Poll: Only 17 Percent in Bay Area Feel Safe on Public Transit

Just 17% of Bay Area residents say they feel safe on local public transportation, according to a local government survey released this week.

With Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ridership down significantly from pre-pandemic levels, the Bay Area Council commissioned the poll to understand why. According to the survey, the problem has more to do with health and safety than with an increase in remote work.

Asked what keeps them from riding BART more often, 45% of survey respondents cited safety concerns, fear or cleanliness, while 19% said they didn't need to commute or worked from home.

A 78% majority said they would ride BART more often if it was significantly cleaner and safer.

"As the BART goes, to some degree the Bay Area goes," Bay Area Council President Jim Wunderman said Tuesday when revealing the poll's findings. "So this is a serious situation."

According to The Daily Californian, the poll follows an ambitious funding request by the California Transit Association for a $5.15 billion bailout of the state's public transit agencies. At a recent press conference on public transport, Democrat state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is championing the proposal, argued that the bailout is necessary because of the importance of transit agencies for workers, low-income people, and the environment.

"With a combination of funding and flexibility, this is a problem not out of our grasp," Wiener said. "This matters so much for the future of California."

Coaxing Bay Area residents back onto BART will take a renewed focus on cleanliness, ejecting problem passengers, adding more armed police officers and improving lighting, the survey found. Seventy-three percent are worried about being the victim of a crime when they ride BART, saying that agency officials do not adequately address violent crime, drinking and drug use, and homelessness.

According to the poll, more than six in 10 local residents prefer that BART focus on improving the safety, cleanliness and reliability of its system, versus just over a quarter who say BART should be connecting people to supportive services.

In the last fiscal year, San Francisco budgeted nearly $668 million for programs to combat homelessness and $75 million for drug addiction treatment services. Instead of getting better, the problems only intensified, according to The San Francisco Standard.

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