You’ve read the headlines: Our public transit systems across the Bay Area are in a dire situation.
If you care about Caltrain and want to avoid a shutdown of this critical service, the choice is clear: Vote Yes on Measure RR.
Caltrain’s funding is unique from all the other major Bay Area transit agencies. This three-county rail service running between San Francisco and San Jose has no dedicated revenue source and requires that each of the three counties it runs through to contribute.
Measure RR would generate a new revenue stream for Caltrain by creating a new, ⅛-cent sales tax across San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, which is estimated to raise a little over $100 million a year. So for every $8 of taxable purchases, you would pay one additional cent in tax, which would then be dedicated to Caltrain.
Those dollars would be spent on running its current service and delivering on Caltrain’s Long-Range Vision Plan, which calls for increased service and improved efficiency. This dedicated funding would also help Caltrain meet its new equity goals, which were just passed by their board earlier this year.
Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a long history of supporting ballot measures to fund public transit because we know that a transit-friendly city is inherently a bike-friendly city. In 2014, we supported Prop A, which was a $500 million bond to support Muni and safe streets. In 2016, we supported BART’s $3.5 billion bond to keep the system safe and reliable by maintaining and upgrading its infrastructure. And in 2019, we supported Prop D, which was a local rideshare tax to make sure people who were taking Uber and Lyft rides were also investing into Muni.
Our public transit systems need your support, and as we get through the pandemic, our region’s recovery will be dependent on having public transit that works for us, the riders. Vote Yes on RR and sign up to volunteer — it’s not too late, and every vote counts!
