Source: Streets Blog CA

Excerpt:

A new analysis of the costs of not helping Bay Area public transportation agencies fill a $2.5 billion funding gap found that it would cost former riders twice that much – $5 billion – in annual car ownership costs alone over the next five years. That’s not even accounting for the climate, congestion, and emission costs from that many more cars on the road.

And that’s just in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Those costs would also fall on people who can least afford it – and many would just not be able to front the costs of buying a vehicle to begin with. And those who cannot do so, for a myriad of reasons, would be left in the lurch.

Most transit agencies rely heavily on fare revenue, and all suffered significant recent decreases in ridership numbers, which have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels. In the Bay Area, agencies are projecting a $2.5 billion shortfall starting in 2025. Without intervention they will be forced to cut services.

Read more: Saving Transit Would BE Cheaper Than Letting It Die