Facing budget difficulties in the upcoming fiscal year, three Bay Area agencies will be raising fares on July 1. Agencies include Muni in San Francisco, AC Transit in the East Bay, and Caltrain.

For the last several years, Muni, AC Transit, and Caltrain held off fare hikes due to the pandemic relief funds and the desire of maintaining ridership after a sharp decline since the pandemic social distancing restrictions. For Muni, this is the second phase of fare hike post-COVID since the first phase in January. Meanwhile, BART has been raising fares for the last few years as part of long standing policy.

In addition to budgetary needs, many agencies find fares necessary to improve public safety onboard transit. Rather than skipping fares, Bay Area agencies encourage low-income riders to participate in the Clipper Start program, where qualified riders receive a 50% discount on regular adult one-way fares across the Bay Area.