Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Isabeau Doucet in San Francisco

The last stop: what happens when a US city’s subway starts to die?

A lone commuter rides a normally packed, San Francisco-bound Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) train in 2020. The subway and overground train service has struggled to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, prompting fears of a financial death spiral.
A lone commuter rides a normally packed San Francisco-bound Bay Area Rapid Transit (Bart) train in 2020. Photograph: Peter Dasilva/EPA

On a bright day in early June, a crowd of activists dressed in black gathered in downtown San Francisco for a funeral procession. The crowd wailed and shared impromptu eulogies, not for a person, but for a public transit system.

“Ashes to ashes. Bus to bus”, one intoned, as the pallbearers carrying cardboard replicas of trains and buses on top of coffins lay them to rest in front of city hall.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.