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from cbs news bay area, this is the afternoon edition. >> it's no secret b.a.r.t. is having major money trouble. >> the operating costs and spending since the pandemic, it has consistently, for the most part, risen every year. >> and the current funding is running out fast. >> we need stopgap emergency funds to make sure that these systems don't fall apart. >> today we look at the options on the table from raising fares or bridge tolls to b.a.r.t. cutting its own costs to keep the transit agency from running off the rails. thank you so much for joining us this afternoon, i'm elizabeth cook. today we wrap up our week long series

b.a.r.t. on the brink by looking to the future of the transit agency. b.a.r.t. fares have gone up, we all know that, but will riders keep paying more to help the system stay on track and should they be the ones footing the bill anyway. we're digging into that very complicated conversation. fist, though, let's get you caught up on today's news headlines and weather. a police chase led to a manhunt in union city. officers pursued this black dur rain goe from the air and on ground around 1:30 this afternoon. several people ran into a house near mann avenue and skylark. police made several arrests there. you can see then things got physical at one point. we are waiting to hear back from police about why they were chasing the suspects in the first place. . in alameda, a pool worker was hurt after reports of an explosion. firefighters blocked off the area on shore point court and people were told to shelter in place. the injured worker was taken to the hospital for chemical burns. president joe biden will

meet with chinese president xi jinping on wednesday as global leaders gather for apec in san francisco. cbs news face the nation moderator margaret brennan calls ate consequential meeting for both the global economy and global security. >> the laundry list of items that the white house wants to bring up is quite long, and it's quite contentious. everything from potential election interference to fentanyl that has been flooding into the united states and killing americans. there's so many issues that will be on the table. it's not really known that there will be any breakthroughs, it's just the fact that they're meeting that's the news. >> apec officially kicks off tomorrow, and we are already starting to get just a taste of the traffic headaches and disruptions to come. we saw signs up around mo ko where it

will be held. okay, here's the takeaway image on the forecast. all eyes on this chance of rain next week. late tuesday through friday, on again off again showers in that window. we could pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain in that timeframe. stay on top of the forecast with us. we will have much more to refine in terms of the details and timing out the rain. we're not there yet. here's your friday. daytime highs pretty much average. maybe just a few high clouds out there. pretty quiet day, though, in terms of any chance of rain. that's not really in the cards for today. let's remove the virtual map and bring in the seven-day forecast just to show you what it looks like for our inland microclimate. back here is where we have that chance of rain tuesday night late going through thursday, friday, and certainly probably into friday at this point it looks like. but the timing of it still needs to come together. think of it really as second half of next week. what a great looking

weekend we have. plenty of sunshine, everybody should be right around 70 with on again off again clouds for saturday and sunday. b.a.r.t. is facing a looming fiscal cliff, and this week we've shown you how the transit agency got there. so what's the solution to all of this and who should be on the financial hook? whatever happens, it's likely no one is going to be 100% happy. . >> reporter: debra allen is one of nine people on b.a.r.t.'s board of directors. she represents district one, which includes the four b.a.r.t. stations from lafayette to concord in central contra costa county. before getting elected to the board in 2016, debra worked for decades as an

accountant and financial officer. >> i decided, you know, this would be a place where i could bring my financial background to possibly, you know, help the public and do some good. >> reporter: but when debra got into office, she said she quickly realized b.a.r.t.'s finances were in trouble. >> if you look at the numbers for the operating costs and spending since the pandemic, it has consistently, for the most part, risen every year. >> reporter: from 2018 to 2022 b.a.r.t.'s operating expenses increased from $992 million to just over $1 billion while at the same time operating revenues plummeted from $546 million to just $166 million. to cover that gap, b.a.r.t. received emergency funding from the federal government, but that funding runs out in 2025. with ridership still below half of what it was prepandemic,

b.a.r.t. need to come up with a new source of funding fast or risk significant cuts to services. one of the people working to secure that funding is state senator scott wiener. >> so we need stopgap emergency funds to make sure that these systems don't fall apart. >> reporter: there are a few different ways b.a.r.t. can secure funding. the state could raise bridge tolls or taxes on things like gas and sales. it could also just increase its investment in transportation from the state's general fund. senator weiner told me that's the option he thinks is best. >> that would be the cleanest way of doing it. it makes sense for the state to step in and do it. >> reporter: but it's unclear how realistic that option is. b.a.r.t. says it will need around $300 million a year starting in 2025 just to stay afloat, and it comes at a time when the state is dealing with its own budget deficit. that's why senator weiner is also the author of a bill that looks to

increase bridge tolls to fund b.a.r.t. >> and we also have ideas about how to make sure that commuters who are really commuting every day on the bridges are not harmed. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. itself is also working to get a voter initiative on the 2026 ballot that would raise taxes to fund one or a combination of these different ideas will work to get b.a.r.t. back above water. however, public polling from an organization called joint venture silicon valley suggests securing any of those funding options may not be that easy. russell hancock is the president and ceo of joint venture. >> specifically we asked about our region's struggling rail system, b.a.r.t. and caltrans. and we learned some interesting things. >> reporter: according to joint venture's poll, 57% of respondents said commuter rail needs to keep going even if it costs taxpayers more money. but when asked where that money

should come from, the same percentage of people, 57%, disliked all of the available options, including raising fares, bridge tolls, and taxes. angel has been riding b.a.r.t. to work every day for the past 25 years. he told me he's a part of the other 43%, those willing to pay more if it means services aren't cut. >> this is a good idea because otherwise how can i get to my work without the b.a.r.t.? >> reporter: but debra told me the issue would be getting those who don't ride b.a.r.t. every day on board. she understands many of them are frustrated with b.a.r.t.'s handling of its finances. she is too. that's why she's not only looking into ways to secure more funding for b.a.r.t. but she's also looking into ways to cut costs on everything from future projects to labor. >> this board has refused to ask for concessions out of the

labor contracts on things not necessarily on just, you know, pay decreases. we could be talking about overtime rules, which are very generous to b.a.r.t. employees. >> reporter: but union leaders say even if they wanted to, renegotiating the labor contract wouldn't solve the funding problem. they believe it would only make it harder for them to retain employees. >> this has to be a state level solution for all transit agencies. >> reporter: debra told me she knows b.a.r.t. can't just cut costs to get out of its deficit. her hope is to find a balance of both cutting costs and securing additional funding. >> perhaps if $80 million of cuts can be found in an annual budget, now we're only looking for $120 million a year of

revenue. that might be more palatable to taxpayer, to bridge toll payers, or to even state and local governments. >> reporter: debra told me she believes the more people see b.a.r.t. trying to reign in its spending, the more willing they may be to support future funding of the system and help b.a.r.t. avoid its looming fiscal cliff. >> now, one new form of funding that has come into the conversation over the last few weeks or so is additional state funding. mtc staff has recommended allocating money to b.a.r.t. through fiscal year 2026. the commission is expected to vote on that funding as early as next week. and this week b.a.r.t. started a listening tour to hear from riders about their experiences on the trains and in the stations. b.a.r.t. leadership along with b.a.r.t. police are holding sessions at different stations through december 13th.

on monday they'll be at the embarcadero station around the evening commute time. tuesday they'll be at pleasant hill for the morning commute. and november 29th they'll hear from riders in antioch. now as we cover b.a.r.t. on the brink, we're learning it's not just us. coming up, how mass transit agencies elsewhere are also dealing with massive backlogs in maintenance and lower ridership. >> b.a.r.t. is a train wreck. there's a guy smoking crack on my car. >> the last time you rode b.a.r.t.? >> about a year and a half ago. >> people no longer think of b.a.r.t. as safe. >> it's lost about 60% of its average daily riders. >> from the ideal ride to a public transit system in financial peril, how did b.a.r.t. go off the tracks and what will it take to woo back riders? join us fo

we know b.a.r.t. ridership has been slow to recover from the pandemic. it's still only at about 40%. but transit troubles aren't limited to the bay area. cbs news senior national transportation correspondent kris van cleave

gives us some perspective on the challenges other mass transsit agencies are facing around the country. >> reporter: in the nation's third biggest metro area, transit ridership is on the rise, but there are still about 35% fewer people using chicago transit authority's buses and trains than prepandemic. cta president carter. >> customers are riding our system, they're just not riding it for the same reasons they used to ride it in the past. >> reporter: ridership is higher tuesday to thursday. nights and weekends have seen a rebound. but mondays, fridays, and when the weather is bad, ridership drops as people work from home. changing patterns are forcing the agency to rethink how it operates, all while balancing falling revenue, lower ridership, upkeep of an aging system, and a growing maintenance backlog. >> i have $13 billion of unmet capital need just to get to a state of good repair. the under investment for public transportation infrastructure in this country are horrible. >> reporter: nationally, the

american society of civil engineers predicts those unmet capital needs will grow to about $250 billion by 2029. transit ridership nationwide jumped nearly 14% in the second quarter of this year compared to the same time in 2022 with big gains in washington, d.c., up nearly 46% so far this year. passenger trips on b.a.r.t. are up about 25%. and on new york city's subway, up 19%. here in the phoenix area, there are plans to expand the valley's light rail system. it's already seeing a surge in ridership. passenger trips up about 22% so far this year, but the system doesn't reach the bulk of the region's nearly 5 million people. and nationally about half the country doesn't have easy access to mass transit. >> american mass transit has been in crisis for a long time, and the pandemic accelerated that crisis. >> reporter: professor nicholas wrote the book the great american transit disaster. >> we see rebound in systems

that have basically done their best to bring back service levels that were in place before the pandemic. and they maintained as much service as they could. >> if we want to have world class cities, we need world class transit. that means we need to pay for it. >> reporter: unlike many international cities, mass transit funding in the u.s. has lagged as americans prefer driving and as pandemic relief funding expires, many transit agencies may be facing a fiscal cliff that could force service cuts just as demand is finally starting to come back. >> it is important to note b.a.r.t. relies much more on its rider ands the revenue from fares to support its operating costs compared to other transit agencies. and according to data from the center for transportation, 72% of b.a.r.t.'s revenue comes from fares. compare that to other major agencies like washington, d.c.,'s metro, where only about a third of its revenue is dependent on fares. now, while b.a.r.t. tries to get riders back on board, a much younger

transit system here in the bay area is celebrating rising ridership. in fact, sonoma marin area rail transit just held this ground breaking for the petaluma north station, which they hope to finish by the end of next year. our shawn chitnis has more on the growth of smart. >> reporter: our week long look at b.a.r.t. brings us to the north bay to talk about one part of the bay area that doesn't have access to that transit agency but does have a much younger service that started in 2017, smart. and in that six years they have seen some success even more recently as they add more stations and now see ridership above prepandemic levels in 2019. oakland resident case finds himself on smart whenever he wants to spend time with family in the north bay.

>> it's very reliable. it's very smooth and you can easily fall asleep. >> reporter: starting at the larkspur station, this has become a regular outing, even bringing along another relative visiting the bay area on this day. >> i have a cousin that lives up in windsor, and we ride bikes together and see the wine country. >> reporter: when comparing boardings from august of 2019 to august of this year, smart ridership is up 10%. a combination of summer programs as well as fall commuters helped with the recovery. building on the growing interest smart has seen from people using it to connect outside of the north bay, including riders last year taking the train on their way to a giants game. >> i think it's great. i think the fact that it's linked with the ferry is really nice. >> reporter: for case, a longtime bay area resident who used to commute daily on public transportation, he's glad to see one more way for people to get out of their cars and help reduce the congestion on the

roads. >> marin never got b.a.r.t., and so this is a, finally a good alternative. >> reporter: smart explains the success they are seeing with ridership levels above 2019 comes from a variety of factors that include more people using their service in the morning and evenings, expanding their service, as well as having lower fares than before the pandemic. >> and in the bay area we are fortunate to have several different public transit options to get us where we need to go. and what if you could move through them all seamlessly? coming up, we look at the efforts to integrate our rides. this is pix+, more local news in the morning and the only 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. news. groundbreaking, original story telling, and

all this week we've been exploring b.a.r.t. on brink, the issues the transit agency is dealing with, and how it's working to overcome them. but

we're also hearing from one bay area group that's working toward integrating b.a.r.t. and other transit agencies into one easy system. our juliette goodrich spoke with the policy director for seamless bay area. >> we're talking about trains, buses, and ferries, so as it stands right now, you may have to take a bus from oakland, b.a.r.t. into san francisco, and another bus to another location. so how would that all change for the riding experience? >> yeah, so that is a typical trip that many people would have to take right now. they might have to go to three different websites to look up schedule information, the schedules themselves wouldn't be coordinated. the fares, they would have to pay a separate fare for each of those separate legs. that can make it very expensive, especially if you're travelling in a group or with your family. lots of people wouldn't know how to start doing that trip and wouldn't even try. making transit seamless means information would be standardized, way finding and signage would be

easy, branding would be integrated, the schedules would be aligned, and you would only pay one fare. >> yeah, i like how you're using the word easy, but tell me, is it as easy to get the legislation, to get the funding, where are we along the track, so to speak? >> so we've had some great successes in getting elected leaders on board and excited about this vision. we were fortunate during the pandemic that transit agencies and elected leaders really came together and committed to a vision of an integrated system and advancing key parts of that like integrated fares, integrated service. so there's a lot going on right now behind the scenes. we have a few pilots that customers can see, like 50,000 university students have access to a multi-agency pass product called the bay pass that's working really well in building new riders to the system. it's going to take a few more years until we really see the benefits of this, and it's going to take some work from our legislators in sacramento to authorize a

potential ballot measure for the bay area and to attach that new funding with the reforms that can make coordination a requirement of funding transit in the future. >> i'm on board if it's easy and effective and cuts down on air pollution. ian, thank you for your time. look forward to talking to you down the road. >> and you can find all of our special coverage of b.a.r.t. on the brink on our website. we'll be posting our stories in a special section on the front page of kpix.com. and we'll be right back.

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this week we've received emails from viewers like you and their experiences about their experiences on and with b.a.r.t. and one came from the mayor of millbrae. coming up at 6:00, we look at what she calls unsafe situations caused by b.a.r.t. in her city at the end of the line. and we invite you to share your thoughts on b.a.r.t. using the hashtag #kpixtv on our social media pages or email newsdesk@kpix.co m. and thank you for joining us for b.a.r.t. on the brink. more special coverage this evening on kpix, streaming on cbs ne ♪ ♪ >> norah: tonight, explosions and heavy fighting reported around hospitals in gaza beer go go israel says it is closing in where it says hamas hides military operations. the concert tonight for vulnerable patients and so throwing civilians.