The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors in Oakland, Calif., adopted a balanced budget for FY 2026 avoiding service cuts for one more year, officials said.
The budget will help the agency provide safe, clean and frequent service, officials said, in the face of a fiscal cliff next year that could have dire consequences on the agency’s ability to provide transit services. The board said it will use the remaining $318 million of state and regional emergency funds to help pay for operations, while adopting deficit-reducing and cost-cutting measures like hiring freezes and running shorter trains. As part of its budget, a 6.2 percent fare increase to close a projected $35 million deficit will go into effect at the beginning of 2026.
“Our riders are noticing the improvements we have made to the overall BART experience, resulting in the highest satisfaction rates in ten years,” BART Board President Mark Foley said. “We made strategic decisions in this budget to show the Bay Area we must be part of the solution in reducing costs, but also ensuring we have frequent, clean, and safe service at this critical moment when traffic congestion is increasing, and people are returning to the office and wanting to take car-free trips on nights and weekends as well.”
The FY26 budget is also supported by an increase in paid trips thanks to new fare gates, new fare programs, and schedule coordination with connecting transit agencies. Overall, BART’s expenses grew by less than 1 percent in FY26, proving the agency’s cost controls and targeted cuts to non-labor expenses are holding costs down. It’s $1.2 billion operating budget will continue to fund the current service, officials said, with no planned cuts to service this fiscal year.
The budget includes $35 million in reductions and cost controls that will not impact its ability to provide service, the agency said or impact its efforts to have an increased safety presence on trains and inside stations.