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FIFA fever and SF Pride fuel BART's biggest month since the pandemic

Photo of riders at Milpitas

BART closed Fiscal Year 2026 on a historic note, with June ridership shattering multiple post-pandemic records driven by FIFA World Cup fever and a record-breaking San Francisco Pride weekend, among other big-ticket events around the region.  

June ridership was 18.6% higher than June 2025. The gains reflect BART's growing role beyond the traditional commute, supporting travel to cultural celebrations, major sporting events, and entertainment throughout the region. 

June's records capped a landmark fiscal year for post-pandemic ridership at BART. With 59.5 million exits, FY26 ridership was 13% above the previous year. The gains build on a steady recovery that has accelerated with each major milestone: March broke the post-pandemic single-day ridership record with 227,300 exits on Giants Opening Day and marked the first month average weekday ridership exceeded 200,000 trips since the pandemic. June then surpassed that average weekday benchmark, reaching nearly 210,000 exits, as well as the highest post-pandemic ridership day (236,785 exits). 

June set post-pandemic records across the board 

  • Highest single ridership day: Tuesday, June 9, with 236,785 trips 
  • The top five highest ridership days since the pandemic all occurred in June 
  • Highest average weekday ridership: 209,963 exits 
  • Highest Saturday ridership: 158,944 (SF Pride weekend) 
  • Highest Sunday ridership: 171,342 exits (SF Pride Parade) 

FIFA World Cup drives historic ridership at key stations 

The FIFA World Cup 2026, which brought matches to the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s) in Santa Clara, generated a significant ridership surge at Milpitas Station, which connects riders to VTA light rail for direct service to the stadium. The station saw a 50% increase in monthly ridership compared to June 2025. On match days, the station consistently saw more than 130% ridership increases. SFO Station, a gateway for international visitors and summer travelers, recorded a 30% ridership increase. 

The numbers reinforce that when people come to the Bay Area for world-class events, BART is how they get around. 

Pride weekend sets new Saturday and Sunday records

Graph showing Pride Sunday ridership

The San Francisco Pride Parade delivered BART's highest Saturday and Sunday ridership since the pandemic. Saturday saw 158,944 exits, while Sunday clocked 171,342 exits, roughly 30,000 more trips than Pride Sunday a year ago – a 24% increase.  

Ridership growth alone cannot close the funding gap 

Despite record post-pandemic ridership, fare revenue still falls short of what is needed to sustain BART operations.  Even with continued growth, ridership alone is not enough to close the funding gap, and a new funding source is needed.   

BART faces a structural deficit of $350M to $400M, driven by long-term shifts in commute patterns, including remote and hybrid work. BART balanced the FY26 budget with $35M in ongoing cuts and cost controls. The FY27 deficit is $376M. BART is taking a number of actions to reduce the shortfall, including more expense reductions, but will need help to completely close the gap. More on BART’s fiscal cliff: bart.gov/fiscalcliff. 

Find additional Monthly Ridership Snapshots here and daily ridership totals here.