May 6 has been dubbed All Aboard Bay Area Transit Day. In a collective push from local transit authorities, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and the Bay Area Air District, Bay Area residents are urged to hop on public transit. As reported by Bay Area Rapid Transit, this initiative arrives with the commencement of the Spare the Air summer smog season, aiming to mitigate congestion and air pollution.
With work from home altering the face of commute patterns, transit agencies are clawing back from the reduced fare revenues that keep their wheels turning, now leveraging federal and state emergency funds, Bob Powers, BART General Manager told BART, "Many people have not yet experienced BART’s new trains, fare gates, and safety patrols, as well as our cleaner trains and stations,” he said.
In the shared spirit of air quality and connectivity, directors from various transit agencies pitched their advancements: SFMTA’s Julie Kirschbaum highlighted Muni's devotion to safe, reliable, and accessible transit, and Caltrain’s Michelle Bouchard boasted of sleeker, eco-friendlier electric trains. SamTrans General Manager/CEO April Chan called local transit the backbone of the Bay Area's bustling economy, celebrating the agency's growth and promise of a better travel experience with more routes and perks like free WiFi, as the BART news report mentioned.
