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"BART connects me to the first audience I ever had.” 

Read more BART Connects stories at bart.gov/bartconnects.

Before the Grammys, there was BART. 

Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, known by his stage name Fantastic Negrito, went from busking in BART stations to collecting his first, second, and third Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.  

He hasn't forgotten where it started -- and he keeps coming back.  

In 2014, Fantastic Negrito was busking outside the Lake Merritt and Mission BART stations. He wasn’t getting gigs and felt like the industry had written him off, so he brought his songs to the people. 

 

 

 

 

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"When clubs didn't want to book me, when people just didn't think the music I was doing had any future, I came out to the BART station," he said. "That's how I connected with people getting off the train — everyday, ordinary people. It connected me to songwriting. It connected me to stories." 

When his first Grammy arrived in the mail, he didn't open it at home. He took it to the corner where he always played -- Lake Merritt Station -- and opened it there, on the street, Grammy on the ground, guitar in hand. 

He still comes back to BART sometimes to work out new songs. Some people walk past with AirPods in. He plays anyway. 

"BART connects me to the first audience I ever had,” he said. "If I don't come back here, something's wrong with me.”

Read more BART Connects stories at bart.gov/bartconnects.

About BART Connects

Tens of millions of people ride BART every year -- to work, dates, practice, friends, and fun. BART Connects tells their stories. 

In June, BART Communications launched the second edition of BART Connects, a storytelling series that features real BART riders who span generations, neighborhoods, and walks of life. You can read their stories below.

In the coming months, the stars of BART Connects will take us for a ride in a series of video featurettes that will be regularly posted on BART social media.

You will also see the faces of BART Connects riders in advertising spaces in the BART System and across the region. 

BART Connects grew out of a call for rider stories BART Communications launched in 2023 to learn how our transit system impacts people’s lives. The initial response made clear that BART means something to those who ride it. 

Have a cool BART story to share? Submit a short summary at bart.gov/story. You may be the next BART Connects feature! 

What’s your favorite BART memory? Has BART changed your life – in ways big or small – or connected you to something meaningful?  

We want to hear about it.  

BART Communications is launching a new edition of BART Connects (bart.gov/bartconnects), our rider storytelling series highlighting the many ways BART connects the Bay Area. We’re inviting the public to share memories and moments that show how BART moves this region in both small and powerful ways. 

Your story doesn’t need to be earth-shattering or groundbreaking. Inspire, entertain, and enlighten us!  

Submit your story by visiting bart.gov/story and answering a few questions. You'll have the option to enter a drawing for a $100 e-gift card. 

BART Communications will review responses on a rolling basis, and we may contact you to schedule follow-up interviews and photo/video shoots. Get ready for your BART closeup. 

We’ll share our favorite stories on our communications and marketing channels, including bart.gov, social media, and even advertisements that will appear around the region (with participant consent).  

We’re looking for stories about: 

• Meeting your partner or good friend onboard 
• Using BART to get to school/appointments/experiences you would not be able to have without transit 
• Going someplace fun or unexpected, like golfing or fishing! 
• Taking BART to your wedding/prom/big life event 
• Using your time on the train to create art, stories, poems, or photos 

Find examples at bart.gov/bartconnects.  

Questions? Email Michelle Robertson with BART Communications at [email protected] 

The calendar might say late August, but the rising temperatures are getting us into the summer spirit. Seize the sunshine and get on BART!  

This summer, we invited some of our biggest fans to show us their favorite things to do by BART during break. School is back in session, but you can recreate their itineraries no matter the season. 

Today, we released this summer's final guide, featuring BART expert Bella. Watch it here. 

Bella, Zayn, Milo, Robert, and Lucy took us all over the Bay Area over the past few months. We went cloud chasing in Daly City, bought bagels and books in Berkeley, took a trip to the Nintendo Store in San Francisco, toured some “aesthetic stations,” and traveled to Target for school supplies.  

All of our guides participated in the Autism Transit Project. Each spring, BART invites local youth on the spectrum to record announcements that play in stations during Autism Acceptance Month in April. 

Find the guides at bart.gov/summer and on our YouTube channel.

For more recommendations of fun stuff to do by BART, visit bart.gov/bartable.