Transit advocates gathered in San Francisco Saturday to support Bay Area public transit with a different kind of march: a mock funeral and a rally.
The crowd mourned the potential loss of transit service and impacts to the local economy that is, they said if the state doesn’t provide urgent funding.
“We're having a funeral for public transit because the state has not provided enough funding to keep transit agencies afloat at the service levels they have been running,” said transit advocate Lian Chang.
The group marched and explained that during the pandemic, transit agencies kept essential workers moving. But federal aid is running out and they want the state to step up.
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“So, we need a little more funding to one allow the recovery to continue. And two, to get us to where we can pass a regional measure, a local measure to keep the bus running, to keep the train running,” said transit advocate Cyrus Hall.
The crowd grew as the rally as well near San Francisco City Hall.
State Senator Scott Wiener spoke to the crowd.
“We know how to solve this. We need about a billion dollars a year for five years, that is absolutely doable in the state budget and we are going to keep fighting over the last week that we have to get this done,” he said.
Wiener shared his view on what’s happening in Sacramento.
“I am now more optimistic than I was that we will get this solved,” he said. “Both houses of the legislature have said they want to solve this and we now need to work it out with the governor.”
Supporters said they will keep pushing for those who most depend on transit.
