BART ridership climbs 13.5% in December, capping a year of steady growth

People on an escalator at Embarcadero Station

December ridership rose 13.5% year over year, capping a year of steady growth for BART. 

The ridership gains reflect the continued impact of the New BART experience, a systemwide focus on customer experience improvements. Recent investments in safety, cleanliness, and innovative offerings, such as Next Generation Clipper and a new BART App integration with Uber, are helping strengthen rider confidence and bring people back to the system.  

Even with these gains, ridership growth alone won’t solve BART’s budget shortfalls. While most riders have returned to BART, they are riding less frequently, resulting in fewer trips. The Bay Area has the highest work-from-home rates in the nation, and BART ridership closely mirrors office occupancy. 

Each 5% increase in ridership translates to about $13 million a year in new revenue, and to close BART's ongoing structural financial deficit of $350-$400 million with just fare revenue, ridership would need to more than double.  

Highlights from the December Ridership Snapshot: 

  • Weekend ridership showed a steady increase this December, in keeping with 2025 trends. Saturday ridership in December rose 23% year over year, while Sunday ridership increased nearly 13%, underscoring the system’s expanding role in leisure, airport, and non-work travel. 
  • 13% of all BART trips were taken using Tap and Ride, which allows riders to pay by tapping a contactless credit or debit card at the fare gates. Usage climbed toward the end of the month as travelers and casual riders hopped onboard around the holidays. Ridership at SFO Station alone increased 14% compared with December 2024. 
  • On December 10, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission began the rollout of Next Generation Clipper, a fare payment system upgrade that expanded Tap and Ride to all Clipper agencies and introduced additional improvements, including free or discounted transfers between operators and enhanced online account management at clippercard.com. 20% of all free or discounted transfers in the Bay Area included a leg on BART in December, and two-thirds of all Tap and Ride trips were on BART, reinforcing BART’s role as the backbone of the regional transit network. 
  • BART trips using Clipper BayPass increased 157% year over year as more employers, schools, and housing providers adopted the all-in-one transit pass for employees, students, and residents. Nineteen organizations are enrolled in Clipper BayPass, as of January 2026. 
  • Clipper START usage grew by nearly 40% in December compared to a year ago. Clipper Senior trips increased by more than 10%. 

Additional ridership data is published monthly at bart.gov/about/reports/ridership.