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I find commuting from the 24th and Mission to downtown via the BART very pleasant these days. Before COVID I would fight my way and barely squeeze in. Now I get

by calr 3y ago

I find commuting from the 24th and Mission to downtown via the BART very pleasant these days. Before COVID I would fight my way and barely squeeze in. Now I get a seat just about every time. I get off at Montgomery, so I am able to skip over the sketchier stops on Market (Civic center and Powell to some extent). There are still plenty of great cafes, coffeeshops, and bars open within walking distance of my office. Overall no complaints; I enjoy going into the office much more than before COVID.

htrp 3y ago
You will continue to enjoy your commute until everyone else is back in the office. Once that happens, you will hate it just as much.
- atleastoptimal 3y ago
  I'd wager at this point in the history of the West, the full "return to the office" back to pre-pandemic levels will never happen. We will look back at 2019 as the point at which we hit "peak toil", before the WFH movements and AI automation changed the structure of productivity forever.
Aaronstotle 3y ago
I'm in the same boat, I commute from East Bay and BART now has plenty of space in the morning and evening. Not empty, but not as full as it used to be, I also enjoy commuting because its the perfect place to read.
atleastoptimal 3y ago
That's the tragic thing about public services. They're much better when providing the same service at a volume far below profitability.
- sine_reality 3y ago
  i mean isnt this true for pretty much everything from a user's perspective?
SeanAnderson 3y ago
Unfortunately BART isn't financially viable with the current numbers, right? https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis
- shuckles 3y ago
  Transportation infrastructure isn’t meant to be financially viable. Interstates aren’t profit centers.
  - SeanAnderson 3y ago
    I agree, but the funding still has to come from somewhere. SF has an 800M budget shortfall and is looking at slashing services ~20% https://sfstandard.com/politics/city-hall/san-franciscos-deficit-swells-to-780m-in-latest-sign-of-budget-distress/ https://sfstandard.com/politics/city-hall/san-franciscos-def... The BART website clearly states that they are able to provide current operations due to COVID funding which runs out in 2025. They plan to stop offering weekend routes, stop running after 9PM, reduce train frequency to every 60 minutes, etc.
    - jeffbee 3y ago
      That's not what BART's report says, at all. That is a worst case analysis. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission required all agencies to undertake an unusual analysis using scenarios provided by MTC. The report concludes that BART cannot cut its way to solvency in the given scenarios. The report does not reflect BART's actual projections or plans.
      - shuckles 3y ago
        This is a bit too optimistic. BART in its current two year budget is projecting consecutive years of $300m operating deficits. That is very far from sustainable and not an unusual worst case.
      - SeanAnderson 3y ago

by calr 3y ago

htrp 3y ago

You will continue to enjoy your commute until everyone else is back in the office. Once that happens, you will hate it just as much.

atleastoptimal 3y ago
I'd wager at this point in the history of the West, the full "return to the office" back to pre-pandemic levels will never happen. We will look back at 2019 as the point at which we hit "peak toil", before the WFH movements and AI automation changed the structure of productivity forever.

Aaronstotle 3y ago

I'm in the same boat, I commute from East Bay and BART now has plenty of space in the morning and evening. Not empty, but not as full as it used to be, I also enjoy commuting because its the perfect place to read.

atleastoptimal 3y ago

That's the tragic thing about public services. They're much better when providing the same service at a volume far below profitability.

sine_reality 3y ago
i mean isnt this true for pretty much everything from a user's perspective?

SeanAnderson 3y ago

Unfortunately BART isn't financially viable with the current numbers, right? https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis https://www.bart.gov/about/financials/crisis

shuckles 3y ago
Transportation infrastructure isn’t meant to be financially viable. Interstates aren’t profit centers.
- SeanAnderson 3y ago
  I agree, but the funding still has to come from somewhere. SF has an 800M budget shortfall and is looking at slashing services ~20% https://sfstandard.com/politics/city-hall/san-franciscos-deficit-swells-to-780m-in-latest-sign-of-budget-distress/ https://sfstandard.com/politics/city-hall/san-franciscos-def... The BART website clearly states that they are able to provide current operations due to COVID funding which runs out in 2025. They plan to stop offering weekend routes, stop running after 9PM, reduce train frequency to every 60 minutes, etc.
  - jeffbee 3y ago
    That's not what BART's report says, at all. That is a worst case analysis. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission required all agencies to undertake an unusual analysis using scenarios provided by MTC. The report concludes that BART cannot cut its way to solvency in the given scenarios. The report does not reflect BART's actual projections or plans.
    - shuckles 3y ago
      This is a bit too optimistic. BART in its current two year budget is projecting consecutive years of $300m operating deficits. That is very far from sustainable and not an unusual worst case.
    - SeanAnderson 3y ago