San Francisco Bay Area commuters, take note: BART is stepping up its efforts to combat fare evasion with new fare gates at stations across the region. On August 7th, BART announced that they had awarded the contract for 775 new fare gates, which will be paid for by a combination of BART, county, federal, and state funds.
We just awarded the contract for 775 new fare gates (paid for by BART, county, federal, and state funds).
— BART (@SFBART) August 7, 2023
We will install the first gates at West Oakland Station in December and test them there before rolling out to all stations in 2024 and 2025.
Here is a conceptual design: https://t.co/PdGqqpu2O1 pic.twitter.com/BvJIcG0E1o
The installation of these modern fare gates is set to begin in December, with the first ones appearing at West Oakland Station for testing purposes. Half of BART's stations will receive the upgraded gates in 2024, with the remaining stations being covered in 2025.
Fare evasion has been an ongoing issue for BART, with the transit agency reportedly losing millions of dollars annually due to passengers not paying their fares. The introduction of these new fare gates aims not only to reduce fare evasion but also improve accessibility for riders. As KRON4 reported, the project comes with a hefty $90 million price tag, funded by county, state, and federal entities along with BART.
With remote work continuing to be popular in the Bay Area, BART's Chief Communications Officer, Alicia Trost, highlighted the importance of having passengers pay their fares as the transit agency seeks to encourage more people to utilize BART for purposes other than work commutes. Trost reminded that BART offers low-income discounts and discounts for youth, but maintaining a functioning transit system relies on riders paying their share.
After the initial testing phase at West Oakland Station, BART plans to analyze the effectiveness of the new fare gates at deterring fare evasion. This analysis will help inform the wider implementation of these gates across the remaining BART stations in upcoming years, with the ultimate goal of curbing fare evasion, thereby improving the transit agency's financial outlook and maintaining accessible public transportation for Bay Area residents.
