Many Hacienda tenants cite the onsite Dublin/Pleasanton BART station as a critically important benefit for employees and visitors. BART makes it easy to use public transit between Hacienda and other cities within the greater Bay Area. That connectivity to the larger region is a boon to commuters and residents alike. In this post-pandemic era, BART officials are taking steps to further improve the rider experience and continue upgrading the system as a whole.

Improvements Ease Travel

September was a busy month for BART. A new schedule that emphasizes ridership growth opportunities has increased daily evening service by 50%, eliminated 30-minute wait times on weekends and nights, and reduced waiting times on platforms by improving scheduled transfers. The new schedule improves reliability and better serves travelers to and from the San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport as well, according to agency officials.

On BART’s busiest weekday line, the Yellow Line, trains now leave every 10 minutes rather than at 15-minute intervals from the Pittsburg/Bay Point station heading to San Francisco International Airport. BART officials hope increasing the frequency of trains on that line will help “get drivers off congested highways 4, 680, and 24.” They note that overall BART customer on-time performance has improved to 91%, timed transfers have improved to 80%, and canceled trips have been nearly eliminated.

Changes in ticketing should also ease travel for BART riders, who can now pay for BART rides using a smartphone and Apple Pay or Google Pay services. Funds added via those services are immediately available for use, according to officials. They note that BART “has moved to a Clipper-only fare payment system because the region has prioritized the use of Clipper as the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.”

Next year, a new generation of Clipper cards will be rolled out. One feature will include an open payment option to tap a credit or debit card at a BART fare gate without setting up a phone-based digital Clipper card in advance. “The next generation of Clipper also opens the door for new discount programs, promotions, and potentially fare capping for BART riders,” officials say. In another development, the Clipper START fare for low-income riders will increase to a 50% discount on January 1, 2024.

The Clipper BayPass, a two-year pilot project initially offered to students only, was recently expanded to businesses. Clipper BayPass gives users unlimited travel on all Bay Area transit services, including bus; rail, such as BART; and ferry lines. As part of this project, eligible companies and organizations can now purchase Clipper BayPass cards for their employees at a custom, discounted price. This valuable benefit can help attract and retain employees, according to transit officials.

Safe & Clean Plan

The BART Police Department launched the Ambassador Pilot Program on February 10, 2020 with a goal to increase the presence of uniformed, unarmed, non-sworn personnel to boost the agency’s visible presence on trains. The pilot program included 10 Ambassadors who received de-escalation and anti-bias training. “This program is the result of a collaborative effort,” BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez said at the time.  “Our Ambassadors are a force multiplier, they provide us more eyes and ears out in the system, and they supplement what we’re doing with our sworn police officers.”

At the end of 2020, BART received the Award for Innovation in Public Safety by TransitCenter, a national foundation. The honor acknowledged BART’s work in pursuing alternative models of safety with the launch of the Ambassador Program. During the 10-month pilot program, “BART Ambassadors performed 5,700 platform checks, rode 4,400 trains, and made 7,300 educational contacts with riders,” officials say. “Based on the accomplishments of the pilot, the BART Board formalized the Ambassador Program in October 2020 and approved the addition of 10 new Crisis Intervention Specialists and additional Community Outreach Specialists.”

“We wanted to do something different, and it’s part of reimagining what public safety is about,” according to BART Board Director Bevan Dufty. “The best response to people who may be homeless, who may have mental illness, who may be addicted may not necessarily involve an armed officer.”

In early September, BART officials announced a new Safe & Clean Plan designed to further improve security and hygiene on trains and at stations. In terms of security, the agency plans to add 19 additional BART police officer positions once current vacancies are filled. In the meantime, the agency has increased BART police patrols at stations and on trains. To prevent near-empty train cars, the agency has shortened the least-crowded trains to increase safety and installed LED lighting on platforms and in parking facilities to eliminate dark corners. BART maintains more than 4,000 surveillance cameras to “minimize response time and hold suspects accountable,” according to agency officials.

The agency is also doubling the rate of deep cleaning on train cars by adding nearly 66% more dedicated crews working to keep stations clean. It will also be “staffing restrooms at high-volume stations with attendants to guarantee cleanliness and safety,” officials say. In other improvements, taller and stronger fare gates will be installed to deter fare evasion at West Oakland station by the end of this year. Systemwide, more than 700 new fare gates are planned for installation by the end of 2025. Fare gates will also be added to enclose elevators to further reduce fare evasion.

Last month, the few remaining legacy trains from the early 1970s were removed from use. Now all 55 trains in service are made up of new cars with a variety of upgrades. “If you haven’t tried BART in the last few months, I encourage you to ditch your car for the day,” says BART General Manager Bob Powers. “We’ve made many improvements. From easy app-based payment to new escalators at our busy downtown stations, we’re proud of the improvements we are making every day. Most importantly, we’ve made a commitment to a cleaner, safer ride that guarantees BART remains the safest way to travel.”

In addition to honing BART into a safer and more comfortable form of public transit, the agency is also working to create a sense of community with an innovative new program. Last spring, BART rolled out the One Book One BART book club. “Reading while you ride has long been one of the great benefits of taking BART,” note officials. “We know that the Bay Area is home to an amazing legion of readers, writers, libraries, independent bookstores, and publishers, many of which are accessible by BART. With One Book One BART, we want to celebrate this region’s vibrant literary culture and encourage our reading riders to get on BART and get to know one another.”

The One Book One BART Fall 2023 book club selection announced last month is On the Rooftop by Oakland-based author Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. Participation in the book club includes access to a variety of events and contests. The next event will be held on Saturday, October 21 from 1 to 3 pm.  The 55-minute Train Read-In starts at the Richmond BART Station and ends at the Daly City Station. Officials encourage riders to become readers and to hop on BART along the Train Read-In route.

For more information about paying for BART rides with a smartphone, please visit www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/pay-with-phone#lets-get-started.

For more information about the Clipper START discount program, please visit www.sfmta.com/fares/clipper-start.

For more information about the Clipper BayPass program for employers, please visit www.clipperbaypass.com.

For more information about BART’s Safe & Clean Plan, please visit www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230907.

For more information about One Book One BART, please visit www.bartable.bart.gov/featured/one-book-one-bart-read-us-fall.

Photo by Jonathan Herman on Unsplash