Waymo Promoted While Service Cuts Are Forced on MUNI
Pedestrians and transit riders will soon have one more thing to watch out for on San Francisco’s downtown thoroughfare: Mayor Lurie has opened up the previously transit-and-taxi-only portion of Market street to autonomous rideshare company Waymo. This announcement came just a week after the SFMTA (San Francisco’s transit authority) voted to expand service cuts to MUNI (SF’s […]
BART in the News
The following is reprinted from Speak Out Now’s workplace newsletter at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). BART is in the news and as usual it’s the question of funding – or no funding. There are projections of a bare-bones system running trains every hour. Who will ride that, other than the regulars looking for a […]
AC Transit Board Meeting Turns into a Protest!
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now AC Transit newsletter. AC Transit is a public bus company in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. AC Transit workers showed up in force to the board meeting to protest the realignment plan. There was standing room only, with workers lined up into […]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now workplace newsletter at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in the San Francisco Bay area. The way this contract has been presented, some workers feel like there are no good choices. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. A 2% increase every six months […]
Rail and Airport Workers in Germany Flex Their Muscles in Fight for Higher Wages
Rail workers organized in the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) in Germany have engaged in two short “warning strikes,” on March 27th and April 21st, in an effort to win their demand for a 12% wage increase phased in over the course of a year and meant to counteract high levels of inflation. That increase […]
Safety Meetings: Everything BUT Safety
Note: This article comes from the most recent edition of Speak Out Now’s BART Newsletter. BART is the commuter rail system that serves the Bay Area in Northern California. The “System Service” classification described in the article is the classification that cleans the stations. When BART workers raise safety issues that need addressing, they often fall […]
BART’s Ridership and Funding Problems
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) management is warning that without additional funding, BART will start plunging into debt at a rate of $48 million a year in 2024. The system depended on fare revenues before the pandemic for 60% of its budget. Currently ridership stands at only about 25% of its pre-pandemic level, which spells […]
Will Public Transportation Survive the Pandemic?
Before COVID-19, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority served 8 million people daily. Since COVID-19, it’s losing $200 million per week and suddenly has a predicted deficit of $16 billion over four years
New Jersey Public Transit: It Should be Free!
As August began in New Jersey, we were once again forced to pay for transit.
Public Transit in Crisis
Public transit, like the rest of our society is in an extraordinary crisis
New York Essential Workers on Night Shift – How Long is the Ride Home?
Starting May 6, New York City’s subway system is shuttered every night between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. for cleaning and disinfecting during the pandemic.
BART – Safety is Up to the Workers
BART is operating as if it is business as usual, endangering the lives of workers and riders.
Blood Money at New York’s MTA
Over 10,000 people have died in New York City from the coronavirus. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if governments had taken the pandemic seriously
Hazard Work – But No Hazard Pay?
Public transit workers are on the front lines and need to be valued as such.
The Destruction of Public Transportation
Across the country, in every major city, our public transportation systems are under attack at the same moment that more people than ever are relying on public transit. Since 2010, the number of people in the U.S. who rely on public transportation has reached its highest level in fifty years. Overall, the use of public […]
AC Transit, BART, MUNI: Going After Workers, Punishing Riders
The key components to any public transit system are well-maintained buses or trains, convenient scheduling, affordable fees for passengers (or free), a well-trained and regular workforce. All of this is under attack. As people struggle to make ends meet, the fares are out of reach of many, and lines are being cut. And the people […]
Having a Future Depends on Public Transit
Our systems of transportation impact our lives in many ways. In most of the U.S. today, it is necessary for almost every adult to own a car. The individual automobile is the main method of personal transportation to and from work and home – everybody in their own car. But this method of transportation causes […]