This month we joined State Senators Scott Wiener and Aisha Wahab, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), BART, SFMTA, and transportation officials at Powell Station to celebrate National Transit Appreciation Day and to introduce the Connect Bay Area Act (Senate Bill 1031).
The Connect Bay Area Act would authorize MTC to place a measure on the ballot in 2026 or later to fund, modernize, and better integrate the region’s public transit system and to improve the region’s overall transportation system. As Bay Area transit agencies face the possibility of upcoming budget shortfalls known as the fiscal cliff, this bill would authorize MTC to ask Bay Area voters to consider a revenue measure providing at least $750 million each year to fund transit service and customer-focused initiatives. Funding would also be used towards investments in safe streets, including pothole repair, multimodal connectivity, and climate resilience to protect transportation infrastructure. Other provisions intended to create a more coordinated transit system include undertaking an assessment of transit consolidation among regional operators and designation of MTC as the region’s Transit Network Manager.
SB 1031 does not specify any one source for revenues but would empower MTC to choose between a sales tax, regional payroll tax, parcel tax, or a regional vehicle registration surcharge and also discusses Bay Area employer participation in a potential Bay Area transit pass. As of October 2023, almost two-thirds of Bay Area voters agree that there is a need for more funding to address transportation in the Bay Area and 78% believe that public transit is very important for the Bay Area.
Transportation Authority Director Tilly Chang expressed appreciation to Senator Wiener and Senator Wahab, and to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, for their efforts to stabilize transit in the Bay Area and to help it thrive as a more connected, rider-focused system.
The Transportation Authority has been providing input to Senator Wiener’s office and to MTC in coordination with Bay Area transportation agencies, civic, business, labor and advocacy groups. Ensuring that public transportation is reliable and easy for people to use is essential to achieving regional transportation plans and San Francisco’s long-range transportation goals.
Happy #NationalTransitAppreciation Day! A big thank you to transit workers for keeping us moving! We also thank Senators @Scott_Weiner @SenAishaWahab and@MTCBATA who announced the Connect Bay Area Act (SB 1031) to deliver a more connected and improved transportation network. https://t.co/jeIiC1QdCK pic.twitter.com/7M99hfIc9N
— San Francisco County Transportation Authority (@sfcta) March 18, 2024