Bay Area Rapid Transit is riding high after the passage of District Measure RR, entitling the regional system to a $3.5 billion bond after voter approval earlier this month. But BART's July to September ridership numbers are now in — those are here in their raw form — and they're actually down for the first time in six years according to the Chronicle, if marginally. Still, because roughly 78 percent of BART's revenue comes from ticket fares, BART's operating budget will require adjustment, assistant general manager for operations Paul Oversier says. Less crowded trains, a welcome respite from the recent norm, does come with consequences.

The numbers: Weekend passengers fell by 4.3 percent on Saturdays and 6.2 percent on Sundays. Weekday passengers were also down, though just by about 2,100 riders per day. or a half of a percent. Overall that meant ridership was down just 1.3 percent, compared to the same period last year — but BART had been assuming that growth would continue by about 6 percent.

BART spokesperson Alicia Trost tells the Chronicle that cutbacks have yet to be determined and will be presented to the agency's board of directors next month. In the past five years, mirroring the growing region, BART ridership has gone up by more than 100,000 people per weekday. “We’ve reached our capacity,” Oversier told the Chronicle. “If you ride at rush hour, it is not particularly pleasant," he said. "It’s like riding the New York subway.” The horror!

Related: BART Bond Passes, $3.5 Billion To Go Toward Infrastructure