As BART confronts a financial crisis and more traffic clogs Bay Area freeways, some commuters are eyeing a solution from the past.
They want to resurrect casual carpool, the grassroots system in which drivers pick up passengers at designated spots in the East Bay, and carry them across the Bay Bridge to the Financial District.
Launched amid transit meltdowns in the 1970s, this arrangement died with the pandemic. But enthusiasts never stopped trying to revive it, and now they see an opening. Workers are returning to offices in droves and, in September, California will stop allowing single-driver electric cars to use fast-moving diamond lanes on highways. Public transportation agencies, including BART and transbay bus lines, are facing deficits that could eviscerate service if taxpayers don’t provide a bailout…