Bay Area Rapid Transit

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a fast train system that helps people travel around the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It has many stations and runs on different routes.

BART is run by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. The first trains started running between 1972 and 1974. The system has grown larger over time.

Services

BART is a train system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It serves San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties, plus parts of San Mateo County and Santa Clara counties. BART has 50 stations on five main lines and one special line to Oakland Airport. Most trains go through Oakland and cross the bay to San Francisco using the Transbay Tube. Trains run every day until 9 pm, and some lines run later.

Trains usually come every 20 minutes, but the Yellow Line comes every 10 minutes on weekdays. During busy times, trains can come as often as every four minutes. There are also buses to help people get to and from BART stations when the trains are not running, like late at night. These buses follow the same routes as the BART trains. BART connects with many other types of transportation, including buses and other train systems. This makes it easy to reach places all around the Bay Area, including San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.

History

For broader coverage of this topic, see History of Bay Area Rapid Transit.

Origins, planning, and geographical coverage

Some places now served by BART were once connected by old streetcars and trains like the Key System and the Sacramento Northern Railway. These old systems crossed the Bay Bridge to link towns around the San Francisco Bay. The Sacramento Northern Railway even went as far north as Chico.

As traffic got worse in the 1950s, leaders decided a new, fast transit system was needed. Planning for BART began in 1957 with the creation of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Five counties joined together at first: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, the City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County, and Marin County. Later, Santa Clara County joined too, though it took many years.

Early years and train control problems

BART began carrying passengers on September 11, 1972, starting between MacArthur and Fremont. The whole system opened in 1974. Even though it was a big improvement, there were some early problems with the train control system that needed fixing.

Extensions

Before BART even started, leaders thought about adding more lines. The first big extensions came in the 1990s, reaching places like North Concord/Martinez and San Francisco International Airport. In 2018, a new line called eBART opened to Antioch. Today, BART is expanding into Silicon Valley, with new stops like Berryessa/North San José already open.

System modernization

BART has worked to improve its service over the years. Changes include better ticket machines and new ways to pay, like using credit cards or phones. BART has also made sure its tracks are safe for earthquakes, fixing important parts like the Transbay Tube.

Rolling stock

The mainline BART network uses electric powered, self-propelled railcars. Most trains have six cars, but the Yellow Line uses nine cars. Passengers can move between cars easily. Each car has three doors, bike racks, 54 seats, and interior and exterior displays with information. New cars, called the "Fleet of the Future," were shown in April 2016. The first cars were supposed to start in December 2016, but problems delayed them until January 19, 2018. BART ordered 775 cars from Bombardier, which later merged with Alstom. As of July 23, 2024^[update], all cars have arrived, and 769 are ready for service. BART needs 400 cars for busy times.

The old fleet of A, B, and C cars, built between 1968 and 1996, stopped regular service on September 11, 2023. Its last runs were on April 20, 2024.

The Oakland Airport Connector uses a special fleet of cable car-based automated guideway transit vehicles. It has four trains made by DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car, set up as three-car groups, but can hold four cars later.

The eBART extension uses eight Stadler GTW diesel railcars. These vehicles run on standard gauge tracks, unlike BART's broad gauge.

Fares

Fare schedule

BART uses fares based on distance. For trips under 6 miles, the fare is $2.15. Extra fees apply for travel through the Transbay Tube, to or from Oakland International Airport or San Francisco International Airport, and to or from San Mateo County. The highest fare, including all extra fees, is $17.60.

If you don’t have enough money for your trip, you can add more at special machines inside the station. Before August 20, 2025, leaving and returning to the same station within 30 minutes cost a much higher fare. Now, Tap and Ride users have a 30-minute grace period to avoid this charge.

BART does not sell weekly or monthly passes for unlimited rides. Discounts are available for youth and seniors and people with disabilities. Children age 4 and under ride free. BART also offers a special pass for low-income adults.

In August 2022, BART started testing a new pass called Clipper BayPass. This pass works with all public transit agencies in the Bay Area.

Fare media

The main way to pay for BART is with a Clipper card. This is a special contactless card used by many transit agencies in the Bay Area. You can tap it at the fare gates to enter and exit. You can also use Clipper cards through Apple Pay or Google Wallet, or pay with contactless credit or debit cards and mobile payment methods like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

BART used to use paper tickets with magnetic stripes, sold from machines in stations. These tickets were replaced by Clipper cards in December 2020.

Ridership levels

BART's ridership has changed over time, like the U.S. economy. When the economy is good, more people use BART. But when the economy is bad, fewer people ride.

A big change happened in 1989 after the Loma Prieta earthquake. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was damaged and closed for a month, so many people used BART instead.

After the bridge reopened, ridership stayed high until the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Between 2010 and 2015, BART became very popular. But after 2016, ridership slowed down. Some people chose ride-hailing services instead, especially to airports.

During special events, like parades and games, BART sees many passengers. After the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped a lot. By May 2024, weekday ridership was still lower than before the pandemic.

Infrastructure

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system runs on special tracks just for it. It covers about 131 miles with 50 stations. Some parts are underground, and others are above ground. Trains get power from a special third rail and run automatically most of the time.

BART was one of the first big transit systems in the U.S. to use automation. Computers and people work together to control the trains. Trains move on their own between stations, with operators making announcements and watching for any problems.

Many BART stations have parking, but there is often not enough space. BART offers parking at 36 stations and has special parking for airport travelers. All trains and stations are designed to be accessible for everyone, including those who use wheelchairs. There are special paving and signs to help people who are visually impaired.

The routes are known by letters inside the system but not commonly used.

BART was among the first in the U.S. to let passengers use cell phones on its trains underground. It first offered this service in 2004 for major carriers between Civic Center and Embarcadero stations in San Francisco. By 2009, the service reached the Transbay Tube, linking West Oakland to Balboa Park. Wi-Fi testing began in 2007 at four downtown San Francisco stations and later expanded, though BART ended its contract with WiFi Rail in 2014 due to unmet plans.

Organization and management

Governance

The Bay Area Rapid Transit District is a special area made up of Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City and County of San Francisco. San Mateo County and Santa Clara County are not part of the BART District, but they have some BART stops. A group of nine elected leaders makes decisions for nine different areas. BART also has its own police team.

Some cities in the area pay BART taxes but don’t have BART stops nearby. This can make it hard for people to use BART if they live far away. For example, people in Livermore must travel to reach a BART station. In places like Fremont, many people travel to San Jose, but BART doesn’t go that way yet. This might change when the Silicon Valley BART extension is finished. The first part of this extension opened on June 13, 2020, and gave San Jose its first BART stop, called the Berryessa/North San José station.

BART Board of Directors

BART General Managers

• B. R. Stokes (1963–1974)
• Larry Dahms (Acting)
• Frank Herringer
• Keith Bernard
• Frank Wilson (1989–1994)
• Richard A. White (1994–1996)
• Thomas Margro (1996–2007)
• Dorothy Dugger (2007–2011)
• Grace Crunican (2011–2019)
• Bob Powers (2019–present)

Budget

In 2005, BART needed almost $300 million after collecting fares. Some of this money was used for keeping things running, running the trains, general work, police services, and building and planning. In 2005, most of BART’s money came from fares, some from taxes, and some from other places like ads, renting out space in stations, and parking fees.

Incidents and controversies

See also: History of BART § Incidents and accidents

BART Police shootings

Oscar Grant III

Main article: Shooting of Oscar Grant

In 2009, a BART Police officer hurt Oscar Grant III. Many people recorded what happened and shared the videos. People had different feelings about the event.

BART talked with people about what happened and thought about changes to improve things.

Charles Hill

In 2011, a BART Police officer hurt Charles Hill at Civic Center Station in San Francisco. Hill acted in a way that made the officers feel unsafe.

BART turned off cellphone service for a short time to help keep things calm. This caused some discussion about when such actions are right.

Worker fatalities

1979 electrical fire

Further information: Transbay Tube § January 1979 fire

In 1979, a fire happened on a train going through the Transbay Tube. One firefighter was hurt while helping to put out the fire. Safety rules were changed after this.

James Strickland

In 2008, a track inspector was hurt by a train while walking between stations. This led to reviews of safety rules and how BART made sure its workers were safe.

Crime

Fare evasion

In 2019, BART thought that about 5% of people did not pay their fare. In 2023, BART started putting in new gates to help stop this, and the work was finished in 2025.

Violent crime

In 2017, there were some problems with groups of young people causing trouble on trains.

In 2018, BART shared video from one of these events. Some people were arrested.

In 2018, a young person was hurt at a BART station. There were also reports of more thefts and serious arguments on BART during this time.