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A photo from the Dec. 18, 2025, BART Board meeting with representatives from We Care, members of the BART Board of Directors, BART executives, and BART employees who organized the drive.

Update Dec. 18, 2025: More than 1,020 toys, games, sporting equipment, and books, along with approximately $3,275 in gift cards, were presented to Concord’s We Care Services for Children at the BART Board meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.

We Care Executive Director Pete Caldwell and Director of Community Engagement Erica Williamson attended the meeting to express their gratitude to BART. They said all of their 1,000 young clients will receive a toy this year, along with their siblings. 

Caldwell said the gifts will help families free up money for food and basic survival necessities. 

"These families would go without in order to give their children a present for Christmas," Caldwell said. "This is an amazing gift for them and an opportunity to have the kind of holiday that will make their lives better."

Caldwell thanked BART employees for their "overwhelming amount of generosity."

"This has turned what would be a typical rush season for us into an exciting time," he said. "We could not be more grateful for everyone at BART."

1023 Toys

131 Gift Cards ($3275)

The holidays will look a little different at We Care Services for Children this year.  

The Concord-based nonprofit is the recipient of BART’s 2025 Holiday Toy Drive, a seasonal tradition where employees give back to the communities BART serves. The drive is organized by the BART Police Department and Office of External Affairs. 

BART Board President Mark Foley chose We Care as Toy Drive’s beneficiary, a choice he said was easy.  

“BART has hosted a holiday toy drive for more than twenty years, and this year, we're proud to continue the tradition by partnering with We Care,” Foley said. “It’s an honor to get to spread joy to the young children and families this important local organization uplifts.” 

We Care supports its young clients and families with a range of targeted mental health and developmental programs. The organization rarely gets the chance to give clients gifts for the holidays, but this year, every We Care child and their siblings will be gifted a special toy to celebrate the season.  

The generosity of BART employees will “allow us to bring joy to children and hope to parents in a way that will be remembered long after the holidays,” said We Care Executive Director Pete Caldwell. “With the cost of living rising and so many families balancing everyday pressures, this partnership with BART helps bring joy and relief at a time when it’s needed most.” 

Rodd Lee, BART Assistant General Manager of External Affairs, said the toy drive reflects the spirit of BART and those who work there. 

“BART employees are deeply committed to public service, and their participation in our annual toy drive exemplifies this dedication,” he said. “Our agency is grateful to give back to the communities we serve.”

Children crafting at We Care Services for Children in Concord. 

In 2024, BART employees donated more than 1,100 toys and $3,600 in gift cards for the year’s recipient organization, Mission Food Hub. 

In December, We Care is planning a special holiday week, where staff will distribute gifts during therapy sessions, preschool visits, and home-based appointments. We Care staff knows every family personally, so they can match each child with a gift they’ll love, whether it’s a toy train, giant stuffie, singing rabbit, or sit ‘n spin.  

“The children know and trust our staff, so receiving something from us feels genuine — like a small extension of the care and support we are known for,” Caldwell explained. “It’s a gesture that reminds them they’re valued and cared for.” 

We Care alum Jason is testament to the great heights children can reach when they’re respected and supported.  

When Jason was adopted, his dad worried about finding a preschool that would understand his abilities, including his delayed speech development. Jason's dad was initially hesitant when referred to We Care, but he began noticing his son changing and growing not long after joining the preschool program.  

“We Care helped my son discover his creativity and capabilities, and to build the foundation for the remarkable person he is today,” his dad said. “The staff at We Care are true heroes.” 

Children crafting at We Care Services for Children in Concord. 

Fifteen years after graduating from preschool, Jason walked across the stage at Mt. Diablo High School to accept his high school diploma. 

“Because of We Care, Jason doesn’t think about his limitations,” his dad said, adding that Jason aspires to become a chef or school bus driver. Jason, like many children, loves public transit.  

Many We Care families rely on BART to get around the Bay Area, including to their programs, so partnering with BART on the toy drive seemed a natural extension of this work.  

“BART plays a vital role in keeping our community connected,” Caldwell said. “It helps parents reach work, schools, and essential services that support family stability — things that directly impact the well-being of children like those we serve.” 

“This partnership with BART reflects the spirit of public transit – connection and care,” he concluded. “BART is committed to strengthening the communities it reaches, which makes the toy drive especially meaningful and greatly valued.” 

Learn more about We Care Services for Children, including how you can support the organization this season, at wecarechildren.org.  

A new day for riders arrives Wednesday, August 20, as BART becomes the Bay Area’s first Tap and Ride system. Starting with tomorrow morning’s commute, Tap and Ride will provide riders the ability to pay adult fares at BART fare gates using physical contactless credit or debit cards or mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. With Tap and Ride, riders will no longer need to use a Clipper card to ride BART.  This will be an immense timesaver for riders who can now use their contactless bank cards to ride BART with zero registration or setup process required. 

“Tap and Ride follows the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates, running only Fleet of the Future trains, boosting cleaning, and increasing our visible safety presence as efforts that are transforming the BART experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “This is an especially important innovation for out-of-town visitors and infrequent riders who may not have a physical or digital Clipper card and want a simple way to use our service.” 

“Right now, San Francisco is seeing real momentum, and you can feel it across the city—on our streets, in our businesses, and in the energy downtown. And we are continuing this momentum by giving residents and visitors an easy, reliable way to get to the heart of our city,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Tap and Ride will make it faster and easier than ever to take BART into and around San Francisco, and it will help drive our city's recovery.”

Tips for using Tap and Ride on BART 

Cards accepted for Tap and Ride on BART include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover Network. Physical bank cards must be contactless enabled, with the contactless symbol on either the front or back of the card. Riders can also use bank cards added to digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay to Tap and Ride.  

When paying with a contactless bank card, riders will be charged full adult fares, and riders with eligibility-based discounts, such as Clipper START or youth and senior discounts, must continue using their physical or digital Clipper card. Transfer discounts will not be available with Tap and Ride until the feature is rolled out to the Bay Area’s other transit agencies. Riders transferring from BART to a connecting transit agency are advised to use their physical or digital Clipper card to receive the current transfer discounts.  

Each rider must pay with their own card or device, and they must use the same card or device to tap in and tap out of the BART system. If family members have the same credit card number but they are on different cards and devices, they will be able to use it. 

Tap and Ride going Bay Area wide 

Tap and Ride functionality for BART riders marks the first step in the transition toward the long-awaited next generation of the Bay Area’s Clipper® electronic transit-fare payment system being implemented by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and participating Clipper transit agencies. Contactless bank cards soon will be accepted by the nearly two dozen other Bay Area transit agencies that accept Clipper for fare payment. Once the next generation of Clipper is rolled out Bay Area wide, Tap and Ride will include all discounted fares and transfers between transit services. 

“MTC and the Bay Area transit agencies will be rolling out a number of other improvements to the Clipper fare payment system in the coming months,” said MTC Chair and Pleasant Hill Mayor Sue Noack. “This early rollout of contactless bank card acceptance on BART is an example of MTC’s commitment to making transit fare payment easier for riders across the region.”  

BART now accounts for about half of all Bay Area transit trips paid for using Clipper. In 2019, the agency retired paper tickets and began accepting only Clipper card fare payments. 

How to avoid card clash 

Card clash occurs when a Clipper reader detects more than one card at a time, which can result in card reader errors (i.e., three beeps, red light and tap again messages) or having the wrong card charged. This applies to both Clipper cards and contactless bank cards, including cards stored in digital wallets.   

To avoid card clash, users of physical cards should remove their card from their wallet or purse before tapping. Riders using Apple Pay to Tap and Ride can easily enable Express Mode for their credit or debit card by accessing the Wallet and following the steps. Those with a Clipper Card already added to Apple Wallet who would prefer to use Tap and Ride to pay for transit must turn off Express Mode for Clipper card. 

Android devices will automatically present the digital Clipper card if the user has one in Google Wallet. Android device users can override this feature and pay with Tap and Ride by navigating to their desired bank card before tapping on a Clipper card reader.  

Starting August 20, customers can call the Clipper Customer Service Center at 877-878-8883 for assistance using contactless bank cards. Customers also may visit the Clipper Contactless Payments webpage to learn more. A new website feature allows customers to get a list of recent contactless transit-fare payment transactions.  

Learn more about how to use Tap and Ride at bart.gov/contactless