Seamless Bay Area endorses Measure RR, the Caltrain sales tax measure

This November, residents of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties will have the opportunity to vote on Measure RR, a 1/8 cent sales tax measure that will fund Caltrain and preserve an essential transit service that countless Bay Area workers, businesses, and communities rely on.

They should vote “yes” on Measure RR. It’s the clear choice for everyone who cares about the economy, the environment, and the future of public transit in our region.

For a few tense weeks this July and August, the fate of this critical funding measure – years in the making – hung in the balance. A standoff between local leaders almost derailed the measure and prevented it from coming before voters in November. Thankfully, a determined coalition of leaders and advocates came together to forge an agreement to keep the ballot measure moving forward.

Just how much is at stake with Measure RR? Caltrain service has been an essential piece of the Bay Area’s regional transit network for decades - connecting San Francisco and communities along the Peninsula, through the South Bay and beyond - and its future depends on the dedicated funding that Measure RR will provide. Unlike almost every other transit agency in California, Caltrain has never had the security and stability of a dedicated funding source, instead relying on funding from fares and voluntary contributions from partner transit agencies. Unsurprisingly, this unstable funding model has resulted in periodic financial crises that have repeatedly put Caltrain service at risk. This is no way to run a critical link in our region’s transportation network.

Though Caltrain’s ridership has dropped steeply in the midst of the COVID crisis, Caltrain riders expect to return after the pandemic eases, according to multiple surveys of individuals and employers. Caltrain’s own polling found that, when the pandemic ends, 70% of frequent Caltrain riders plan to use the service as much as, or more than, before. Funding from Measure RR will be needed to restore and maintain the fast, frequent service that riders deserve.

While Caltrain’s ridership has historically been whiter and wealthier than the corridor it serves, Measure RR would also fund unprecedented equity and connectivity policies and programs that will make Caltrain more accessible to people across the income spectrum, and weave Caltrain more closely into the Bay Area’s local and regional transit network.

For all these reasons and more, Seamless Bay Area is proud to join a growing coalition of Bay Area elected officials, businesses, community leaders and advocates in endorsing Measure RR and advocating for its passage in November.

We know there is much more work to be done to achieve a more integrated, better-performing transit system in the Bay Area, with coordinated fares and schedules and well-managed expansion projects. And we agree that additional work needs to be done to solve existing governance challenges facing Caltrain.

But particularly in the deeply uncertain moment we now face - as Caltrain and dozens of other Bay Area transit operators grapple with plummeting ridership and revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and make cuts to staff and to service – this is no time to risk the future of a vital piece of our region’s transit network.

Looking ahead, leaders and communities across the Bay Area must come together to find ways to fund and support our region’s transit operators and build a more integrated, accessible, and rider-friendly transportation system that truly serves everyone. A “yes” vote on Measure RR is an urgently needed step in the right direction.

Want to help pass Measure RR? Sign this pledge card and you’ll be connected with opportunities to help.

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Want to learn more about Measure RR and the future of Caltrain service? Join us on Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. PT for a candid conversation about all things Caltrain with Adina Levin, Executive Director of Friends of Caltrain, and Rachel Swan, transportation reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. The event is free and open to all. RSVP here.

Update: Here is a recording of the event.