BART

SweaterFest '24 is TOMORROW! We invite you to rock your BART ugly sweater (and other BART holiday merch) Saturday, Dec. 7, from 1pm to 4pm at the Rockridge Station Plaza. What to expect: Live music, transit-themed crafts (did someone say paper ticket wreaths?), family friendly activities, and photo opps! If you've been collecting stamps for your BART Stamp Passport, bring it to the event to get the new SweaterFest stamp. We'll be handing out a special prize (it's a surprise, but you'll love it!) for those who have five or more stamps in their passports, including the new SweaterFest stamp. We will have hundreds of 2024 holiday sweaters available for purchase at the event, along with the suite of additional 2024 BART holiday merch: sweater vests, beanies, scarves. Railgoods will be selling non-holiday BART merch as well, including new Railgoods gift cards, a great option for the hard-to-shop-for people in your life. We’ll take a group photo of everyone in their sweaters during the event at 2:30pm. What: SweaterFest ‘24 When: Saturday, Dec. 7, 1pm to 4pm Where: Rockridge Station Plaza

BART's innovative Art Program is making a huge difference in the transit experience of our riders. Since its inception in the 1960s, BART has prioritized bringing art and cultural experiences to stations. On our latest edition of “Hidden Tracks: Stories from BART,” BART Art Program Manager Jennifer Easton discusses the wide range of projects her one-woman department has undertaken – from murals and fashion shows to poetry contests and safety initiatives – and makes the case for the importance of weaving art and culture into the transit experience. 🎧⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gng6A97t

BART has an exciting update about its Transit-Oriented Development program: Request for Proposals for development of Ashby Station are now available! Find them at the link below. In close partnership with the City of Berkeley, BART is laying the ground for an inclusive and vibrant TOD. Hundreds of new homes affordable to people with a variety of incomes, retail and/or cultural uses complementing the adjacent Lorin District businesses, and new gathering spaces are among the goals that residents of Berkeley identified for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) at Ashby.

BART fares will increase January 1, 2025, to keep pace with inflation so that the agency is able to pay for continued operations and to work toward restoring financial stability. BART's current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations. Fares will increase 5.5 percent on New Year’s Day. The increase is tied to the rate of inflation minus a half-percentage point. It’s the second such increase – the first took effect January 1, 2024. “We understand that price increases are never welcome, but BART fares remain a vital source of funds even with ridership lower than they were before the pandemic,” said BART Board Vice President Mark Foley. “My Board colleagues and I voted in June 2023 to spread necessary fare increases over two years rather than catching up all at once. At the same time, we voted to increase the Clipper START means-based discount from 20 percent to 50 percent to help those most in need.” The fare increase is expected to raise about $14 million per year for operations. Combined with the previous year’s fare adjustment, BART will use this $30 million per year to fund train service, enhanced cleaning, additional police and unarmed safety staff presence, and capital projects such as the Next Generation Fare Gates project. The regional Clipper START program is an important resource for low-income riders of BART and other Bay Area transit systems. The program is for adult riders with a household income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less. Administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, program participants receive a personalized Clipper card that cuts half the cost of fares on more than 20 transit systems. BART's current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations. Even with the fare increase, BART is facing a $35 million operating deficit in FY26 and $385 million in FY27. Since BART’s outdated model of relying on passenger fares to pay most operating costs is no longer feasible because of remote work, the agency must modernize its funding sources to better match other transit systems throughout the country that receive larger amounts of public funding. BART needs a more reliable long-term source of operating funding and continues to advocate at the federal, state, and regional levels for the permanent funding needed to sustainably provide the quality transit service the Bay Area needs. Addressing BART’s ongoing financial crisis will take a variety of solutions including securing new revenue and continuing to find internal cost savings. BART costs have grown at a rate lower than inflation, showing we have held the line on spending. We have implemented a service schedule that better matches ridership and we are running shorter trains, reducing traction power consumption and maintenance costs.

The installation of our new Next Generation Fare Gates is now complete at Powell Street Station! Installation work continues at Montgomery Street and Warm Springs stations. Work at 12th Street and South Hayward stations starts next week. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. Funding for the new gates comes from local, state, and federal sources. Thanks to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and the Alameda County Transportation Commission for helping provide funding! Remember, we offer a variety of discounts. All discounts are set up in advance through Clipper. A little work up front helps you save money. Find more information here: https://lnkd.in/g-P5SAQ7

North Berkeley and El Cerrito Plaza are the latest stations to get new, brighter platform lights! #bart #transit

📰Some Next Generation Fare Gate updates! Installation work begins next week at Warm Springs/South Fremont Station. BART has already installed the new, tougher gates at 10 stations and work continues at Montgomery and Powell Street stations. The first set of gates to be replaced at Warm Springs / South Fremont Station will be the array on the south end of the concourse. While work happens to install the first set of new gates, the second array of old gates will remain open for riders. Funding for the new gates comes from local, state, and federal sources. Thanks to Alameda County Transportation Commission and San Francisco County Transportation Authority for helping provide funding! Remember, we offer a variety of discounts. All discounts are set up in advance through Clipper. A little work up front helps you save money. Find more information here: https://lnkd.in/g-P5SAQ7

♻️🌱🌎💡 On Wednesday, Nov. 20, 5pm to 6:30pm, BART’s Sustainability Department invites the public to join a virtual community meeting for updates on BART’s sustainability progress and to share their thoughts and priorities moving forward. The meeting will gather perspectives and ideas from the community as BART moves forward in updating its 2017 Sustainability Action Plan for 2025. This will be followed by a Q&A and a discussion of next steps. Register at this link: https://lnkd.in/gM7sz_6a

We heard about this “Bike to the Movies” event Peter Hartlaub of the SF Chronicle and Grant Marek of SF Gate were hosting at the 4 Star Theater to highlight public transit, biking, and a local small business so we figured we’d check it out! It was a cool journey and a reminder of the fun stuff you can reach in the Bay Area when you mix public transit like BART, bikes, and other personal mobility devices.

Ahead of Veterans Day, BART celebrates employees who served and acknowledges their ongoing commitment to public service. “There are more than 200 military veterans in our BART family who each and every day contribute their experiences, values, and expertise to our organization,” said General Manager Bob Powers. “We all benefit from what they bring to BART, as do our riders.” Last month, we reached out to BART veterans with a few questions: How are the lessons and skills you gained in the military reflected in your work at BART? Why did you wish to continue your public service in a different capacity? Why are you proud to be a BART employee and a veteran? Read what they had to say here: https://lnkd.in/gcEH27uf