BART operates parking at 36 stations. These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are specific to BART-operated parking, and do not apply to parking at the Berryessa/North San Jose and Milpitas stations, which are operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
Please read BART Parking's Terms & Conditions for official parking rules.
General Parking Questions
- How do I pay?
- How much does parking cost?
- Where do I park?
- How long can I leave my vehicles?
- Can I park an oversized vehicle?
- What are the BART parking holidays?
- I got a parking ticket, what should I do?
- I paid for parking; why did I receive a citation?
- How do I pay with commuter benefits?
Official BART App & Account Questions
- What is Tap and Go parking?
- How do I add a license plate?
- Why did my payment fail?
- How does the Parking Wallet work?
- How do I close my official BART app account?
- How do I close my EZ Rider account?
Reserved Parking Questions
- Where do I park when using Reserved parking?
- Do I need to display a permit when using Reserved parking?
- How do I cancel Reserved parking?
- Can I purchase monthly parking for a future month?
- When will I be charged for monthly parking?
- What happens if my payment method fails? Will I lose my monthly reserved parking?
- Can I split my monthly payment across two payment methods?
- Can I use my monthly parking at a different station?
Carpool Questions
General Parking Questions
1. How do I pay?
Pay for Daily Fee parking (the majority of BART's parking, which is first-come, first-served) using credit/debit, Venmo, or Paypal on the official BART app, or with credit/debit or cash at the machines inside the station (after entering the fare gates; remember your stall number).
Example of parking payment machines inside the station after entering the fare gates.
Pay for Reserved parking (single/multi-day and monthly) in advance using credit/debit, Venmo, or Paypal on the official BART app or on the Reserved parking website.
2. How much does parking cost?
$3.00 for Daily Fee parking at most stations, but it varies by station. Check the parking pricing page to see the prices at each station. Parking is free after 3pm Monday to Friday, on weekends, and official BART parking holidays (just park and go).
3. Where do I park?
Park in the Daily Fee area if you are purchasing Daily Fee parking (available on the official BART app or inside the station). Park in the Reserved area if you are purchasing Reserved (Single/Multi-day, Monthly) parking or Carpool parking.
Parking maps by station, along with prices, are available here.
4. How long can I leave my vehicle?
If you are purchasing Daily Fee parking or Monthly Reserved parking, you can only leave your vehicle parked for one day at a time, except for weekends and official BART parking holidays, where you may leave your vehicle continuously and payment is not required.
If you would like to leave your vehicle overnight, please purchase Single/Multi-day reserved parking on the official BART app, which allows you to leave your vehicle for up to 20 paid weekdays at a time (weekends and BART holidays are free) when riding BART to and from your destination.
5. Can I park an oversized vehicle?
Vehicles or combinations of vehicles that exceed 6.5 feet in width, or 19 feet in length or 3 tons in weight may not be driven through, left standing or parked in any BART parking facility. Vehicles found in violation of the size restrictions may be cited or towed.
6. What are the BART parking holidays?
Parking is not enforced on the following holidays:
- New Year's Day (January 1)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January)
- Presidents’ Day (third Monday in February)
- Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
- Independence Day (July 4)
- Labor Day (first Monday in September)
- Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
- Christmas Day (December 25)
Holidays are observed on Monday if it falls on a Sunday, and on Friday if it falls on a Saturday. Observed holidays may be different on a year-by-year basis.
7. I paid for parking. Why did I receive a citation?
A few reasons that may have resulted in receiving a citation:
- Incorrect or old license plate listed in your account. Confirm your license plate is correct.
- Paying for the incorrect station on the app. Confirm you paid for the correct station.
- Paying for the incorrect stall number inside the station. Confirm you paid for the correct stall number.
- Parking in the incorrect area. Make sure to park in the designated Daily Fee and Reserved areas.
- Please also ensure you pay for parking no more than 10 minutes after entering the faregates.
Please visit BART’s citation page for information on how to pay or appeal your citation. Provide proof of payment with your appeal to help expedite the process.
8. Why can’t I use Clipper to pay for parking?
Clipper is a regional transit card managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and does not currently support parking payments.
9. How do I pay with commuter benefits?
Obtain a commuter benefits card from your commuter benefits provider and use that card to pay for parking. We do not accept any other forms of commuter benefits payment. If your provider does not offer a card, you will still have the option to pay out of pocket and request reimbursement from your benefits provider. Ensure that your funds are set to "Parking" in your commuter benefits portal to avoid any declined transactions. "Transit" funds will not work.
Official BART App & Account Questions
10. What is Tap and Go parking?
The "Tap and Go" parking feature allows you to pay for parking with one tap from the official BART app home screen. To enable, create an account first if you do not already have one and follow our Tap and Go step-by-step guide here.
11. How do I add a license plate?
See guide for how to add a license plate on the app. You can also add a license plate or manage license plates on your account on the parking website. You can have up to five license plates listed in your account. Each person should have their own account with their own vehicle listed in their account. Each parked vehicle needs to have a payment in the system. If the system detects more than one vehicle parked, and only one payment was made, any additional vehicles will be marked as unpaid and will be cited.
12. Why did my payment fail?
There are a few common reasons why your payment may have failed:
- Outdated Payment Method: Ensure that all of your information is accurate and up to date. This includes credit card #, expiration date and security code.
- Commuter Card Funds: Ensure that your commuter card has sufficient parking funds. If you have monthly parking, ensure these funds are available before the 15th of each month when your monthly Reserved parking is scheduled to be renewed. Your funds must be set to "Parking", if your funds are set to "Transit", the transaction will be declined.
- Bank Declining Charge: Please contact your bank to ensure they are not declining the transaction for processing.
If your payment is still failing after confirming all of the above, please contact us for assistance.
13. How does the Parking Wallet work?
When you enable Tap and Go or use the "Pay by Wallet" option under Daily Fee Parking for the first time, the app will load your parking wallet with $25. The daily fee will be deducted from your balance every time you pay for parking using Tap and Go or "Pay by Wallet" under Daily Fee parking. The parking wallet will then reload $25 every time the balance falls below $5.
To pay for just one day of daily fee parking without loading your parking wallet, use the “single payment” option. If you accidentally loaded your parking wallet or no longer wish to use it, contact us to request a refund.
14. How do I close my official BART app account?
Click the profile icon in the upper right hand corner of the app, and select "Delete Account", then confirm by clicking "Delete". Any active reservations and remaining wallet balance will be cancelled and refunded to you as part of the account closure process.
15. How do I close my EZ Rider account?
Log in to your BART EZ Rider Parking Account on the EZ Rider website and click on "close your account" and enter the reason for closure. Please make sure your credit/debit card is current as the refund will be credited to the credit/debit card on file. The remaining balance on your account will be refunded to the credit / debit card on file within 24 - 48 hours once we receive the request.
Reserved Parking Questions
16. Where do I park when using Reserved parking?
Park in the Reserved area (previously referred to as “Permit” area) when using monthly or single/multi-day Reserved parking. Parking area maps are available on the station pages and the parking pricing page. Reserved signs are blue + white or yellow.
Example of Reserved parking signage:
17. Do I need to display a permit when using Reserved parking?
No, you do not need to display a hangtag with the app-based program. You do need to register one or more license plates on your account so BART knows that your vehicle has paid for Reserved parking.
18. How do I cancel Reserved parking?
You may cancel your reservation on the official BART app or the Reserved parking website by clicking on the “cancel” button next to where your active reservation is shown. For single/multi-day parking, you may cancel up to 11:59 p.m. on the night before the reservation. You can elect to cancel the entire reservation or only specific days. You will be assessed a $2 fee for each cancellation action, and the refund (minus the fee) should appear on your payment method within 72 hours. Please note that the transaction cannot be cancelled until it has been settled with your bank, which can take up to 24 hours.
19. Can I purchase monthly parking to start on a future date?
No, your monthly parking starts as soon as you purchase it.
If you want to reserve parking for specific days in the future, purchase single/multi-day reserved parking up to 60 days in advance from the last day of your reservation.
20. When will I be charged for monthly parking?
Monthly parking charges occur on the 15th of the month for the following month. If you sign up before the 15th of the month, you will be charged a prorated amount to cover the remainder of that month. Then, on the 15th, you will be charged the full fee for the following month. (Example: if you sign up on April 10th, you’ll be charged for April 10th–30th on that day, and then on April 15th, you’ll be charged for May 1st– 30th). If you sign up on or after the 15th of the month, you will be charged the prorated amount for the remainder of the month plus the full fee for the following month. (Example: if you sign up on April 20th, you’ll be charged for April 20th–30th plus May 1st–30th).
21. What happens if my payment method fails? Will I lose my monthly reserved parking?
Your primary payment method will be charged on the 15th of each month. If this fails, you will receive an email notification asking that you correct the issue. You have until the 24th of the month to correct the issue or enter a new payment method. On the 25th, a second attempt will be made to charge your primary or secondary payment method (if the primary fails again). If both of these fail again, you will receive a notification that you no longer have monthly Reserved parking for the upcoming month. To get your permit back, simply purchase another monthly permit on the app on or after the 1st of the month. If your station has a waitlist, this will not be possible, so please contact us promptly for assistance if you have lost your monthly reserve parking at a waitlist station and need help.
22. Can I split my monthly payment across two payment methods?
Not at this time.
23. Can I use my monthly parking at a different station?
You can only use your monthly Reserved parking for the specific station you purchased.
Carpool Questions
24. Why carpool to BART?
Those purchasing carpool parking on the official BART app can park in the Reserved sections of BART parking lots, which are typically better located and have more availability, and pay only the Daily Fee price, which is lower than the Reserved price. Carpooling parking may be purchased until 10:15 AM on weekdays at all BART stations with Reserved parking (all stations except Glen Park, Pittsburg Center, Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose stations).
25. How does carpool parking work?
To purchase, both members of the carpool need to have downloaded the official BART app and created a profile. Click on "Carpool" on the parking main page of the App to create a carpool ID, which is specific to each person and remains the same. The person paying should enter the carpool ID of their partner to link their trips. Both members of the carpool must enter the faregate ten minutes before or after making payment, using the same Clipper card numbers registered on their app profiles.
Troubleshooting: If you get a prompt saying the passenger hasn’t joined carpool yet, you have entered the wrong Carpool ID. The person associated with the Carpool ID entered will be notified every time their ID is used and will be provided the opportunity to dispute the use of their ID, if they believe if it has been used without their authorization. BART will block accounts after receiving warnings due to misuse.
BART may limit the number of carpool permits available for sale at each station. The number of permits remaining will be displayed in the app. If the app indicates that carpool parking is sold out, do not park in the Permit/Reserved area. You will need to find parking in the Daily Fee area or go to another BART station.
Customer Service
Questions still not answered? Contact us.