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Today, March 18, is Transit Employee Appreciation Day, and BART invites the public to join us in sharing gratitude for transit employees. If you're traveling on BART or another public transit system, take a moment to say "thanks" to the employees you see. 

BART's 629 daily weekday trains may technically run on clean electricity, but we know they're really powered by our more than 4,000 amazing and impactful employees. The work BART employees do is significant, as BART plays a major role in keeping our economy humming, people flowing, and our air clean. None of this happens without BART's employees. 

The "New BART" is on a roll right now, thanks to these employees. Crime on BART dropped 41% in 2025. Ridership was up 9.8%. Passenger on-time performance is as high as it’s been in years. We completed the installation of our Next Generation Fare Gates in August, four months ahead of schedule. Rider satisfaction hit its highest mark in a decade.

Our employees make a big impact on an individual level, too.

 

 

 

 

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Here are just a few of the many stories shared with us by BART riders over the past few months:

I disembarked a northbound BART train at MacArthur Station. I was exhausted and not feeling well because I had just completed a cancer treatment at UCSF Medical Center. Because of this, and the fact I am somewhat disabled from a broken hip, I was worried about my personal safety in getting to my car in the BART garage. I explained this to the attendant in the station kiosk. She kindly located two BART police officers who good-naturedly escorted me to my car on the garage third floor. I am extremely grateful for the assistance the three of them provided me.

This morning, I had some problems with the parking app on my phone (operator error!!). I asked the lady in the booth for help with my issue. I explained my parking app was not working, what could I do? We tried a few more times but the app would not let me have access to my account (turns out I was using an incorrect email). Jennifer was very patient and explained I would need to buy a parking ticket. She showed me the parking machine and walked me through the process. I am 75 years old and disabled just getting to the BART is a challenge for me, so this issue just made things really difficult. Jennifer was a LIFE saver. She was kind, patient and very professional….Jennifer gave me the BEST customer service I've received in a very long time.

I just saw a pair of BART employees engage someone who was out of sorts and sleeping on train seats. I was so impressed with the woman who led the engagement: she was calm, kind, and effective. She preserved the dignity of the person while also successfully having him exit the train. This was exemplary. I want to compliment her, her training, and thank her for the service she is providing to our community.

Keep an eye out for signs of gratitude in our stations, including some of our employees featured on posters in station agent booths, and listen for a special PA announcement recorded by BART General Manager Bob Powers if you’re traveling on BART today. And be sure to share your appreciation for any transit employees you encounter – even a smile or wave goes a long way.

Thank you, BART staff and all other transit employees. Today, we salute you!

Read about some of our amazing employees

How a BART Crisis Intervention Specialist helped a mother find her lost son and get him into treatment

Meet the Tango team, the mainline technicians who fix trains while they’re moving

How BART's Earthquake Response Team is preparing for the next "Big One"

This 1,200-pound gear makes escalators run. Fixing it is no simple task.

How BART replaced a key transformer in the core of the system on a whirlwind schedule

Transit is punk: Kamala Parks went from cofounding 924 Gilman Street to urban planning at BART

Cleaner trains than ever: Meet the team that has five minutes to clean every BART train 

With $300 in her wallet and a dream, one BART track operator forged her own path 

BART Chief of Police on BART’s 1972 opening day and a lifetime riding trains 

Serial entrepreneur turned Station Agent trainee reflects on his journey to BART 

10 Questions with Train Operator Shinita Garza 

BART employee stars in new film about famed sign spinner 

Train Car Electricians are the neurosurgeons of BART 

BART trains now deep-cleaned twice as often -- meet the employees who make it happen 

Dispatchers are the “behind-the-scenes heroes” of BART Police 

Financial Analysts at BART meld science with art 

Train Car Mechanics keep BART trains on the go 

From McDonald’s and Dennys to trains and trackways: How working in food service formed top engineering manager Ni Lee’s work philosophy 

Podcast: A lifelong passion for transit inspires a BART Supervisor to improve your ride 

BART Train Operator Dewayne Deams on the lessons he learned from his great-grandfather, transit trailblazer Curtis E. Green 

From the third rail to station lightbulbs, BART Electricians keep the system energized 

BART’s Terri Hodges on saying what she feels, meaning what she says, and bringing a dash of weird to the workplace 

BART's Mark Nagales honored his grandmother’s memory with one final trip on a legacy train 

What it takes to deep clean a BART station – a process BART recently doubled in frequency