Comments on: SFO Commission Calls BART Surcharge for SFO Workers “Unconscionable”

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:48:06 +0000

Yeah, what moron politician actually believes that people with expense accounts are taking BART from SFO to the city? Proof positive that career politicians are completely out of touch with the markets they represent.

By: Carl

Carl — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:20:22 +0000

BART from SFO is not used by businessmen on expense accounts. It is used by workers and leisure travelers paying out of their own pocked.

At $8 it's too expensive, and if I'm traveling with my wife it's too expensive. It's higher than most every city in the world, especially for the distance.

What an unfriendly first welcome to visitors to the city. Welcome to San Francisco, where we screw our visitors.

By: Happenstance

Happenstance — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:38:46 +0000

SFO Employee here. I live in Millbrae now because BART opened up there. BART's rate-hike would've almost tripled my post-employee-discount commute budget from $45/month to $120/month...but thanks to the employee shuttle, it's currently zero dollars (and the shuttle's more dependable!). Thank you for your mindless, obstinate greed, BART! I didn't plan, scrimp, and save just so someone could come along and rob me.

By: Wai Yip Tung

Wai Yip Tung — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:16:00 +0000

I think they should simply negotiate more on the proposed "25%" discount. If they increase the discount a bit it can neutralized much of the fare increase on the employees, show good will on the part of BART and it won't hurt their revenue much. For SFO to run an employee shuttle is clearly suboptimal. It will cost them money. It is also a hassle for the employee to do a transfer and this shuttle is probably limited to communiting hours only.

By: david vartanoff

david vartanoff — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:53:33 +0000

hmm, how about requiring airport employers to buy the tix as a part of their concession leases???

By: murphstahoe

murphstahoe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:15:19 +0000

Luna Salavar was apparently told there would be no math. Discounted fare is $5.81. Roughly $250 per month for an employee working 5 days a week. Unfortunately, even with the Obama stimulus package that (temporarily) raised the commuter benefit level to $230 a month, the benefit will not cover the whole month.

The employees got screwed by this so badly. They all used to take the KX, my understanding (I'm too lazy to look it up) is that the KX now runs less frequently with BART in place. BART is much more expensive and frankly not
much faster depending on where you're headed (you can take the KX to Market and switch to BART and this is probably faster than taking BART from SFO, and there is higher frequency of East Bay trains from downtown than from SFO). And the SFO workers who take Public transit are not the highly paid workers.

There is a lot of BS coming from BART. Fang running an angle that "hey man, the people taking it are writing it off so who cares". Aside from the fact that business travelers who are writing it off are probably taking a taxi - $35 to downtown vs $8 on BART, is an extra $27 bucks but if the boss is paying who cares. And if you are paying, and you are writing it off, then the extra cost is really only $15 or so - might as well take a cab.

People who live in SF who travel elsewhere are also "tourists" - being soaked by their own government.

I smell a money making opportunity for the Caltrain Jitney guy - San Bruno->SFO shuttle.

By: Akit

Akit — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:42:41 +0000

I'd say, let SFO take the offer, then let the employees run with the offer by taking BART to Millbrae for the employee shuttle that's FREE and doesn't include the airport surcharge.