Addressing Harassment on BART

"Not One More" is an initiative in partnership with community-based organizations, youth, and BART to end harassment on transit and to make BART safe for families.

We define safety based on a definition created with youth and community members and as developed in the Alliance for Girl's Radical Visions of Safety research report as:  More than the absence of violence, safety encompasses feelings of comfort, trust, non-judgment, representation, belonging, sovereignty, acceptance, and where boundaries are respected.

This website is a resource hub offering action-based strategies to prevent and interrupt harm, teach safe bystander intervention, share non-police and police resources for survivors and allies, outline tools available to riders, and details about the history of the Not One More initiative, survey data collected, and next steps.

Read about Phase I of Not One More
Read about Phase II of Not One More  

View a PDF of our handout outlining steps to take if you are being harassed on a train or station and resources available.

Visit our Bystander Intervention section for specific steps to take if you witness harassment.

New Bystander Intervention Safety Cards

Wallet-size printed cards are now available to riders to discreetly hand to people to signal they need help or support or to notify someone being harassed that others are there to help and support them. 

The cards are available for pick up at each Station Agent booth at BART and Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists will carry the cards and give them out when engaging riders. 

Bystander Intervention Card Version 1: "You Got Me?"
Front side and back side:

You Got Me bystander card

Bystander Intervention Card Version 2: "I Got You." 
Front side and Back side:

I Got You bystander card

Not One More uses youth participatory action research, cultural strategy, art, and policy change to dismantle the systems that have enabled harassment and violence and instead create systems of empowerment for riders. 

How to Report Harassment at BART

If you are experiencing or witnessing harassment or any violence at BART, there are many ways to get immediate help from a BART employee. There are also community organizations that offer help.

BART Police:

  • Call BART Police dispatch at 510-464-7000. You will speak to a police dispatcher. Calling this number is faster than calling 911 because 911 will need to transfer you to BART dispatch.
  • Use the free BART Watch app to send a private message to police dispatch. An anonymous feature is available. Location services are enabled on the app but can be disabled in “permissions.” When enabled, your location is provided to police dispatch when you submit a report via the app.
  • Text BART Police dispatch at 510-200-0992.
  • The Coliseum station also has an emergency call box on the platform that connects you to police dispatch.

When using BART Watch, police dispatch uses the following definitions to determine police response. Please keep these definitions in mind when selecting a reporting category:

Sexual Assault/Lewd Behavior:  Physical sexual acts done against a person’s will or when a person is not able to consent, exposure of genitals or public masturbation, and inappropriate touching or groping.

This is criminal behavior and an officer will be dispatched.

Disruptive Behavior:  Willfully disturbing others on or in a system facility or vehicle by engaging in boisterous or unruly behavior. Fighting or challenging another person to fight, as well as someone who uses offensive words likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.

This is potentially criminal behavior and an officer may be dispatched based on the specific scenario and details from the reporting party.

Human Trafficking: Exploiting another person for labor, services, or commercial sex.

This is criminal behavior and an officer will be dispatched.

Unwanted sexual harassment (non-criminal):  Unwelcomed conduct of a sexual nature, including unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or physical sexual acts.  Invasion of personal space or unwanted staring.

On BART/At the Station

  • Use the train intercom button located near the doors to speak to the train operator (see photo below). The train operator will get an automatic video feed inside your train car when the intercom button is pressed.
  • Know your BART car number. If you contact BART Police they will ask for it. Or if BART needs to pull video evidence, we will need it.
  • Use the white phones or call boxes located on the platforms to connect to a station agent. This line will roll over to the Operations Control Center which is staffed 24/7.
  • Seek out any BART employee. Look for employees with a BART logo on their uniform. Frontline employees have received training on handling crisis incidents. 

Where to find car number

It is a personal decision to report criminal activity related harassment and violence. When reporting, it helps to know what acts are against the law, which is outlined here.

It also helps to understand what will be expected from you if you decide to report an incident and perhaps press charges.

Non-Police Resources

If you do not feel comfortable reaching out to BART police, you can contact the following community organizations, who provide immediate community services: 

Actions and Tools You Can Use If You Are Experiencing Harassment  

Besides contacting BART police or staff there are additional tools and actions you can take.

  • If you are traveling alone, you can ride in the first car of the train close to the train operator cab door. This will make it easier to flag the BART operator if you need help.
  • At any time while using BART, you can request someone to walk with you or wait with you. You can make this request by contacting police dispatch via phone, text or BART Watch as outlined above. You can request sworn (armed) police personnel or non-sworn (unarmed) Community Service Officers/Ambassadors.
  • Program your phone emergency SOS settings so you can alert police and emergency contacts for help in seconds. Instructions for Androids here and iPhones here.
  • You can also add the BART police phone number 510-464-7000 and text 510-200-0992 to your contacts.
  • Use your voice to let others know about what is going on.

           Describe what is happening, be specific and ask a bystander to help you.     
           Ex: “stop” vs “Person in the jeans and green shirt, get your hand off my thigh, I do not know you and I do not want you to touch me.” or  to engage a bystander “Hey, person with the black pants and blue button-down, can you call the BART operator? Can you switch seats with me?”

           Broken record technique: Say the same thing over and over again until the person leaves. This is a technique from Malikah which you can watch here.    
           Ex: have a good day, have a good day, have a good day, etc

This resource website also includes:   
Bystander Intervention     
Acts Against State Law
What to Expect When You Report     
About The Not One More Campaign  
Harassment Data
Domestic Violence Campaign: Let's Talk About US 

Framework to Evaluate Safety Metrics

BART partnered with the Alliance for Girls, one of the original leads of Phase 1 of Not One More, in 2023 and 2024 to develop the first youth-informed evaluation framework focusing on rider safety as it pertains to harassment and assault prevention and intervention on BART. A series of Community Learning Exchanges with intergenerational (youth and adults) participation from vulnerable communities were held in 2024 to guide the framework. The work is rooted in how youth define safety in Alliance for Girls’ research, and draws from learnings, input, and recommendations from youth themselves on how best BART can collect data and measure impact of its initiatives to create actionable and effective policy and processes around sexual harassment and assault presentation and intervention.

The participants made recommendations to BART for how to improve safety and provide a more welcoming space, especially for families.

Key Definitions 

  • Sexual Violence & Harassment: Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, physical sexual acts done against a person’s will or when a person is not able to consent (ex: sexual assault), verbal or nonverbal conduct of a sexual nature, invasion of personal space, exposure of genitals or public masturbation, inappropriate touching, grinding, groping, sexually suggestive and unwanted staring, and infliction of the fear for safety.
  • Gender-based violence: Social, economic, physical, psychological, verbal, form of violence based on (perceived) gender. (Ex: street harassment, withholding money, etc.)
  • (Affirmative) Consent: When a person freely agrees or gives permission to a certain action. Affirmative consent is a standard that makes clear there must be voluntary, knowing, mutual, verbally and explicitly communicated consent to engage in sexual activity. Silence does not mean consent. Affirmative consent can be revoked at any time and can be reasserted.
  • Gender norms: Socialized performance enforced by society which informs how one behaves and thinks based on perceived gender identity.
  • Transphobia: Discrimination against trans-identified people that results in dehumanization and invisibilization.
  • Homophobia:  Discrimination against nonheterosexual people and labeled behaviors deemed feminine that often intersects with racial and cultural stereotypes.