Is BART a good transit system?

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area Rapid Transit system we call BART has been criticized by passengers recently for everything from the upkeep of its stations, to rising crime. BART estimates riders take 432,000 trips on weekdays and 126 million trips annually.



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However, like any public transportation system, it's advisable to remain aware of your surroundings, travel in well-lit areas, and be cautious when traveling alone at night. Is BART safe to ride alone? Yes, BART is generally safe to ride alone.

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Transit Saves You Money The average BART fare is approximately $3.96. For the same price as one year of car ownership, you could take nearly 3,000 average trips on BART – or about seven trips a day. Use our Fare Calculator to determine the exact cost of your trip.

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Pros of taking BART or public transportation when visiting San Francisco: Cost-effective: Using public transportation is generally cheaper than driving and paying for parking in the city.

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In addition to the 50-cent per trip savings on BART, adult Muni customers who use Clipper save 50-cents on single-ride fares.

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Taking BART, he noted, is also faster than driving the highly trafficked highways into San Francisco. “Being on BART makes me feel relieved. It's way more stressful driving,” he said. “It's tough commuting this far, but public transit makes it more manageable.”

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You'll need to purchase a ticket at the station before riding BART. Your ticket can cover a single ride or multiple rides. Each person must have his or her own ticket, except children age 4 and under, who ride free and do not need a ticket. Be sure to keep your ticket.

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All BART Stations have Clipper vending machines which accept cash, credit cards and debit cards as payment. You can add cash value to Clipper cards at all BART ticket machines. Clipper cards can be ordered online at www.clippercard.com. Many retail outlets throughout the region also sell Clipper cards.

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The safest BART stations were Pittsburg and West Dublin, which had no reported thefts in 2019, Millbrae, with one, and North Concord and South San Francisco, which each had two. BART police made arrests in 67 of the robbery and theft cases involving electronics last year.

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BART actually has a big machine that grinds down the bumps on corrugated track, eliminating some of the noise. This explains why sometimes a portion of the BART system makes loud uuunnnhhh sounds one day and doesn't make a peep the next. You aren't crazy -- they just smoothed out the track at night.

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Civic Center, Coliseum, Bay Fair and Pittsburg/Bay Point followed Powell as the stations with the most calls for police help.

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In celebration of BART's upcoming 50th anniversary on September 11, BART is offering a 50% discount for the entire month of September 2022. The reduced fare will be automatically deducted when using Clipper at the fare gates.

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Be aware of surroundings and avoid looking distracted, especially while standing near stairs, escalators, and train doors and anywhere suspects can make a quick exit. Don't sleep on board train cars. The Train Operator is in the first train car; it's a great place to sit if you are traveling alone.

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Can two people use the same card at the same time? No, every rider needs their own card or device (phone or watch) to pay for fares.

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Mask requirement ended 10/2/22; Masks now strongly recommended. As of October 2, 2022, masks are strongly recommended. Wearing a well fitted masks over your mouth and nose is encouraged. Masks are no longer mandatory.

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Q: Why doesn't BART run 24/7 or at least later on Friday and Saturday nights? A: The short window of time when BART isn't in operation is used for essential nightly track maintenance to help keep BART safe and reliable.

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Constructed in 57 sections, and reposing on the bay floor as deep as 135 feet beneath the surface, the remarkable $180 million structure took six years of toil and seismic studies to design, and less than three years to contract.

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They occur every 450 hours a car is in service. If a car is not scheduled for a thorough clean on a given night, it will get a standard clean. Depending on time constraints, cleaners may sweep cars for debris, disinfect seats and poles, scrub graffiti, spray hanging straps with disinfectant, and mop the floor.

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