Officials from three of the largest transit agencies operating in San Francisco said Tuesday that time is of the essence to determine the best ways to close a forthcoming combined $700 million budgetary shortfall while preserving service.

Representatives from BART, Caltrain and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spoke in Tuesday front of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority board, telling members they have recovered between 40% and 70% of pre-pandemic ridership.

Martin Reyes, the SFCTA's principal transportation planner in government affairs, said “ridership is really varied from operator to operator.”