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BART offers alternative bus service called the Early Bird Express for weekday service before BART opens.

Due to low bus ridership on several routes, limited funding, and increasing demand for bus drivers from partner agencies, BART will make a series of service reductions to the Early Bird Express service in 2024. BART will retain eight trips that serve 90% of riders and will eliminate seven trips, impacting 10% of riders. 

The changes will impact fewer than 20 riders.

The first change occurred on April 28, 2024 and June 16, 2024 and then again on August 12, 2024.

The full details of service changes, maps, and suggested alternatives can be found on the Early Bird Express page.

BART and partner bus agencies will do targeted outreach about these upcoming changes.

*This article was originally posted on March 13, 2024 and is being kept up to date.

The BART Board of Directors unanimously elected Mark Foley to serve as its president for the 2025 term during its meeting today, December 19, 2024. Foley served as vice president for the 2024 board term. 

Foley made a point to welcome the four new board members who took office for their first meeting. “Your fresh ideas, new perspectives, and diverse experiences are exactly what we need as we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Foley said. “I am confident that your contributions will be invaluable as we work together to shape the future of BART and public transit in our region.”

Foley will lead the BART Board during a time of unprecedented financial uncertainty. The Board of Directors and BART staff are seeking a reliable long-term funding source to replace federal and state emergency funds that are projected to run out in 2026. If unsuccessful, BART faces devastating cuts that will have serious impacts on the quality of life in the Bay Area. 

“The work ahead requires deep collaboration, and I look forward to working closely with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and our partners to develop a regional funding measure,” Foley said.

In his speech, Foley noted some exciting improvements expected in 2025, including the completion of the Next Generation Fare Gate Project, more reliable power for train service thanks to new electrical substations under construction, and progress on a new train control system to increase train frequency and reliability. 

Foley was first elected to the BART Board on November 6, 2018, and was re-elected in 2022. Foley represents District 2, which is in Contra Costa County, and includes the City of Pittsburg, the City of Antioch, the City of Brentwood, the City of Oakley, the northeastern part of the City of Concord and the northern part of the City of Martinez, as well as the unincorporated communities of Mountain View and Vine Hill. District 2 BART stations include: Antioch, Concord (shared with District 1), North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point, and Pittsburg Center.

Foley previously served as Board President in 2021 and as Board Vice President in 2020 and 2023.

Director Melissa Hernandez elected as BART Board Vice President

The Board of Directors also unanimously elected District 5 Director Melissa Hernandez as Board Vice President. She is the first Latina to serve on the BART Board of Directors.

First appointed to the Board on May 23, 2024, to fill the vacancy for District 5, Hernandez was elected in November. 

District 5 is in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and includes a portion of the City of Hayward, ranging from Castro Valley Station in the north to Hayward Station in the south. It also includes the City of Pleasanton (except for a portion near Kilkare Woods), the City of Livermore, the City of Dublin, the southeastern part of San Ramon, and rural areas in east Alameda County.

Previously, Hernandez served as a City of Dublin councilmember for eight years and also served as the city’s mayor for four years until June 2024. She has chaired three regional transit boards: the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), Tri Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Transportation Authority (Valley Link), and the Finance Committee of the Alameda County Transportation Commission. 

BART will provide four trains with limited stops before regular BART service begins for the Bay to Breakers event on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The special service will get race participants to Embarcadero around 7am.

The special early morning event trains will pick up passengers for an Embarcadero arrival with limited service from the following peninsula stations; Millbrae, Daly City, and 16th Street Mission in San Francisco and from the East Bay; West Oakland, MacArthur, Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito del Norte, Bay Fair, and Dublin stations. These stations will be the only stations opened early for service.

These four trains will go out of service once they drop riders off at Embarcadero. Riders cannot board a train at Embarcadero. 

Special Service Details

• One train will leave Millbrae at 6:30am and will stop at Daly City at 6:43am, 16th Street Mission at 6:53am and then Embarcadero at 6:58am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A second train will leave Pleasant Hill at 6:24am and will stop at MacArthur at 6:43am, West Oakland at 6:52am and then Embarcadero at 6:58am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A third train will leave Dublin at 6:18am and will stop at Bay Fair at 6:35am, West Oakland at 6:55am, and then Embarcadero at 7:01am. No other stops will be made along the line.
• A fourth train will leave El Cerrito del Norte at 6:36am and will stop at MacArthur at 6:49am, West Oakland at 6:58am and then Embarcadero at 7:04am. No other stops will be made along the line.

Regular systemwide BART service starts at around 8am.

Tips

BART parking is free on Sundays. People driving to BART to take the train should park at one of these stations being served: Pleasant Hill, El Cerrito del Norte, MacArthur, Bay Fair, West Oakland, Daly City, and Millbrae. 16th Street Mission does not have a BART parking lot.

BART has loaded these event trains as special service to the Trip Planner.

Once on the platform, these four trains will be labelled as: “Limited Stop to Embarcadero.”

Load your Clipper card in advance with enough funds for the round trip.

If you don’t have a Clipper card, add one for free ($3 savings) to your phone’s wallet in advance and use Google Pay or Apple Pay.