Despite the omicron surge knocking its recovery off track, Bay Area Rapid Transit still plans to return to full pre-pandemic service levels next week.
Spokesperson Alicia Trost said the agency last week carried 100,000 riders on the system for the first time since Christmas. However, that figure is still only 25% of pre-pandemic ridership.
"Folks that were coming into the office decided to go back home and so we are just now starting to see some progress," Trost told KCBS Radio.
Nonetheless, BART is planning to return to full service hours on Monday, hoping that riders will eventually return to the transit.
Next week's schedule changes are highlighted by the agency extending its Sunday service to midnight, meaning the transit will operate until that time every day of the week going forward, according to an agency release.
Other changes include four trains an hour at SFO station until 9 p.m., new transfer opportunity at Bay Fair for Dublin to Berryessa transfers everyday and consistent 3-line service every day after 9 p.m.
Trost said the agency hopes it's turned a corner in the pandemic and people will soon return to in-person work.
"We don't recover until that commute comes back," Trost explained, adding that the San Francisco-Bay Area has been one of the last regions to return to the office compared to the rest of the country.
"Now with fewer riders, and those riders are truly essential workers and they’re more likely to not own a car, they’re more likely to be low income," she said. "We don't want to continue to put the operating budget on the backs of our riders."
BART's own ridership forecast is not optimistic, as it predicts passenger levels won't stabilize until 2026, meaning the agency will likely need a regional tax measure to stay afloat financially.
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