Data has been lacking on some of the post covid numbers. But, "annectdotally", from watching some of the rail cams, and Gold line ridership, it seems like expensive gasoline is starting to fill trains back up, especially the Amtrak corridor services, less so the commuter rail at peaks, less so rail transit, and even less the buses. Comicon put a lot of folks on LOSSAN with 7 car consists.

Maybe web digger can give us that link to the monthly Amtrak corridor counts? Which will give a more precise measure.

In LA we have the problem that Metro cut dozens and dozens of bus routes entirely, and cut back services and service frequencies massively on many other routes other routes, including eliminating many of the heavily used cross town "rapid bus" routes entirely, in MTA's utterly disastrous "mid Covid" "bus restructuring".

Then the MTA proceeded about six months ago to make further major cutbacks to rail and bus service frequencies, increasing wait times, and losing still more real and potential riders. MTA even apparently used Covid funding intended to "restore" service to carry out some of these service reductions. And MTA then diverted some of this funding to start Metro Mini, an incredibly costly contracted "dial-a-ride" to supposedly replace some of the bus services that MTA bus route and service cuts. These empty vehicles regularly hide out in my own neighborhood, billing the taxpayers while sitting empty.

We all know from the free on-line AP version of BOB2's USC planning class, that "no service" and long "wait times" are two great ways that are guaranteed to cut transit ridership and drive off potential users. As a result of the "restructuring" the MTA has lost around 500,000 daily bus and rail riders, and no one at MTA even seems to really care.

These massive MTA cuts came on top of an unofficial "strike" by the Sheriff, who has refused to enforce the law on the MTA until the MTA Board gave him an exclusive contract. The problems with the homeless mentally ill and crime on buses, trains, and in stations, has helped to drive off many occasional "discretionary" choice riders on MTA as well.

No service, long waits for infrequent and unreliable services, filthy stations, trains, and buses, fear of crime, and generally incompetent management have been quite effective in driving off hundreds of thousands of regular daily users, and tens of thousands of folks daily who were making trips like you describe David. So BART will just have to work harder, if they want to be as incompetent and lose as many daily riders as MTA has.