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from cbs news bay area, this is the afternoon edition. b.a.r.t is on the brirch brink, today we follow the money and look at the model that drove the agency to dire straits. >> we have to run the assessments, under the circumstances to which you find yourself and we ask what is b.a.r.t's plan to get back on track. the biggest thing is to bring riders back. if they feel safer, that gets more ridership

back. thanks for joining us. we continue our special weeklong series b.a.r.t on the brink. he has gotten more expensive to ride b.a.r.t, some are not getting the quality they are paying for today, we will drill down to the dollars and cents how b.a.r.t got here. first let's get you caught up on the new headlines. we have breaking news. a suspect was just arrested by a swarm of police officers after a slow speed case through central san francisco. our chopper was over at the end. the mission district, the suspect driving the white suv with multiple tires blown out by a spike strip. dozens of troopers behind it. we are trying to confirm what prompted the chase in the first place. we will keep you updated. a break inhappened this morning at a home on lloyd lane. we were on the scene as two people were detained by the police. several agencies helping. they shutdown a stretch

of mahogo way and reopening it before noon. in downtown oakland one person was shot. the sergeant was about to start his shift near city hall at 4:00 a.m. when someone approached him. that person opened fire and the sergeant fired back. the person died at the scene. the police department says the sergeant was put on paid leave. and in san francisco, you can expect to see increase security around union square for apec. that conference and the holiday shopping season. mayor breed saying they will have ambassadors and hubs at b.a.r.t stations. the police chief says they are working with state and federal law enforcement on security for apec for holiday slopping. they have a plan to have plain clothes officers out patrolling union square. now we will see clear skies today ask tomorrow. it is a big contrast from yesterday when we had the cold front sweeping

through and the chilly temperatures. we will hold on tight. seeing gustier temperatures this afternoon with clear skies, wind speeds up to 35 miles an hour. gusty conditions stretching along the coastline in half-moon bay until the late evening hours tonight. to add to that extending in the next few days, we will see it monday and tuesday. that is the best chance of shower that we have. let's take a quick look at what is going on today here in the bay area, clear skies, this afternoon, matching it up with these chilly temperatures, sitting at 5 degrees around the coast. 60s, upper 60s in the east bay. and stretching all of the way into the santa clara valley we go. upper 60s near san jose. b.a.r.t's model to keep the

finances on track having been off of the rails in the pandemic and the crisis continues to this day. the mostly empty parking lots tell that story. fewer riders means less revenue coming in. that means less money to pave your improvements that could win back more writers. we take a closer look at how a revenue structure for b.a.r.t played a key role in its collapse. >> reporter: once celebrated for the financial independence b.a.r.t is facing a crisis large part because of that, depending on riders >> every afternoon i see traffic slow down on 24. i am just super glad it is not me. >> reporter: pamela takes b.a.r.t to work every day. tasked with keeping b.a.r.t's budget balanced and it is no easy feat as ridership plummeted during the pandemic and has not fully bounced back >> it is disappointing. we are still very important to the bay area. >> the question of returning

ridership is a problem without a clear solution. people can't be forced to take b.a.r.t as more people work from home. >> we are about $300 million short. but, the interesting thing is. that puts us in line with just about every other transit writer in north america >> in 2019. transit agencies across the nation recovered an average of 36 from fares alone as agents saw roughly 40% recovery according to the transit authority. in 2022 that operating ratio hovered around 21%. it wants to rely less on ridership. before the pandemic it it was a nationwide model of self-sufficientancey. self-sufficientance. at the height of the pandemic they could only cover 70% with fares

to 2022 that climbed to 17%. the transit system continued operating at a high-level, ready for communities to bounce back. >> you have to make the adjustments to ensure your system is running efficiently and appropriately under the situations that you find yourself. b.a.r.t did not do that. >> he has long been a watch dog of the transit agency but now's vocal critic. >> we need them to get their act together. so far it is not a pretty picture. >> reporter: some riders agree, phil used to ride it regularly a decade ago but chooses to ride it sparingly like to get to the airport. >> i try to avoid it. >> an awkward system, not efficient for getting in and around the city of san francisco. >> he says since the pandemic the biggest improvement he has seen is the cars themselves and this rider, eddie, agree. he and his dog take b.a.r.t once a week with no plans to stop. his

biggest concern is with security. >> it is good. we got new trains and, you know, more secure. b.a.r.t leadership has cuts. >> i do not support staff taking the time to look at a 10% cut across the board for operations. >> absolutely not. >> the pandemic was not of their choosing t happened. but, what they failed to do is make any of the adjustments with the system with the collapse of ridership. >> the spending did not stop. maintenance expenses exceeded $550 million since stwent18. topping $650 million in 2022. after receiving a bail out that is expected to dry up in middle 2024 the system moved forward with existing capital projects like a fair gate program. >> it is exciting. i think it is a game changer for b.a.r.t. the number one capital project for b.a.r.t right now

>> one aimed at boosting ridership. they combat it, accounting for $25 million in lost revenue prepandemic. projects like these that is confident bringing back riders putting the self--sustaining model in the spotlight. >> we feel like we are going to get more ridership out of it. >> high risk scenario. >> we spend every day trying to solve the problem. >> harold said b.a.r.t is working to change it away from depending on riders but it could still have taxpayers footing the bill. >> we touch five counties >> not one single solution it will all come together as a backage. >> reporter: that backbone fighting for use around the bay area keeping trains and residents moving forward. >> and today b.a.r.t released new numbers that it says shows the safety measures are working. b.a.r.t says the number of

police incidents and train delays fell. back in march, b.a.r.t police doubled the number of officers on trains by using a combination of sworn officers and unarmed crisis intervention specialists and ambassadors. joining me now is state senator scott wiener. the chair of the senate select committee. senator, let's start with safety. b.a.r.t's efforts to reassure people it is safe to put people on board. how does the agency pay for that? >> well, first of all, i just want to say b.a.r.t is essential to the bay area. if we allow b.a.r.t to unravel, then we will have a lot of people that am be stranded. b.a.r.t is serving hundreds of to us ands of people today, despite the deductions and b.a.r.t keeps cars off of the roads. so, it reduces congestion. so, we need to keep

it stabilized. and b.a.r.t, also, people are legitimately demanding, they want a better experience, they want a safer system, they want a cleaner system, they want a reliable system which people should be demanding. but it costs money. b.a.r.t has staffed up in the police force and had more police on the trains, they hire unarmed ambassadors to help people in crisis. they are replacing the fare gates to make it harder to evade paying a fair. people are frustrated when that he see people jumping the gates. b.a.r.t will put an end to that. and b.a.r.t doubled the cleaning and replacing all of the old vehicles with new much, much better vehicles. all of these things cost money. the idea that b.a.r.t would not invest in safety and cleanliness

and reliability makes no sense. the idea that it will cut service to rate size the agency when, again, people are only going to ride when there is frequency of service. we need to have good, clean, reliable safety on b.a.r.t. that is why the ridership is gradually recovering. >> and you pushed for temporarily raising bridge tolls to fund b.a.r.t and save them from falling of the fiscal cliff. do you still believe that is the best solution or better funding sources >> well, nothing magical about it. that was one idea that we put forward. as you, i think, very, very correctly pointed out early in this story b.a.r.t was overly relying on fairs. that is not normal to have an agency that is 70, 80, 90% relying on

fares for muni, for public transit in chicago, for new york and other cities. you have tax dollars that are supporting the agencies because this is a public good. public transportation benefits everyone, including people who do not ride it because it reduces congestion. and, so, it was never a good thing that b.a.r.t was so reliant on fares. if it is not a bridge toll there are other options and we will look at other options next year. regardless of what the funding source is, we must not just sit by while b.a.r.t and other transit agencies have to start slashing service that is not in the interest of the bay area. >> all right, thank you very much, state senator scott wiener, always to get your thoughts on public transit, thank you for joining news thank you. still ahead, we take a deeper dive in the issues

sparking riders anxiety about b.a.r.t. >> i definitely say when you enter the b.a.r.t station at certain stops it could be really unsafe. >> you see a lot of crap on b.a.r.t. i mean. . >> and hear what they

. b.a.r.t on the brink. what will it take to get ridership on the anxious. a poll found 78% say they would ride b.a.r.t more often if it was safer and cleaner. wilson walker went on board to hear from them firsthand.. >> i started bringing the clorox during the pandemic. and i, i don't run out. [ laughter ] >> reporter: her daily commute runs from antioch into san francisco and she always comes prepared. >> civic center is the worst, i think, that is where i get off. i think that is a horrible station. >> it really depends which station you are going on. >> reporter: he is making his regular trip out of west oakland. >> i definitely say when you enter the b.a.r.t station at certain stops it could be really unsafe. >> reporter: they are the concerns that driven plane riders away. crime, cleanliness,

open drug use, the problems that have now plagued b.a.r.t for years. >> one more, i have to pull out the cam rarks i have to show my friends this. they will not believe it >> in 2018 it was drugs that made headlines, from there many riders turned their phones towards b.a.r.t struggle documenting trash and bad behavior. crime has been worse on b.a.r.t for the past few years, it has. >> reporter: robberies account for the majority of violent crime reported by b.a.r.t police, they started rising back in 2015. although the numbers dropped during the pandemic they did not drop as much as ridership. a trend can be seen with aggravated assaults >> we heard clearly from our passengers that they want to see more uniform presence on the trains both from our sworn

police officers and unarmed civilians. >> b.a.r.t's new chief of police says the answer of crime and rider anxiety is more patrols, the current response time to serious incidents is about 4 minutes. >> that is exactly how quick you can do it when you are looking for incidents that just occurred. >> reporter: the station activity can be reviewed in seconds, the train cameras can not. >> correct. the videos from the trains currently are a system that is recorded on the individual train cars. >> reporter: b.a.r.t is hoping to upgrade from thumb drives to realtime access but crime like robberies and assaults, that is just one part of what has riders concerned >> they have not done anything about the homeless. they are laying all over the place. they are doing crack, this or that. >> hello. i am going to up your arm and say how are you. >> reporter: crisis intervention specialists are deployed offering help to those that might accept it. they often serve as first responders, every

few days, sometimes several times a day b.a.r.t reports a staff member reviving a passenger who could otherwise become the next overdose fatality. >> in the meantime we have to ask you to sit up and not be under your blanket on the train. >> reporter: another part of the strategy is the fare gates, the hope is they will improve riding conditions >> adding security there. more people are actually paying their tickets and coming in. they are actually using b.a.r.t for transportation. >> you see a lot of crap on b.a.r.t. this is my friend. >> reporter: trains less chaotic will be cleaner that is the hope for an agency having to spend a lot of time cleaning things up. many of the respects, crime, homelessness, the drug crisis b.a.r.t is trying to hold back problem that are surging outside of the fare gates. >> b.a.r.t takes on some of the

characteristics of the neighborhood in which our stations are a part of. >> subject who smacking the gate with a hammer, correction, an axe. >> reporter: we have seen the challenges and they are us or the challenge that we see here in our communities every day. they are moving through the transit system that connects all of us. how do you fully insulate b.a.r.t from all of that? or well enough that the passengers that became uncomfortable start feeling better about getting back on board. >> reporter: in the south bay, vta is paying for an extension on b.a.r.t. despite construction delays and cost overruns it is determined to push ahead. . >> how much is too much? we don't know. it will never be cheaper than it is now. >> here is the problem. they are only seeing 10% of the ridership they were expecting with the

initial extension. we will dig into that problem as our b.a.r.t on the brink series continues tonight at 11:00. still ahead, weighing in on the state of b.a.r.t and what can be done to improve it. we will hear your thoughts, coming up next.

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. since we launched our b.a.r.t on the brink series we also have been hearing from you. your experiences on the trains. we have your side of the story. ann? >> we asked and our viewers answered. many people are concerned over drug use and cleanliness the agency also has its defenders.we met a rider who has been riding for about five years and says it has been reliable. she is frustrated by what she sees as a lack of police response. >> i had experiences when i was

alone. i messaged them, call them, okay, we will issue a warning. >> her advice have the police ready at each station after a rider calls for help. they have been writing in, sharing experiences, many stopped riding because they do not feel safe. a woman named susan described her trip from sfo to her home in the east bay on a monday night. after other sfo passengers disembarked at embarcadero, i was left with two creepy passengers, i was uncomfortable as one was injecting himself and a member of the other party was smoking something from foil. we heard from riders like monica who rides b.a.r.t in san francisco. i work in san francisco and use the b.a.r.t system daily. we experience problems but every transportation system has problems. i never experienced violence or other dangerous situations, i support the system 100%. we want to hear about your

experiences on b.a.r.t. you can share them using kpixtv on our social media pages or email us at newdesk@kpix.com. we are reading all of your emails and we will continue to share your experiences. >> all right, thank you. stay with us throughout the week as we look at b.a.r.t on the brink. we will post all of our stories in a special section on the front page of our website at kpix.com. we'll be right back.

. live all weeklong on b.a.r.t on the brink continues, i sat down with b.a.r.t's new police chief about how they are addressing safety concerns and why they think things will get better moving forward. thank you for joining us for our look at b.a.r.t on the brink. the special series continues at 5:00, 6:00, 11:00 and through the week. reminder you can check out all of our stories on our website kpix.com. we like to hear from you about how you feel about b.a.r.t. post your thoughts on line using the hash tag kpix ♪ ♪ >> norah: tonight, america decides. it's election night for millions of americans. plus, the world marks one month since hamas' deadly terror attack that killed