Voters approve more than $31 billion for transit this year, led by a $14 billion Bay Area tax
Voters approved 22 of the 27 transit measures on the Nov. 3 ballot, adding $27.4 billion in long-term funding and pushing the 2026 total past $31 billion, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The largest is a 14-year Bay Area sales tax expected to raise $14 billion.
Counting earlier elections, transit measures have won 56 of 66 votes this year, APTA said. ENR, reporting from an APTA webinar, counted 22 wins out of 26 measures on the Nov. 3 ballots.
In the Bay Area, Proposition RTM passed with 62% of the vote, ENR reported. Its 14-year sales tax is expected to bring in $14 billion for BART, Caltrain, AC Transit and Muni. BART general manager Bob Powers said that without it the agency would have closed stations and route segments and cut the remaining service. San Francisco voters also approved Stronger Muni For All, a parcel tax that runs 15 years and is worth $2.4 billion that closes Muni's operating budget gap, with 72% support.
Charleston, South Carolina, approved a half-cent sales tax for 25 years that should raise $4.25 billion. Transit gets $860 million of it, including a 21-mile bus rapid transit line costing $625 million; the rest goes to highways and green space. In Colorado, another measure will help pay for extending commuter rail from Denver to Pueblo.
The local money arrives while federal funding is unsettled. Ward McCarragher, APTA's vice president for government affairs, said federal highway and transit programs stop if Congress has not acted by Dec. 12.
Why it matters: These are local taxes with fixed terms, so they do not depend on Congress. Much of the Bay Area money keeps service running, but Charleston's $625 million BRT line and the Denver to Pueblo rail extension are construction work to watch for bids.
Sources
- Voters Greenlight $31+ Billion in Public Transportation Ballot Measures Across the U.S. in 2026APTA Passenger Transport, Nov 5
- Transit Projects Get a Boost at Ballot Box as Voters Approve $31B in FundingENR, Nov 6