- Why doesn't BART run 24/7 or at least later on Friday and Saturday nights?
- Why can't my train be longer? Why can't all trains be 10 car trains?
- I went into a station and then came right back out of the same station. I didn't ride the train, and had to pay $6.75. Why?
- Where can I find parking right now?
- How can I buy discounted fares for children/disabled/senior?
- Is there a BART discount for college students?
- I failed to pay for parking earlier when I left my car in the lot. Can I pay online or by phone to avoid a citation?
- What time does BART stop running? I have a flight arriving at or near midnight.
- Does BART have/why doesn't BART have a monthly pass?
- Why can't you run trains more frequently?
- How can I report a train car that is too hot/cold?
- How often are stations cleaned?
- Do train cars get sanitized?
- Why doesn't direct Fremont/Daly City and direct Richmond/SF service begin and end later?
- Why don’t I see more BART Police Officers on trains?
- What is BART doing to provide Wifi on trains?
- Is it viable to have dedicated bike cars in set locations on BART trains?
- Why are some underground restrooms closed? Are you going to keep them closed?
- What is BART doing to keep escalators in service?
- Is there a Code of Conduct for riders?
- I'm seeing people who look homeless on BART trains and in stations. What is BART doing about this?
- Are pets allowed on BART?
- Why aren't there any barriers on platforms to block people from getting onto the tracks?
- How does BART communicate cancelled trains?
- Why doesn't BART have a heritage fleet?
1. 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. There are only a few hours for maintenance crews to get their work done each night between when the last trains of the day leave and when the first trains of the day start up. There are typically just 2-3 hours available when there are no trains on the track for crews to travel to their work site and then perform the maintenance. Weekend nights are particularly important because they provide longer maintenance windows. Check out our video highlighting the work that occurs in the overnight hours.
Unlike some public transit systems with multiple sets of tracks on the same routes, BART doesn't have the duplication that would allow us to run trains on one set while performing maintenance on another. Third-rail power has to be shut down for maintenance crews to be able to operate safely and do the work that keeps the system safe and reliable. And the trains can't run when the power is down.
What about shifting service hours on weekends?
In 2011, the BART Board of Directors directed staff to study shifting service hours on weekends so that Saturday and Sunday morning train service would begin later to allow Friday and Saturday night service to end later. This would preserve the maintenance window. But the 2011 survey found that customers who ride early in the morning are predominately minority and low-income and largely riding to work. Shifting service hours would negatively impact these customers.
BART was never intended to be a 24-hour system. When cost projections were initially developed, the residents of the region who voted to approve BART supported a system that would have limited hours of operation. (In its early days, BART was even closed on weekends.)
Learn more about transit options when BART is not operating or contact BART's Transit Information Center at 510-465-2278.
Greater need for an even longer maintenance window
Reducing or eliminating the overnight maintenance windows would result in potentially catastrophic consequences, such as derailments. As our system ages, we are finding the current maintenance windows are rapidly becoming inadequate. Troubling indicators include current track conditions requiring slow speed zones and reductions in traction power system resiliency, requiring reduced acceleration of trains. We are also having to perform more and more scheduled track maintenance during operating hours, causing delays to passengers, because there isn’t enough time to get it all done in the middle of the night.
We have reached the point where the maintenance work needed to keep our 50 year old system safe and reliable will require extended outages of all tracks on a particular line segment during operating hours in order to provide maintenance crews with adequate access to complete the major track work that can’t be done while trains are running, even on adjacent tracks.
This type of scheduled service disruption reflects the approach taken by every other major U.S. rail transit system needing to get big, vital maintenance jobs done. While there is great pressure to run 24 hours or later on weekends, the reality is if the BART system is to perform in the future anything like it has in the past, there will have to be longer maintenance windows and/or much more disruptive planned line segment closures. Shortening the maintenance window by staying open later on the weekends or eliminating it all together to provide 24-hour service would be at the expense of service reliability and safety.
A second transbay tube would allow us to extend hours
BART's Link21 Program is exploring a new rail crossing between Oakland and San Francisco. A second crossing would provide BART the redundancy to potentially extend BART service hours. The Link21 team is currently evaluating what improvements are needed to allow for extended service hours. Learn more about Link21.
2. Q: Why can't my train be longer? Why can't all trains be 10 car trains?
A: In 2023, BART began running shorter trains to to improve safety, allow for a cleaner fleet of cars, and maximize BART’s scarce resources. This move also helped us retire the legacy fleet and run only new trains for the base schedule. Train sizes are determined by the demand or “load” on each line and how much of that route the train will carry a full load. BART officials determine the length of trains by looking at the number of riders who enter and exit the system at particular times and locations. They use this data to match train lengths with demand while taking into account car availability.
3. Q: I went into a station and then came right back out of the same station. I didn't ride the train and had to pay $6.75. Why?
A: We apologize for the confusion. Entering and exiting at the same location within a three-hour window is seen by the fare gate software as an "excursion" and you will be charged the Excursion fare. The Excursion fare is $6.75. The Excursion Fare has existed since the 70's for trips that begin and end at the same station, typically tourists and transit fans who ride the system without a destination. It also prevents some forms of fare evasion and abuse of parking rules.
If you need to exit a station without riding the train, please see the Station Agent first and do not go through the fare gate. The Agent will give you a special sticker and send you out a gate without needing to tag Clipper. When you return to BART you will show the sticker to the Station Agent to clear your Clipper card for entry.
If you didn't ride the train, and were charged, reach out to Clipper Customer Support (not BART) and request a refund.
In December 2022, the BART Board of Directors approved adding a 30-minute grace period to the BART excursion fare once it is technically feasible to do so. A grace period would mean riders who change their mind will not be charged.
This change will be implemented with the next generation of Clipper.
4. Q: Where can I find parking on BART right now?
A: There is plentiful parking in all of BART's current lots. Demand for parking at many BART stations used to be much higher before the pandemic. You can find estimated fill times (just click on your preferred station and look under the parking section -- some stations don't have fill times yet, but most popular stations do).
BART has embarked on numerous transit-oriented development (TOD) projects to better make use of land currently used for parking. BART seeks to be a regional partner in tackling the housing and climate crises impacting the Bay Area and beyond by helping build more housing, including affordable housing, jobs and a more sustainable ridership base. Learn more about BART's TOD work here.
5. Q: How can I buy discounted fares for children/disabled/senior?
A: Clipper cards offer discounts with proof of eligibility. They incorporate discounts for children, teens, people with disabilities, senior citizens, and low income. To find out where and how to get the Clipper card and access the discounts, visit www.clippercard.com
6. Q: Is there a BART discount for college students?
A. BART provides discounts for seniors age 65 and older as well as people with qualified disabled identification. BART also offers a youth discount for riders ages 5 through 18. In addition, BART has embarked on a new program, the Higher Education Discount Program (HEDP), to offer discounts to students at colleges and universities. San Francisco State University is the first program participant. Students use a school-specific Clipper card to get the BART discount, the cost of which is reimbursed to BART through transit fees paid by the student body or the school. Learn more about the HEDP and how your school could participate.
In 2022, BART helped launch the Clipper BayPass Pilot Program offering pre-paid free transit passes to participating students at San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, the University of California’s Berkeley campus and Santa Rosa Junior College.
7. Q: I failed to pay for parking earlier when I left my car in the lot. Can I pay online or by phone to avoid a citation?
A: You can pay for Daily Fee and Reserved parking with the BART Official app, though we ask that you pay within 10 minutes of entering the system to avoid getting a citation. BART also offers online payment for Reserved parking (but not Daily Fee parking).
8. Q: What time does BART stop running?
A: We dispatch the last trains of the night at around midnight seven days of the week. The timing of the last trains depends on where you are and where you are going. Check the BART schedule (Trip Planner or Schedule by Station) to see the very last trains of the evening heading the direction you want to go.
9. Q: Does BART have/why doesn't BART have a monthly pass?
A: BART fares are calculated on the distance traveled, and there are no "time-based" passes for BART. Shorter-distance riders would unfairly bear the burden of the trips taken by daily, long-distance riders using a monthly pass. In addition, certain sections of certain routes and some specific locations (such as SFO and BART to OAK) assess an additional surcharge which cannot be factored in a time-based pass. Under the current structure, everyone pays according to how far they travel. Distance-based fares are in place due to the fact BART relies on fares to run service. BART would need new funding sources to pay for monthly passes.
In lieu of monthly passes, BART offers High Value Discount tickets. This provides customers a 6.25% discount overall, which is similar to the discount a monthly pass affords frequent riders.
BART is co-managing Clipper BayPass a two-year pilot program designed to test how an unlimited transit pass would work in the Bay Area.
10. Q: Why can't you run trains more frequently?
A: The level of BART service is determined by how much our budget can afford. In September 2023, BART increased service on nights and weekends and now no rider will wait more than 20 minutes no matter what day and time it is. The BART Metro: 2030 and Beyond study is exploring future service concepts.
On January 2020, the BART Board voted to approve a modern Communications Based Train Control System which will replace our current train control system and will dramatically improve future BART service and allow us to run trains closer together.
11: Q: How do I report a train car that is too hot/cold?
A: While our new fleet of train cars have modern HVAC units, they may experience a problem that makes the car hot or cold. You can report a hot/cold car on the BART app (in the "more" section") or using this online form (accessible at the very bottom of every bart.gov page). We can have a tech hunt down the car and either fix it on the spot or send it to the shops. Another option is to let the Train Operator know by using the intercom, they will alert crew members- but keep in mind the operator can't control the temperature. If you find yourself on an unbearable car, you can try moving to another car. Climate control is separate in each car. The HVAC system is designed to flow air from the ceiling, making for a much more comfortable ride for standees. Temperatures will also automatically adjust as the train travels through the various micro climates of the Bay Area.
12. Q: How often are stations cleaned?
A: Providing a clean and safe system is important to BART. To demonstrate that commitment, BART is implementing a new station cleaning program that will raise standards and allow us to better utilize our resources. The new strategy is focused on deploying increased resources to our busiest stations as well as making sure that BART is conforming with industry best practices. We have crews that work at all hours of the day to help keep things clean.
Every station is cleaned throughout the day when the stations are open to the public. These cleaners handle tasks like picking up waste and mopping and disinfecting, including high-use areas like stairs, escalators, handrails, bathrooms, and Add Fare machines.
In 2023, BART doubled the frequency of overnight station deep cleans. These thorough cleans can take workers one to two weeks to complete, and each station in the system will get one every few months, depending on the station’s needs and busyness.
Below is a snapshot of the floor cleaning procedure, which is used for station entrances, concourses, and platforms:
- Floors are dust mopped to capture loose dirt and dust bunnies.
- Cleaners run the magnum floor scrubber – a small Zamboni-like machine that’s operated manually – to scrub away socked-in grime and old floor sealant. Sometimes, an alkaline stripper is used to break up seriously caked-in dirt.
- Next, it’s time for the steam power washer, which reaches temperatures of 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and blasts away grime the magnum scrubber breaks up.
- The water from the power washer is squeegeed into drains. The stairs and floors are dried with dry mops.
The above process is done every few weeks. But every four to six months – one to two months at busy stations – cleaners seal and wax the floors to keep dirt from building up and to make them sparkle. They use mops to carefully layer multiple coats of sealer, which keeps dirt from building up on the floor. Then, they mop multiple layers of wax onto the flooring to make it shine.
BART has also launched a program to build canopies over the entrances of our downtown San Francisco stations to help keep the entrances clean and free of debris.
Watch a short video of the cleaning process here.
13. Q: Do train cars get sanitized?
A. Yes. BART uses hospital-grade disinfectant while cleaning. Cars get a nightly cleaning that includes trash pick up, biohazards cleaned, graffiti removed and spot mopping. Cars also get thorough cleans where all surfaces are cleaned and disinfected- the walls, windows, seats, ceiling, stanchions, straps, doors, floors, thresholds, and baseboards. We do a top to bottom scrubbing and sanitization of our cars (watch the video of exactly what we do).
A thorough clean takes a team of two around 120 minutes to complete, depending on the mess they face. Across the system each night, BART cleaners perform 15 to 20 thorough cleans – upwards of 30 hours of deep cleaning a night!
in 2023, BART increased the frequency of thorough cleans from every 900 hours of train car service to every 450 hours, meaning we’ve doubled the number of times the cars in our system undergo a deep clean.
At the end of every single run, an end of line cleaner walks the length of the train and picks up garbage (see below for the location of these cleaners). If they spot something that needs a wash, then the car is pulled and we sanitize it and take care of the mess.
Biohazards can be reported on our website or BART app (in the "more" section) or by contacting BART Customer Service; we will send a crew to intercept the train to clean it up. You can also notify the Train Operator using the intercom button- that way the mess won't remain until the end of the run walk through. Read our story about the late night cleaning crew.
End of line cleaners at located at: Berryessa/North San José (6am-2pm, 4pm-12am), Richmond (6am-8pm), Daly City (6am-5pm), Dublin/Pleasanton (6am-2pm, 4pm-12am), Pittsburg/Bay Point (6am-8pm), SFO (7am-3pm), and Millbrae (11am-7pm, depending on staffing levels)
BART’s Rolling Stock and Shops department – the group that oversees train cleaning – has been ISO 9001:2015 certified since 2018, meaning our quality management system for maintaining cars lives up to the International Standards Organization’s high bar. We are one of the few transit agencies to have this prestigious certification and are sometimes surprise-audited by quality assurance officers who ensure our cleaning crews are following the required procedures.
14. Q: Why doesn't direct Berryessa/Daly City and direct Richmond/SF service end later?
A: All day direct service is not possible at this time due to lack of budget funding, train car availability, and maintenance requirements. Convenient, timed transfers are provided instead.
15. Q: Why don’t I see more BART Police Officers on trains?
A: Our patrol officers are required to make at least six train rides during each shift worked. Even so, with more than 600 train cars in service during the peak commute it is easy to understand why one may not often see many officers on trains. Besides sworn officers, BART also uses unarmed Transit Ambassadors trained in de-escalation and anti-bias techniques and Crisis Intervention Specialists with backgrounds in social work to walk trains and platforms to provide additional safety presence.
While we do have sworn police officers who mostly ride trains, primarily in the urban core areas, officers in outlying areas rely more heavily on patrol vehicles to allow travel between properties while responding to calls for service and covering other officers engaged in enforcement activity. This also allows the officers to conduct security inspections of perimeter fences and other areas for security purposes. The availability of a vehicle allows this to happen faster, especially when the trains are not running at rush hour intervals and one might have to wait for up to 20 minutes for a train to arrive. Further complicating the possibility of catching a train is the fact it is faster and safer for everyone involved to hold a train at a station to wait for an officer to respond. If we didn't do this, the location of the suspect would continue to be a moving target, with the train-riding officer unable to determine when the subject left or transferred to another train.
BPD has approximately 200 sworn officers and not all sworn officers are assigned to patrol duties. Contained within the sworn ranks are supervisors (Sergeants) and command staff (Lieutenants, Deputy Chiefs, and the Chief). Further reducing the number of personnel actually available for patrol assignments are other assignments fulfilling the BPD mission. These assignments include Training, Backgrounds and Recruiting, Internal Affairs, Traffic, and Criminal Investigations. It is also important to consider the fact that the patrol function of the BPD has to be staffed 24/7, 365 days a year.
BART Police uses crime statistics to determine deployment of resources. We not only deploy officers in a manner so they are close enough to respond to each station, parking lot, platform, other BART property, and train, but also to put additional resources where they are needed based on crime statistics. This way we assign officers to areas where spikes in crime are identified.
Listen to our podcast as we follow along on patrol with an officer on a train.
16. Q: What is BART doing to provide Wi-Fi on trains?
A: On January 2020, the BART Board of Directors approved a plan Thursday that will markedly improve cell phone connectivity across the system, and provide seamless WiFi coverage in all stations and aboard Fleet of the Future trains. Wi-Fi will not be available on our legacy fleet.
We have entered into a new Advanced Wireless System (AWS) agreement with Verizon to expand 4G LTE for all major carriers within the BART underground.
17. Q: Is it viable to have dedicated bike cars in set locations on BART trains?
A: No, BART cars reverse directions at the ends of the lines, and moreover are continuously coupled and uncoupled in between runs throughout the day. For these reasons, it is not possible to keep a “bike car” in a predictable position on a train. For example, a special car at the front of a train might end up being at the back of the train later in the day. Or if two 4-car trains each had a bike car and were then joined to make an 8-car train, seating for our riders would be greatly reduced.
18. Q: Why are some undergrounds restrooms closed? Are you going to keep them closed?
A: In 2021, BART announced plans to a phased approach to reopening underground restrooms. In Feb, 2022 BART reopened underground restrooms at Powell and 19th Street Oakland. In June, 2022 BART reopened restrooms at Lake Merritt and Montgomery Street. In June 2023, BART reopened Downtown Berkeley and Embarcadero stations. The remaining underground restrooms to be opened once budget funds are secured and extensive renovations are completed are at Civic Center, 16th St. Mission, 24th St. Mission and 12th St. Oakland stations.
We've also added clean, well-maintained public restrooms near three of our downtown San Francisco stations: Civic Center/UN Plaza, Powell Street, and 16th Street Mission. The Pit Stop Program is a partnership between BART and the City of San Francisco. They are operated by San Francisco's Public Works Department and provide clean and safe public toilets near these busy BART stations.
19. Q. What is BART doing to keep escalators in service?
A: BART has 177 escalators and most are 30-40 years old. We've increased staffing and the number of certified techs to work on the units. We've also implemented new technology to better track parts and repairs while focusing on preventative maintenance to help prevent longer outages. BART is working to renovate and replace some of our busiest units and build additional protective canopies to shield the escalators from weather and damage. For an update on these efforts click here.
BART has developed an online advisory that lists out-of-service escalators, their location, the reason they're out of service and an estimated return to service date. The advisories can be found on BART's website in the “Stations” section and in the “Advisories” section.
The tool updates every minute using real time data generated by BART’s internal maintenance system. When an escalator is taken out of service for any reason, the advisory will become active once a maintenance crew member enters the details into the system.
20. Q. Is there a Code of Conduct for riders?
A. The Board of Directors approved has adopted this Customer Code of Conduct.
21. Q. I’m seeing people who look homeless on BART trains and in stations. What is BART doing about this?
A. There’s a national homeless crisis that is having an impact on the entire Bay Area. BART has developed a Homeless Action Plan. It outlines the state of homelessness in the Bay Area, potential funding sources BART will pursue to increase outreach, and the need for local governments to work together with public transit to address a challenge that impacts the entire region. BART has 20 Crisis Intervention Specialists on staff who walk trains and platforms and connect people to services. To build upon these efforts and increase internal capacity, BART launched the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau within BART PD specifically focused on helping address transit homelessness. In addition BART has regional partnerships in San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, and Contra Costa counties.
BART also has deployed other strategies like elevator attendants, restroom attendants, and fare evasion prevention programs.
To provide coordination of these efforts, BART has hired a Senior Manager of Social Services Partnerships who is focused on designing, implementing, and overseeing programs and increasing resources to address homelessness within the BART system. You can learn more about BART’s comprehensive approach to assisting people experiencing homelessness by visiting our social resources page.
22. Q: Are pets allowed on BART?
A: Pets must be properly secured in an enclosed carrier manufactured for transport of a pet when entering BART. Pets on leashes are not allowed. Trained service animals assisting people with disabilities are allowed on a leash or harness. Service animals are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. In a train car, trained service animals and pets in carriers must be kept off the seats and cleared out of aisles. Station agents who believe a particular service animal is behaving in a manner which may threaten other passengers can advise the owner of the service animal that the animal cannot enter the station.
When a person is found to be in violation of the BART rule regarding pets, BART Police officers may issue a citation and/or eject the person from BART.
23. Q: Why aren't there any barriers on platforms to block people from getting onto the tracks?
A: BART studied in 2017 if it was possible to install Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) with our current train control system and be able to safely accommodate running a mixed fleet with some trains having 3 doors and some having 2. The study showed it is possible, but the design would be unique to BART’s existing block system wayside train control. The cost estimate to build platform doors into an existing station with the existing train control system is $20-25 million. The design would also become obsolete when BART brings on a new train control system.
Given the cost, risks, and timing of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system, the plan moving forward is to award the CBTC contract and then advance the design of the PSDs as a potential future deliverable of the CBTC work.
In North America, no major public transit rail systems have installed PSDs onto existing stations.
BART staff continues to look at the concept of PSDs as technology is rapidly changing. This newer technology includes platform barriers that go up vertically, lifting up once the train arrives. Instead of requiring train car doors to line up perfectly with horizontal platform screen doors. Ventilation is also a consideration when retrofitting existing stations.
24. Q: How does BART communicate cancelled trains?
A: BART communicates cancelled trains in advance on our website and the official app in the station specific “real time departures,” “schedule by station,” and the Trip Planner. Trains are also shown as cancelled on the digital monitors before the fare gates and the platform digital signs. There are also overhead announcements made at each station. We share cancelled trip data with third party apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Transit app and others, but we can’t control if they pick up the data feed.
The BART official app offers in-app notifications for real time departures at the stations you use and the days and times you ride. And they list cancelled trains. Set up the notification in your profile under “notification settings” and “station departure setting.” The notification gets pushed every 5 minutes and will display on your phone’s Home Screen. Set it up for the exact time frame you want.
We don’t issue a BART Service Advisory on the top of bart.gov or on Twitter for two reasons. It doesn’t meet the policy (two or more trains are off schedule by 10 or more minutes) and more importantly there isn’t a way to communicate a cancelled train that makes sense for impacted riders at each station down the line. Saying we cancelled the 5:33am train from Berryessa will not resonate with someone waiting for that same train at West Oakland at 6:31am. The problem is compounded even further down the line as the train runs are lengthy in time. Instead, we offer station specific cancelled train information since it is easier for each rider to understand how their trip is impacted.
25. Q: Why Doesn't BART Have a Heritage Fleet?
A: BART has retired its legacy fleet and is unable to keep a heritage train on property due to limited funds, storage space, and equipment needs as outlined below. Instead, we are assisting the Western Railway Museum in their efforts to preserve a legacy train for public enjoyment for years to come.
Reasons we are unable to maintain a heritage train:
Storage Space is Limited. BART does not have the secure storage space for any heritage equipment. We now have more cars than we did before, and we will exceed the effective storage capacity of existing yards and tail tracks by fall of 2025. We are already planning on the need for alternative overnight storage such as station platforms for as many as 12 trainsets.
Equipment is Obsolete. The equipment to maintain legacy cars is antiquated, with many of the parts obsolete and scarce. Maintaining two types of vehicles requires separate inventory, maintenance, and operational costs, which will be higher than managing a single vehicle type.
Keeping a heritage train would require maintaining tooling and obsolete test equipment and retaining a significant chunk of inventory, that cannot be used on the new fleet, and would occupy valuable warehouse space where there is already limited space for the next generation of trains.
BART’s New Train Control System is not Compatible. The legacy cars are not compatible with our new Communications Based Train Control System coming online.
Regulatory Requirements. There are CPUC regulatory requirements for any car that will carry passengers. It would be a tremendous burden to keep a few cars in compliance. This also creates a training burden. BART would need to keep spending resources on training and recertifying Operators and Maintenance Personnel to operate and maintain a mixed fleet.