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More electric vehicle charging stations are coming to BART thanks to $14 million grant
The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing BART $14.1 million to install Level 2 EV charging ports at all BART-managed parking facilities. These charging stations will be available for BART riders as well as community members who live nearby stations and have been hesitant to buy an electric vehicle because of a lack of convenient charging options.
“BART already strongly encourages riders to walk, bike or take other public transit to our stations,” said BART Sustainability Group Manager Monica Meagher. “This grant will allow us to jumpstart our efforts to expand the availability of EV chargers at all of our stations, which will provide our riders another environmentally friendly way to get to BART.”
BART is issuing a request for proposals to find a third-party partner to design, install, own, and operate the chargers. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025.
BART plans to prioritize EV deployment at stations in or near disadvantaged communities. Expanding EV charging at BART will support robust electric vehicle adoption across a wide range of socioeconomic groups. Providing EV charging at stations is consistent with BART’s sustainability goals and commitment to improving the Bay Area environment. Every weekday, BART riders save nearly 31,000 gallons of gas and directly reduce CO2e emissions by more than 600,000 pounds.
The award to BART is part of nearly $150 million the U.S. Department of Transportation is providing to five California projects to build zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure. The funding comes through the Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program.
Announcements recorded by local youth with autism playing in BART stations for Autism Acceptance Month
This April, the voices of local youth on the autism spectrum can be heard in BART stations across the system in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month. The PA announcements will be mixed in with usual station announcements and play in more than twenty stations.
A sample of what your ears have in store: “Hi BART riders, I’m Zayn. I love BART because I can sit and relax and see everything that’s going on in the Bay. I hope you enjoy your trip!”
Thirteen-year-old mega-BART-fan Zayn was one of 17 Bay Area youth who came to BART Headquarters in March to record announcements as part of the Autism Transit Project. The project was founded in 2022 by Jonathan Trichter, who runs multiple schools for children with autism and neurological differences.
“Children on the spectrum often have a special affinity for trains,” Trichter said. “That is a well-documented phenomenon that is also well-known by transit workers and people at BART. They see it every day as these kids take their parents on joy rides or ask the operators questions so complicated they're stumped.”
Language does not come easily to some children on the autism spectrum, Trichter said, so they sometimes grab onto phrases they hear frequently.
“That means the first sentence a child on the spectrum says might be, ‘Stand clear of the closing doors,’” Trichter explained. “So I put two and two together and came up with the idea to have these kids make their own public service announcements.”
This is BART’s third year participating in the Autism Transit Project. In addition to the recording sessions, which took place in BART’s professional studio, BART staff and board members joined in on the fun to talk about their jobs, including how to schedule trains, what it’s like to be a train operator; to show off some cool train parts, engineering devices, and BART uniforms; and to answer questions from the children, some more relevant to BART than others.
“What’s your star sign?” eighteen-year-old Lucy asked General Manager Bob Powers during his Q&A. She followed with a question about his favorite non-revenue vehicle (he chose BART’s Rail Inspection Vehicle).
Other BART celebrities joined in for the day, including BART Board President Mark Foley, who told the children, “I see you all, and I love you,” as well as BART Director Victor Flores, who spoke about the importance of community and supporting one another. BART Chief of Police Kevin Franklin was also on-hand to pass out junior officer badge stickers and to help kids try on BART uniforms.
One of the biggest celebrities of the day, however, was Pac-Man, the hardworking Harris hawk who is stationed at select BART stations to help mitigate pigeon presence. He arrived perched on the arm of his handler, Ricky, ready for his closeup.
Most of all, the day was an opportunity for children and their families to connect with one another.
“For the autism community, events like this help us to feel seen,” said BART employee Jennifer Tom, whose brother, Sam, recorded an announcement. “We can feel swallowed up sometimes [so this event] is really meaningful to me...I feel really blessed to be here today.”
Ten-year-old Bella recorded an announcement last year and couldn’t wait to come back to BART once more.
“This whole experience inspired her to be a radio DJ,” said her mom, Christelle Cicero-Lopez.
Hearing her announcement last year, said Bella, “was my dream come true."
The Announcements
Scenes from the recording studio during the Autism Transit Project at BART.
The participant’s name and stations where their announcement is playing are listed below. To listen, click on the blue hyperlink – or better yet, visit a station!
Cameron – Coliseum / West Oakland
Careem – Rockridge / Lake Merritt
Lucas – San Leandro / 19th St. / Embarcadero
San Mateo County BART stations get $12 million dollar glow-up
The BART Board of Directors has approved nearly $12 million in capital investments for San Mateo County BART stations to improve the customer experience and to ensure the station infrastructure remains welcoming and in a state of good repair. The package of upgrades is part of BART’s Station Glow-Up Strategy, focused on sprucing up stations and parking lots to improve ambience and enhance safety.
The San Mateo County effort includes new LED lighting to improve safety and brightness; roof replacement and gutter work to address water intrusion that impacts employees, riders, and BART equipment; deep cleaning to scrub away bird droppings; landscaping; the removal of metal framed bus shelters with panels that were prone to continuous vandalism and graffiti; and other work that will improve conditions and the appearance of BART property.
This past year, BART has taken additional action to improve San Mateo County stations with deep cleaning and permanently adding two additional janitorial staff to increase cleaning in the county. BART crews repaired floors, benches, and gutters, added fresh paint to key areas, and removed obsolete equipment such as old phone booths and aging artwork at Colma Station that could not be repaired or salvaged following a review by a conservation specialists and structural engineers. Millbrae Station is currently getting new LED lighting with the work to be completed this month. In September, BART celebrated the installation of new fare gates at all San Mateo County stations, marking a major milestone in ongoing investments at the county's six stations.
Details of the upcoming $12 million in planned improvements:
- Colma Station will get new LED lighting, roof upgrades, and dated bus shelter removal.
- South San Francisco Station will get LED lighting, roof upgrades and cleaning, gutter replacement, refurbished landscaping, and dated bus shelter removal.
- San Bruno Station will get new LED lighting, roof upgrades, specialized deep cleaning of hard-to-reach areas, and safety netting replacement to protect people from falling debris.
- Millbrae Station will get gutter and downspout repairs that will address water leaking in various areas such as the concourse and platform.
Work will begin in early 2026 and will be completed by the end of the year.
“Revitalizing these stations is part of what we like to call the new BART,” said BART Board President Mark Foley. “These upgrades will improve the functional use and aesthetics of our important San Mateo County stations while demonstrating our gratitude and commitment to our continued partnership with the county.”
BART is a critical piece of the transit network in San Mateo County, and San Mateo County riders are a key part of the BART system. BART carries approximately 25 percent of transit boardings among all operators in San Mateo County and 10 percent of all day boardings for BART originate in San Mateo County. On a typical weekday, BART runs 520 trains into and out of San Mateo County.
Oakland Ballers step up to the plate to save legacy BART car the A's rejected
Click here for b-roll of car leaving Hayward Yard and arriving at Raimondi Park
On Thursday, April 17, a legacy BART car was delivered to the Oakland Ballers, a professional baseball team that burst onto the Bay Area athletics scene in 2024. The Ballers are a BARTable partner and wear the BART logo on their jerseys.
A flatbed truck carried the legacy car from BART’s Hayward Yard to a temporary home near Raimondi Park, where the Ballers play. Over the next year, the car will be transformed into a park concessions stand, which will be unveiled next season. BART gave the Ballers the car at no cost as part of its legacy car decommissioning program. The team was responsible for the cost of transporting of the car.
“Adding this BART legacy car is one of many examples of how our ballpark is going to continue to grow with us,” said Ballers Co-Founder Paul Freedman. “We want Raimondi Park to be a living museum full of tributes to Bay Area culture. We can’t wait to repurpose and creatively feature our BART legacy car in the near future."
Said Ballers Co-Founder Bryan Camel: "We often say we are driving the train while laying down the tracks with the Ballers. So this BART legacy car being stationed at Raimondi Park is a perfect way to celebrate the history of the Bay Area while also acknowledging the rapid development of our team’s future."
This same car was initially reserved for the Athletics, the professional baseball team that departed the Bay Area in 2024. Team officials emailed BART in 2023 to inform them they would no longer be accepting the car, which they intended to bring with them to their new stadium to commemorate their long history in the Bay Area.
“It was disappointing when the Athletics notified us by email that they no longer wanted this car,” said BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost. “So, we asked Oakland’s newest professional sports team if they’d like to have it, and they responded with an immediate, ‘Yes!’ We are grateful to the team for saving this piece of Bay Area history so that Oakland baseball fans will be able to enjoy it."
This won’t be the first time the Ballers have repped BART. BART and the Ballers entered into a partnership ahead of the team’s inaugural season, with the Ballers hosting BART Night at the park in August 2024 to celebrate the role transportation plays in ensuring fans can watch their favorite teams play.
"I'm thrilled about the delivery of a legacy train car to our co-marketing partner, the Oakland Ballers! Its future home at their ballpark honors our shared history and the ongoing journey of community, connection, and celebration," said BART Principal Marketing Representative Jill Buschini, who oversees BART's co-marketing partnerships.
Raimondi Park is under a mile from West Oakland Station, and the Ballers offer free shuttles that run every 20 minutes from the station to Campbell St. between 18th and 20th, starting three hours before game time and a half hour after the game ends. Opening Day at Raimondi Park is May 20.
The BARTmobile on the field at Raimondi Park during BART Night at the Ballers in 2024.
BART officially retired its legacy fleet, which carried passengers for more than 50 years since the opening of the system, at a ceremony and final ride in April 2024. All BART trains in service are now made up of new cars.
“We are extremely excited to see these legacy cars being delivered to their new homes. Although this particular car was initially slated to move with the Athletics to their new ballpark in Las Vegas, we are equally as thrilled to know that this car will be staying local for Bay Area residents to continue to enjoy for years to come!” said Brian Tsukamoto, BART Legacy Car Decommissioning Manager.
BART’s legacy cars have a tremendous sentimental value with passengers in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and we wanted to ensure the historic vehicles would have a second life. BART gave the public the opportunity to submit proposals for repurposing retired cars, and eight recipients were selected after describing what they planned to do with the vehicle. Two recipients, the Athletics among them, later declined.
The recipients are reusing their cars for a multitude of purposes, including a short-term rental in the Sierras, a regional fire training center in Hayward, and a bike shop and clubhouse for Oakland youth. Three cars were also awarded to the Western Railway Museum, which is establishing a Rapid Transit History Center.
BART achieves highest quarterly Passenger On-Time Performance since early 2014
BART’s latest quarterly performance analysis finds BART achieved its highest quarterly Passenger On-Time Performance (94.4%) since early 2014, a significant milestone reflecting broad-based improvements across the system for several key indicators, including reliability, safety, and cleanliness. The report also shows March 2026 recorded the highest monthly Passenger On-Time Performance since August 2013. This metric measures the percentage of riders who reach their destination within a short time threshold of their expected arrival.
The Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026 (January 1 to March 31, 2026) underlines BART’s tremendous improvements in service reliability, with March 2026 a standout month for overall performance. The month recorded BART’s lowest monthly delay count since late 2018 as well as the fewest train delays for any March since 2014, excluding the pandemic years when service was reduced (2020-2022).
These gains come as ridership grew 15% year-over-year to 14.6 million trips this past quarter, demonstrating BART's ongoing efforts are increasing rider confidence and strengthening the system financially.
BART’s QPRs are posted quarterly and track a number of performance indicators, such as operational metrics, passenger environment indicators, customer feedback, and crime. 2023 is used frequently for comparison in this article as BART's Safe and Clean Plan was enacted that year. The substantial improvements over the past three years are testament to its effectiveness.
Graph demonstrating the significant decline in train delays for March 2026.
Customer On-Time Performance and Satisfaction
Customer On-Time Performance for FY26 Q3 was 94.4%. For comparison, in the third quarter of FY23, Customer On-Time performance was 81.2%.
Customer Satisfaction increased to 90% in FY26 Q3. In FY23 Q3, that metric was 70%. Customer complaints for FY26 Q3 dropped by nearly 26% from the previous quarter.
Station and train experience
BART’s emphasis on enhancing system cleanliness and the overall customer experience is paying dividends. Passengers scored the experience onboard trains and inside stations 4.2 and 4.1 respectively (out of 5), the highest scores since BART updated its scoring metrics and scale in FY23 Q2.
BART’s new trains continue to be a major contributor to on-time performance and onboard experience. The new trains were designed to be easier and faster to clean and experience mechanical failures at a fraction of the rate of the retired legacy fleet, reducing disruptions and improving service consistency. Maintenance is more efficient and reliable on the new trains as well due to predictive diagnostics and standardized parts that are easier to procure than those of the five-decades-old legacy fleet. The legacy fleet was removed from the base schedule in September 2023.
Safety
Crime on BART dropped 42% in the past quarter over the previous year. Electronic robberies were down 90% in the past quarter, electronic thefts 68%, and auto burglaries 47%. Average response time to Priority-one incidents was just over 5 minutes, one of the fastest response times in the nation.
A decrease in crime leads to fewer delays due to police- and security-related incidents, which dropped to 955, compared to nearly 3,000 in 2023.
These improvements are testament to the hard work of BART PD and the effectiveness of BART's investment in initiatives and infrastructure that both increase safety and enhance the customer experience, including doubling the visible police presence on trains and in stations in 2023.
Sexual harassment on BART has also declined considerably. The percentage of riders who said they had experienced sexual harassment, a BART Code of Conduct violation, dropped by more than half – from 8% between October and December 2023 to 3.9% in January through March 2026. The timeline of the decline correlates with the installation of BART’s new fare gates.
Fare evasion
Fare evasion has dramatically decreased in the system. The percentage of riders who said they witnessed fare evasion was 10% in the last quarter, compared to a high of 25% in Fiscal Year 2024.
This drop follows the installation of 715 new fare gates systemwide, which have tall swing barriers that make it difficult for people to push through, hurdle over, or maneuver under. Early indications are that gates are responsible for revenue growing by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion. As the chart below shows, there was a 961-hour reduction in corrective maintenance hours (vandalism, graffiti, large clean-ups, broken things) in the six months post-installation.
Weather
BART has also seen major progress reducing weather-related delays – previously one of the biggest sources of delayed trains – thanks to smart engineering fixes.
By updating train car braking profile software and making slight changes to train speeds at some locations, BART no longer needs to run trains at reduced speeds when it rains, save for a few select locations near the ends of lines. As you can see in the below chart, weather-related slowdowns spiked during previous rainy seasons, but continue to decline with the updated software now in place.
Graph showing total delayed trains and causes. Dashed yellow line represents weather-related delays.
Conclusion
These improvements are supporting rider confidence and strengthening the system financially.
“These big things aren’t just statistics; they are the foundation of our ridership recovery,” said BART Manager of Operations Reliability Ryan Rod, who analyzes and develops BART’s Quarterly Performance Reports and on-time performance data. “Because our riders are seeing a system that is cleaner, safer, and on time, they are coming back, proving that when we deliver on our promises, the region responds.”
At the same time, BART is investing in trackside upgrades, track replacement, and modern train control technology to make the system even more resilient. Future improvements, like the currently underway Communications-Based Train Control project, will contribute further reductions to the customer impact of disruptions, even when incidents occur.
Despite record post-pandemic ridership, fare revenue still falls short of what is needed to sustain BART operations. Even with continued growth, ridership alone is not enough to close the funding gap, and a new funding source is needed.
BART faces a structural deficit of $350M to $400M, driven by long-term shifts in commute patterns, including remote and hybrid work. BART balanced the FY26 budget with $35M in ongoing cuts and cost controls. The FY27 deficit is $376M. BART is taking a number of actions to reduce the shortfall, including more expense reductions, but will need help to completely close the gap. More on BART’s financial deficit here.
Thursday, May 16: Ride your bike to BART and beyond for Bike to Wherever Day
Bust out your bicycle and join BART in celebrating Bike to Wherever Day on Thursday, May 16.
BART is sponsoring the annual celebration of cycling and hosting 24 “energizer stations” throughout the system. If you visit one of the BART stations listed below on Thursday morning, you’ll be greeted by Bike to Wherever Day volunteers handing out thousands of commemorative swag bags.
Bike to Wherever Day began in 1994 as Bike to Work Day as a way to encourage people to ditch their cars and hop on their bikes. Things have changed since that first Bike to Work Day, and the annual event has transformed into a monthlong celebration of bicycling, called Bike to Wherever Days. The cornerstone of the month is Bike to Wherever Day on Thursday, May 16 – exactly thirty years after that first Bike to Work Day.
Local organizers of Bike to Wherever Day include BARTable partner Bike East Bay, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and BikeHUb, which operates bike stations at some BART stations (more on bike stations below).
Energizer stations will be positioned throughout the BART system on the morning of Thursday, May 16. For exact times and to view the full list of energizer stations, visit Bike East Bay’s Bike to Wherever Day webpage.
Participating BART stations include:
Ashby
Antioch
Concord
Downtown Berkeley BART Bike Station
Daly City
Dublin/Pleasanton
El Cerrito del Norte
El Cerrito Plaza
Fruitvale
Hayward
Lake Merritt
Millbrae
Orinda
Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Center
Richmond
San Bruno
San Leandro
South San Francisco
South Hayward
Union City
Uptown/19th Street Oakland BART Bike Station
Warm Springs/South Fremont
West Dublin/Pleasanton
West Oakland
This year, Bike to Wherever Days will also include a family-focused and BARTable ride called East Bay Kidical Mass. The group will gather on Saturday, May 11, at 10:30am at Lake Merritt Station for a relaxed and inclusive ride around Lake Merritt.
Bikes on BART
Click here to learn everything you need to know about bikes and BART, including rules and the locations of bike storage facilities.
BART loves bikes, and we even changed our rules recently to allow bicycles on escalators throughout the BART system with the exception of ten narrow escalators (at 19th Street/ Oakland, Antioch and the Oakland Airport Connector).
Our stations feature high-security bike racks, bike lockers, and both valet and BikeLink self-park Bike Stations. The staffed Bike Stations at Downtown Berkeley, Fruitvale, and 19th Street/Oakland are open for parking weekdays 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and even have retail and maintenance services, in case your bike needs a tune up.
Plan your route using BART's Trip Planner, which offers multi-modal, end-to-end itineraries for bike + transit trips. It features customizable bike speed options, including an option for e-bikes (select the settings/tool icon to customize your options). BART's Trip Planner includes results for more than 30 transit systems in the Bay Area and is available on web, mobile, and the official BART app.
BART releases Draft FY08 10-year Operating Plan and 25-year Capital Improvement Program
BART's Fiscal Year 2008 Draft Short Range Transit Plan and Capital Improvement Program (SRTP/CIP) is now available. Prepared in compliance with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's (MTC) guidelines and principles, the SRTP/CIP is required by the Federal Transit Administration and the MTC as a
Increase in BART Police safety presence resulting in fewer trains delayed by unwanted behavior
The latest numbers from the BART Police Department show as enforcement activity has increased, the number of trains impacted by unwanted behavior has declined. In the first six months of this year, BART PD reported 10,359 enforcement contacts, which is nearly double from the 5,490 enforcement contacts reported for the first half of 2023. The increase in activity comes as BART continues to implement its Safe and Clean Plan. A focal point of the plan has been a major boost in BART PD’s visible safety presence on trains and in stations supported by devoting additional resources to hire and retain more officers.
As enforcement contacts have increased, the number of trains impacted by unwanted activity has been trending downward since mid-2023. The number of BART PD incidents causing delays has dropped from a high of 374 in May 2023 to 255 in August (see chart below).
“Our presence deters crime and allows us to address problems before they turn into incidents that cause train delays,” said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin. “I think this is very encouraging because it shows that our presence is a positive thing for on-time service and the safe and clean customer experience.”
More riders have been telling BART they notice the difference in safety since implementation of the new deployment strategy that emphasizes presence on trains and in stations. The last four consecutive quarters have been the first in BART’s history where the percentage of riders who reported seeing BART PD on their trips exceeded the department’s official goal of 12%. In the most recent quarter (Q4 2024), more than 19% of riders reported seeing BART PD’s safety presence.
BART PD is continuing to recruit more officers to boost its visible safety presence to bring more safety gains to our riders. The department currently has 17 openings for sworn officers. BART PD offers competitive pay including a hiring bonus of $15,000 for lateral transfers and academy graduates. To learn more, go to JoinBARTPD.com.
Announcing the winners of the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest – get a winning poem today!
Beneath the city's glow, where BART's lines softly weave,
A story of us begins, in the twilight of the eve.
– Under the Stars of Valencia, Elsy M.E., BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest Winner
<< Watch Fruitvale station agents Steffi and Ebony dispense a winning poem >>
On Friday, April 12, the BART Art Program and BART Communications are thrilled to announce the winners of the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest 2024! You’ll find the list of winners and their poems when you scroll down this page. The winners were selected by contest judges and partners 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks – two outstanding organizations working to lift youth voices in the Bay Area.
The 31 winning poems engage with an enchanting array of forms, meter, topics, and themes. In the collection, you will find villanelles and tankas, botanic gardens and centipedes, sunsets and carrots, and even two crabs destined for a boiling pot. Our winners range in age from 14 to 19 and reside all over the Bay Area, from Foster City to Fremont, Concord to Oakland, and many cities in between.
The BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest is a celebration of the region’s youth, their expansive imaginations, and their immense capacities for compassion and creativity. And the winning poets’ fantastic work will undoubtedly delight riders passing through stations who are looking for something to do on the train other than look at their phones (sometimes your eyes need a rest from a screen, right?).
The 31 winning poems, written by local youth ages 13 to 19, are now available in BART’s free Short Edition Story Dispensers (locations below) as well as our Short Edition online story portal.
We highly recommend getting a printed poem from a story dispenser. To get a contest poem, hover your hand over the “5 Min” button. When the dispenser prints the poem, you’ll find a special image on the bottom of the eco-friendly and recyclable paper.
These poems are collectibles, and we encourage you to take photos or film yourself getting a poem – tag us on Instagram (@sfbayarearapidtransit) or Twitter (@sfbart) and use the #BARTLines.
Congratulations to the Winners of the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest
Winners listed in alphabetical order
Frames of Motion – Aashna S.
I'm from Union City, where daylight's clouds kiss – Aarzu S.
I have to think about BART now – Ana T.
Sequence Across Golden Gate Bridge – Ariel Z.
Bay Area Rapid Tankas – Bulian Jauer
Love Letter to the Bay – Carla Araujo
Haven – Elle Fardella
Where I'm From – Ellie Liew
This is the Bay – Eloisa Lin
Under the Stars of Valencia: A BART Love Story – Elsy M.E.
station conversation: where the people are – Emily T.
These Two Crabs On the Green Line are Going to Die – Francis L.
Sunsets Filled with Orange Rays of Red – Gerardo Castaneda
My Home – Gian S.
sandstone – Hunter Stoval
You see, to me – Juliet S.
A Familiar Breeze – Kiana G.
sf pride 2023 – Lia Le-Nguyen
home, forever and always. – Margaret B.
Journey Around the Bay – Matthew Guo
The Bay is Home – Nairobi Williese Barnes
the bay – Nidhi Nadgir
souvenir – Nitika Sathiya
Villanelle for 42nd St. – N.R.
A paper ticket trip down the richmond line – OG Nguyen
The Cycle – ORLY
A Work of Art – Pahal V.
bart ode – Rose Garcia
Haibun for lazy weekends in the Sunset District – Sophia T.
Bay is bae – Soyme
Where My Parents Lived – Vivian Owens
How to Read the Winning Poems
*BART’s Short Edition Story Dispensers*
The dispensers are free vending machines for creative writing, dispensing stories on eco-friendly recyclable, receipt-like paper. To receive a BART Lines poem, wave your hand over the button on the far right, labeled with either BART Lines sticker or “5 minutes”. Poems are randomly dispensed. The dispensers are currently located at the following stations:
Balboa Park
Downtown Berkeley
Fruitvale
Pleasant Hill
San Leandro (pending installation)
*BART’s Short Edition website*
Visit bart.short-edition.com to read the poems online. Click the blue “Contest winners” button.
*Coming Soon: Short Edition Story Discs*
The discs are digital versions of the dispensers that allow you to access unlimited content for free on a smartphone. They will soon be installed at the following stations:
Daly City
Dublin/Pleasanton
Embarcadero
About the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest
The contest, which launched in late winter, solicited poetry from local teenagers who live in the five counties where BART operates. We asked that the poems loosely relate to the theme “Bay is Home.”
By providing a forum for teen voices and creativity with BART Lines, BART is underlining our belief that the words, ideas, and foresight of youth matter. Like public transportation, poetry has the power to take you places, and the winning BART Lines poems are a case in point.
In addition to their work being published on the Short Edition website and in our dispensers and discs, the winners received a $75 honorarium. Their works will also be collected in a chapbook – stay tuned for more information.
Winners will also be invited to read their poems at special events, including the upcoming Bay Area Book Festival on June 2 in Downtown Berkeley, and their work will be featured in our stations and trains and on social media (among other venues).
Keep up to date with events and future contests at bart.gov/bartlines and by following BART’s social media channels.
Judges+Partners
826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs that was founded in San Francisco in 1996. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and more, Youth Speaks offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs and provides numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard.
BART tests fare gate advertisements at nine stations to explore new revenue opportunity
BART is testing a new look on fare gates at nine stations as part of an ongoing effort to explore new and creative revenue opportunities as the agency faces a structural deficit starting in Fiscal Year 2027.
The fare gate advertising pilot will see fare gates at nine stations wrapped with advertising on their clear plexiglass doors and metal consoles to understand how the wrap material will perform in real-world conditions. The wraps have already undergone testing at BART’s fare gate lab to assess the material’s impact on the the surface of the gates.
This pilot follows the testing of train car wrapping earlier this year, when BART Marketing covered a train car in cheerful BARTy mascots. These pilots will provide BART with a potential new revenue source as BART continues to implement significant cost-cutting measures that have reduced expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The fare gate advertising pilot is rolling out at nine stations this week: 19th St Oakland, Downtown Berkeley, Dublin/Pleasanton, Concord, Fremont, 16th St Mission, and Daly City stations. Additional wraps will be installed at SFO and OAK stations ahead of the FIFA World Cup, starting June 13. Wraps at Downtown Berkeley will be removed after a month, while others will be left on for varied amounts of time.
"Fare gate wraps give us a new advertising canvas to work with, and we're excited to see how this pilot performs and potentially expand it throughout the system,” said BART Director of Marketing and Research David Martindale.
The wraps are designed to allow clear sightlines through the fare gates so BART Police and staff can still see across the fare gate line. BART Marketing also worked closely with BART Police and other internal stakeholders during the planning process to make sure the placement and materials met their standards.
This will be the first time BART has wrapped fare gates with advertising. In 2025, BART completed installation of new fare gates at all 50 stations, replacing the 50-plus-year-old system's original gates.
Early indications suggest that due to reduced fare evasion the new fare gates are responsible for BART revenue growing by about $10 million annually. Additionally, crime on BART plummeted 41% in 2025 compared to the previous year, despite the fare gate project being completed in August of that year and a steady increase in ridership. There was also a 961-hour reduction in corrective maintenance hours related to unwanted behavior in the 6 months post-installation.