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In July, BART released the Role in the Region Report, a comprehensive study of BART's impact on the Bay Area illustrated by new analyses, data visualizations, and powerful personal narratives. Over the coming months, we'll be sharing some of the key insights from the report in a series of articles here on bart.gov. Click here to read the first story — on BART's role in reducing regional traffic — and the here for the second story, which explores BART's contributions to the economy.

We encourage you to read the full report - click here - and visit the project webpage at bart.gov/roleintheregion. 

Today's post looks at BART's impact on lowering the cost of living. See the full report for methodology.

BART helps riders save money

BART helps people get by in the Bay Area by connecting them to jobs and helping them save money on transportation costs.

BART trips are cheaper than driving, and people who live near BART stations typically have lower transportation costs than those in other parts of the region.

Figure 2.1 shows that the cost of taking BART is lower than driving for many common trip types. Households within a half-mile of a BART station have, on average, 30 percent fewer vehicles than households beyond a half-mile from a BART station. Annually, these households drive 16 percent fewer miles, which translates to lower transportation costs.

What BART Riders Say…

“I'd have much less money and a lot more stress due to needing a car to get around. I also would love San Francisco less if it didn't have BART. It's too important to the vitality of this city.

- Rider based in San Francisco 

BART connects workers to jobs

Within San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties, census tracts within a half-mile of a BART station have a 13 percent higher average job access score, which considers the number, overall mix, and types of jobs. People who live in census tracts within a half-mile of a BART station commute, on average, 16 percent fewer minutes than people who live further away.

BART Yellow and Orange lines serve a high proportion of people without a college degree. A clear example of the access and benefit that BART provides is seen in the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg, which are both lower-income and more diverse than the Bay Area as a whole. Residents of these cities can use BART to reach jobs in larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland in an affordable and timely manner.

What BART Riders Say…

 

“I don’t think my family and I could remain in the Bay Area without BART.”

 

Peter Woods, Brentwood, CA

With some 794,000 jobs (21% of the region's total) within a 15-minute walk of a BART station, BART helps people access a large pool of economic opportunities across the Bay Area. By linking people to jobs, BART helps put money in people's pockets, which increases their ability to thrive in the expensive region.

Rider story: Kassandra

In August, Kassandra Santillan started her second year at San Francisco State University, her dream college where she studies microbiology, her dream major. If she couldn’t take BART to school, she wouldn’t be able to attend.

“BART made it happen for me,” she said. “I can’t afford to live near campus, so I’d probably be at a community college instead.”

Santillan is the first person in her immediate family to attend college. She’s always aspired to study at SFSU because that's where her aunt went, and her aunt was one of the only people she knew who graduated from college.  

Santillan lives in East Oakland, where she grew up. She doesn’t currently have access to a car, so she takes BART twice a day, five days a week to school. Before starting at SFSU, she’d never really used the system.

“We didn’t travel far away when I was young,” she said. “The only other time I’d use BART was for field trips to San Francisco." 

Read Kassandra's story.

Step up to the plate, BART x baseball fans! BART has teamed up with the Oakland Ballers for a memorable game on Wednesday, August 14, starting at 6:35pm, at Raimondi Park (1800 Wood St, Oakland). Buy your tickets here. 

It's BART Night, Bay Area!  

On this special evening, we want to celebrate the role public transportation plays in making sure fans can get out and watch their favorite teams play. BART and organizations like the Ballers are natural partners – BART helps you get there, and the Ballers give you a place to go. Take me out to the BART game!

Some of the activities planned for BART Night include: 

• An appearance by the BARTmobile  
• BART employees’ children serving as ball kids 
• Special BART guests throwing out the first pitch and taking the first at-bat 
• BART Police Honor Guard posting the colors  
• BART Police Lieutenant Joshua Perez singing the National Anthem 
• Lots of BART staff in the stands going wild for the Ballers! 

And let’s not forget the t-shirts. The Ballers, BART, and Oaklandish have collaborated to create two collectible “shirseys,” AKA a t-shirt mimicking the players’ jerseys. The tees, modeled above, feature the BART logo on the sleeve and the number 72 on the back, celebrating the year BART opened. Get yours on Railgoods.com. 

The Oakland Ballers are a Pioneer League baseball team that plays at the historic Raimondi Park in West Oakland. Celebrating their inaugural season in 2024, the team is a BART partner and plays in uniforms with a BART patch on the right sleeve. 

Get to the game by following the rider guide below and find more detailed directions here.  

Read more stories and see interactive maps about BART’s impact at bart.gov/impact.

BART's Impact

Local businesses and residents benefit when they’re located near BART stations.

With the BART’s Impact series, we’re looking at one BART station at a time to understand how a single station can transform the economy, social fabric, and culture of a city. If one station alone can impact an area so profoundly, imagine all fifty BART stations taken together.  

BART stations are not simply destinations – stops on a line to get you from A to B. BART stations create destinations and with that, a livable and thriving Bay Area for all. 

Case Study: Millbrae Station 

Millbrae Station is an essential gateway to the Peninsula and the point of convergence for BART, Caltrain, and SamTrans.  

Millbrae rail service began in 1864 with the historic 17 Mile House station. Nearly 140 years later, Millbrae Station opened for business. Now thousands of passengers pass through the station each day on their way to work, activities, and experiences.  

The area around the station has transformed significantly since the transit hub opened in 2003. In 2023, BART’s Millbrae Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project – the Gateway at Millbrae Station – opened for business, transforming what was once a BART parking lot into a mixed-use space beside the station. In addition to increasing much-needed housing stock in the area, the development has added jobs, increased city revenue, and created a walkable and inviting public space with art, restaurants, and events. 

“The Bay Area economy needs BART to thrive. BART plays a key role in connecting people to San Mateo County's businesses, jobs, restaurants, and cultural experiences. San Mateo County is grateful for our ongoing partnership and collaboration with the BART.” 

- David Canepa, President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

BART spoke to some of the businesses at the Gateway and ventured further afoot to talk to businesses near the station. From a hot Pilates studio to a local lobster destination, we asked business owners the same question: Why is BART essential to your bottom line and your community’s well-being?  

View a larger version of the interactive map by clicking here. 

As part of its Safe and Clean Plan, on December 28, 2023, BART unveiled prototypes of its new fare gates at the West Oakland Station. The system is upgrading its fare gates for the first time in 20 years. BART has committed to opening 700+ new fare gates systemwide by the end of 2025. 

Watch the time lapse video.

Mechanical Door Lock to be Installed Soon

These are not the final version of the fare gates that will be installed throughout the rest of the system. The development team will be installing the latest door-braking technology in the coming weeks. This mechanical door lock will be exclusive to BART. No other transit system in the world has it. Once installed, these gates will be harder to push through than any other fare gate in the world. 

The prototypes now installed at West Oakland will test the new gates in a station environment with riders. Initial field testing will primarily focus on door material options. 

BART will announce the next eight stations to get the new fare gates at the January 11, 2024, board meeting. 

“As a transportation system, we take tremendous pride in saying our riders are what runs BART," said BART General Manager Bob Powers. "Among the world’s transit agencies, BART relies the most on rider fares; they are directly responsible for funding our operations. These new, state-of-the-art fare gates will protect against fare evasion, expand access to transit-dependent riders, and reduce system downtime due to maintenance, which helps boost investment in BART’s long-term growth.”

“We welcome the new fare gates starting at West Oakland and its future expansion to other stations," said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin. "These stronger, higher gates will limit fare evasions through self-enforced fare payments, keep riders safe and engaged to return to BART, and have police officers focused on more serious situations that require emergency services.”

While BART is rolling out new fare gates to boost safety and reduce fare evasion, the agency is also working to increase access to BART by more than doubling the discount for low-income individuals from 20% to 50% beginning January 1, 2024.

BART’s Safe and Clean Plan focuses on attracting riders to return to the system by reimagining the BART experience. BART is making dramatic improvements, from new payment systems to infrastructure renovations. It's all being done to guarantee customers a clean, safer ride and ensure BART is the safest way to travel around the Bay. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.

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