The Bay Area's public transit is experiencing an upswing in ridership across the board, with agencies reporting significant growth in the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year. Notably, Caltrain is leading the transit renaissance with an impressive 50% increase in ridership, following its conversion to an exclusively electric operation, according to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).
While Caltrain's surge takes the spotlight, other regional transit systems are not far behind. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) has recorded a 38% increase in passengers, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 134%. On the water, San Francisco Bay Ferry and Golden Gate Ferry have seen heightened usage, with ridership up by 21% and nearly 16%, respectively. Meanwhile, land-based services such as Marin Transit, Petaluma Transit, and Golden Gate Transit have experienced increases ranging from 5% to 10%. Even the larger systems like BART and Muni are showing gains, with ridership up by nearly 6.5% and 4%, respectively.
This positive trend arrives as transit agencies are on the verge of utilizing the last drops of emergency funding provided by federal and state sources in the post-pandemic era, which have been instrumental in facilitating these quality service enhancements for the Bay Area. "This growth in ridership is happening as transit agencies make major investments in improving the rider experience with an emphasis on boosting safety, cleanliness, and reliability," BART General Manager Bob Powers told BART.
