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To make planning BART trips and using the BART system even easier, platform details are now included in Trip Planner itineraries, giving riders confidence that they are waiting for their train in the right spot.  

The information will be especially helpful for riders who are making platform-to-platform transfers, for example at MacArthur Station as reflected in the before and after images below. The Trip Planner itinerary calls out how riders will transfer from the Yellow Line train at Platform 4 at Macarthur Station to an Orange Line train on Platform 2. 

Riders will also be able to see if a train is using a different platform than normal, a tactic used during delay scenarios when trains may need to run on different tracks.

“BART is making changes to ensure navigating transit is as easy as possible as part of our efforts to improve the customer experience and increase ridership,” said Alicia Trost, BART Chief Communications Officer. “New riders and those who use BART infrequently will now have this critical platform information that will make their journey more seamless.”  

Before: Without platform details                               After: With platform details   

                 I  

Platform numbers are posted on concourse signage at major decision points as well as on the platforms on directional signage and digital signs. 

Concourse signs                                                    Platform level signs   

The platform level data is now also available for third-party apps to implement through BART’s Developer Program. 

BART riders are experiencing far fewer delays, train breakdowns, and cancelled trips according to the agency’s latest Quarterly Performance Report (QPR).

Customer-On-Time Performance for FY 2023 Q4 (April-June 2023) was 91%, up more than 12% from the previous quarter (January-March). 

Cancelled trains due to staffing shortages improved significantly as BART has hired more train operators. Only 2% of trains were not dispatched during the quarter with June cancellations totaling just over 1% of all dispatches. The previous quarter had 5.27% missed dispatches. 

“Earlier this year, we vowed to address staffing shortages and to reduce the number of canceled trains by summer,” said BART’s General Manager Bob Powers. “The data shows BART has followed through on this commitment as we focus on improving the rider experience. Running clean and safe trains that are on time is the best way to rebuild ridership.”

Timed transfers for the quarter improved dramatically from 52% to 80% and are trending up. Timed transfers are an important part of the customer experience as riders seamlessly transfer from one train to another to get to their destination on time. When northbound trains don’t line up at 19th Street and southbound trains at MacArthur, it delays riders.

BART is working to make improvements on several other fronts, including doubling the presence of sworn officers on our trains, replacing every fare gate in the system with state-of-the-art units that will be much more effective at deterring fare evasion, and doubling the rate of deep cleaning for train cars. In addition, BART’s schedule will change on September 11 with a service plan aimed at increasing ridership with a 50% increase in service on nights and the end of 30-minute frequencies.  

The Quarterly Performance Report will be presented to the Board of Directors at the August 24th Board meeting.