BART

BART had a productive meeting with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie about coordinating on initiatives to bring people into the city and enhance the region's economic recovery. Our General Manager Bob Powers, Deputy General Manager Michael Jones, and Assistant General Manager of External Affairs Rodd Lee met with the mayor late last week and discussed ways we can collaborate on safety and cleanliness efforts to encourage more people to ride transit. BART gets workers and families to retail locations, museums, sports venues, and restaurants. There is no downtown recovery without BART.

News: There’s been a decline in the number of riders who say they’ve witnessed fare evasion on BART as we have installed Next Generation Fare Gates in 23 stations in the system. Meanwhile, participation in the Clipper START discount program is skyrocketing! For our latest Quarterly Performance Report, we asked riders, “did they see anyone enter or exit the station without paying their fare today?” Only 17% of those questioned said they had, which is a drop of nearly 1/3 from the same period just a year ago when 25% of respondents said they had witnessed fare evasion. In the last 12 months, BART has installed Next Generation Fare Gates at more than 20 stations across the system. More stations are getting new gates every month. In just the last few days installation work began at Concord, El Cerrito Plaza, Glen Park, and San Leandro stations. “The decline in fare evasion sightings is the latest indication that Next Generation Fare Gates are transforming the rider experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “We know it’s not possible to stop 100% of fare evasion, but we are seeing that these state-of-the-art, durable gates are proving themselves to be more resistant to fare evaders and are deterring unwanted activity on BART.” As more stations receive new gates, BART’s crime rate has dropped. Overall crime on BART was down 17% last year even as BART served 2.6 million more trips than it did in 2023. As fewer riders are seeing fare evasion, participation in the Clipper START discount program is skyrocketing. Clipper START trips on BART for the latest quarter more than doubled to 363,238 from only 150,282 a year ago. That’s a 141% increase. Clipper START provides a 50% discount on Bay Area transit to eligible riders who have an annual household income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less. BART has heavily promoted enrollment in Clipper START throughout the process of installing new fare gates. BART is on track to have Next Generation Fare Gates at all 50 stations by the end of this year. Learn more about the project at https://bart.gov/faregates

The whole BART crew had a blast at the City of Dublin, CA 's St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Lookout for the BARTmobile at more parades around the Bay this year.

BARTy wishes you all a happy pi day! Shout out to our favorite mathematical constant, a truly legendary irrational number. Literally a transcendental number. We wouldn't be able to get anywhere without circles, 💙π🥧

Our pals at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) just came across some photos from a trip their staff took to check out BART back in the 1970s. They captured some truly amazing vibes on-board our young system. Check them out!

Take BART to Dublin's 41st St. Patrick's Day Parade this Saturday, March 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. See the BARTmobile in action and visit the BART Police Department booth Saturday! Take BART to West Dublin/ Pleasanton station and walk approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile to the parade route. Headed to the Festival? Use free Wheels 30R buses. Organized by the Dublin Rotary Club, the parade will kick off at Dublin Boulevard and Amador Plaza Road, traveling east on Dublin Boulevard, north on Village Parkway, and west on Amador Valley Boulevard, ending near the Dublin Senior Center. Guests are encouraged to bring their chairs and blankets to watch from along the parade route.

BART legacy car 1234 is on its last journey, heading from our Hayward Shop and to the Sierra Foothills, where it will become a short term rental. Follow along at https://lnkd.in/gzaKfVVB

BART’s monthly ridership snapshot report for February is here! •Ridership was 2.9% higher than a year ago, with significant Saturday and Sunday growth (10.% and 14.8%, respectively). •February 15 saw the highest Saturday ridership since the pandemic with nearly 140K trips. It was driven by SF Chinese New Year Parade & Festival as well as several NBA All-Star Game events in San Francisco and Oakland. And good weather! •February ridership ended 3.4% above budget, driven in part by strong weekend ridership. •Weather influences ridership, with rainy weekdays coming in ~11% lower than non-rainy counterparts. This report (you can read it here: https://lnkd.in/gvU9kbrg ) includes ridership by station compared to last month and one year ago, ridership by fare type, growth trends for recently introduced fare products (Clipper START and Clipper Bay Pass). This month, we have included a chart analyzing the impact of rain on certain market areas. Not surprisingly, more rain equaled less discretionary trips. Find more ridership reports here: https://lnkd.in/ggnMFvFw

One Book One BART is back! Our book club pick is Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide by local conservationist Jeff Miller! The highly entertaining wildlife guide will serve as a jumping off point for exploration of the great outdoors by BART! BART's book club invites members of the public to read the same book at the same time and participate in themed events in BART trains and stations. It’s all about connecting people IRL and getting out together to explore the places, sights, and experiences by BART stations. We planned three outdoorsy events for people of all ages. 1. Guided Lake Merritt nature walk with the author from 19th St (April 19) 2. Bike and birdwatching ride from N. Berkeley Station (April 26) 3. First-of-its-kind BART Train Expedition along the Yellow Line with local celeb poet/illustrator/naturalist Obi Kaufmann! (May 3) Rsvp here: https://lnkd.in/ghhY24rQ Stay up to date on One Book One BART at bart.gov/bookclub Kaufmann, who illustrated Bay Area Wildlife, also created three original paintings that feature wildlife found by BART. The works will soon be displayed in ad spaces across the BART system. As BART faces a significant financial crisis, we are experimenting with new and creative ways to engage community members and get people riding – and excited about – BART. BART doesn’t just take you to urban centers. Did you know there are more than 900 parks within a mile of a BART station? It’s true! Plus - BART is one of the greenest ways to get around. The bunnies and egrets are grateful when you take the train! Bay Area Wildlife is available for purchase at many local bookstores, including our One Book One BART indie bookstore partners – all BARTable! -- who are offering 20% off the title when customers show their Clipper cards. All of our partners are within a mile of a BART station. Banter Bookshop - Fremont Station Bird and Beckett – Glen Park Station Books on B - Hayward Station Mrs. Dalloway’s - Rockridge Station Orinda Books - Orinda Station Spectator Books - MacArthur Station Tally Ho! Books – MacArthur Station We’ll see you on BART! Stay up to date on One Book One BART at bart.gov/bookclub

BART plans to install 100 level 2 EV chargers at the Daly City Station and 72 level 2 EV chargers at the Colma Station. Join us at an upcoming Pop-Up Event to share your ideas, ask questions, and provide your input about EV charging at BART. • Colma Station Pop-Up: Wednesday, March 12 from 4-7pm • Daly City Station Pop-Up: Saturday, March 22 from 10am-1pm • Daly City Farmer’s Market Pop-Up: Thursday, March 27 from 9am-1pm at Serramonte Center Whether or not you drive an EV or ride BART regularly, your input matters. Get involved and help shape the future of EV charging at BART. Your ideas will make a difference! To ask questions, provide feedback, or receive updates on EV charging at the Daly City and Colma stations, please send an email to sustainability@bart.gov.