what they’d do without reliable service.
Jay Belda, a 19-year-old San Francisco State University student, is worried about how he’ll be able to travel between the city and the Tri-Valley on the system line he uses, which is part of what could be eliminated if the regional tax measure doesn’t pass.
“I heard they’re gonna eventually shut down the Blue Line,” Belda said. “So how am I going to go home now in the Valley? This is the closest station from my hometown.”
Similarly, Elena Fu, a 16-year-old California High School student who uses BART for leisure, believes reduced service would hurt efforts to increase ridership for potential and current riders.
“The idea of BART is to be as successful as possible for the people living in the Bay Area, but I feel like the potential service cuts are all very counterproductive,” Fu said. “I don’t think they’re going to motivate more people to start using BART.”
While several students support SB 63 in order to prevent serious cuts to service, the decision is much more complicated for many taxpayers in the Bay Area, who are already subject to some of the highest sales taxes in the country.
Morgan Hathaway, a 26-year-old Walnut Creek resident, has used BART for more than 11 years — mainly for commuting to and from work in San Francisco. She remains skeptical about the proposed sales tax increase, as she believes that BART fares are already expensive for regular riders.
“… I feel like the potential service cuts are all very counterproductive. I don’t think they’re going to motivate more people to start using BART.”
Elena Fu, 16, California High School student
“It would really irritate me to have to pay more because the BART fares are already pretty high,” Hathaway said. “Twelve dollars or $13 just to take the train both ways is like a third of a tank of gas in my car,” she said, referring to gas prices from March 21.
Like Hathaway, many other Bay Area residents agree that they’d prefer BART find other, more creative avenues of attaining funding that don’t necessarily come from taxpayer pockets.
Stefanie Maes, a 45-year-old San Ramon resident, is another rider who is not enthusiastic about higher sales taxes. However, she said she believes paying for the measure may be necessary to protect BART riders who depend on the system.
“I’m fortunate that I have a car, but there are some people who rely on BART to get to work and other places because they don’t have a car,” Maes said. Does she want to pay higher taxes? “No. But in those situations, I would hate to have their BART station closed.”
Issues with ‘regressive’ tax
On the other hand, Matthew Guo raises a different concern about the measure. The 18-year-old Monte Vista High School student — who often takes BART to San Francisco due to limited parking in the city — argues that the sales tax structure itself is unfair.
“The only issue I have with it is that it’s a sales tax, and not like an income tax or a property tax,” Guo said. “It’s quite regressive because everybody has to pay the same amount for the sales tax.”
Despite all these cost and taxing concerns, there are still other residents who believe supporting BART is necessary to maintain a functioning transit system.
Jonathan O’Neil, a 28-year-old Oakland resident, feels that BART is an important community resource. For that reason, he doesn’t mind supporting SB 63, despite the unpopular sales tax.
“I kind of just like community resources in general. BART is a common good, and it helps for a lot of people to get around places,” O’Neil said. “If the sales tax is ultimately to save BART, I think it’s something that has to be done.”
Hannah Sevin, a 22-year-old Diablo Valley College student, wholeheartedly agrees.
“I think out of respect to the people who commute and rely on BART for daily transportation, it’s important to vote for the measure,” Sevin said.
Chioma Onyema is a 10th grader at California High School in San Ramon and a CCYJ reporter. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.