Visit our Parking Enforcement Continues on Martin Luther King Jr. Day article for details on parking enforcement and Marguerite and transit service.
Some Stanford commuters have expressed concern about whether or not Caltrain will continue to operate given the financial challenges caused by ridership decreases due to COVID-19. We have developed the questions and answers below to help provide context about Caltrain’s current situation and Measure RR, the proposed one-eighth-cent sales tax that, if passed, would provide the agency with a dedicated funding source.
Please note that current Go Passes and SmartPasses are valid through March and April 2021, respectively, and no action is needed. Visit our article to learn more.
Decreased ridership has placed a significant financial strain on the region's transit services, including Caltrain. Caltrain does not have a dedicated funding source. Currently, the rail agency receives 70 percent of its funding from train fare revenue. Prior to the pandemic, Caltrain’s average weekday ridership was 65,000 passengers. Since the shelter-in-place orders were issued, Caltrain ridership has dipped by as much 97 percent. As people are returning to worksites, Caltrain ridership has slightly increased.
To address Caltrain’s funding needs, Caltrain’s Board of Directors proposed a sales tax measure to be considered by voters in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. Measure RR is on the ballot after receiving approval from the boards and transit agencies in each of the three counties. The one-eighth-cent sales tax would create a dedicated funding source for Caltrain that does not currently exist. To be enacted, it requires a collective two-thirds majority vote across all three counties.
The immediate impacts are uncertain if Measure RR does not pass. Caltrain could spend its additional reserves, capital project funding, or state transit funds, and could attempt to secure more federal funding. In an attempt to reduce its budget shortfall, Caltrain could also make operational and other service adjustments.
Yes. Caltrain received $49.3 million when the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) divvied up the first wave ($780 million) of funding for Bay Area transit agencies provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in late April. That was the first of two distributions of the roughly $1.3 billion total in CARES Act funding for which Bay Area transit agencies are eligible.
A portion of those funds allocated to Caltrain were used to fill the rail agency’s FY20 budget gap, while the remaining balance is being used for FY21, which began July 1.
On July 20, MTC announced the second and final allocation of CARES Act funding, providing Caltrain with an additional $15 million. Caltrain anticipated this funding will run out by the end of the year.
To compensate transit pass holders for the service reductions and loss of use during the mandatory COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, Caltrain and VTA have extended the expiration dates for their 2020 transit passes beyond the original expiration of Dec. 31, 2020.
No action is required on the part of current Go Pass and SmartPass holders. The extension will be applied to your pass(es) automatically. We plan to communicate more about the status of transit passes in 2021 by February 2021.
For information about commuting by Caltrain with transit passes, please refer to our FAQ About Commuting By Caltrain. If you have questions, please contact us at commuteclub@stanford.edu or 650.736.9923.
