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Smiles even bigger than the BARTmobile's famous grin shone from hundreds of faces on Saturday, July 27, when BART hosted a twentieth birthday party for the Bay's beloved transit mascot at Orinda Station. There was face painting, music, carnival games, kettle corn, cupcakes, and lots and lots of BARTmobile rides. 

It's a rare ocassion that the BARTmobile bestows the privilege of a ride to non-BART employees, and BARTy fans of all ages seized their chance to take a short spin in the vehicle (which is actually a long golf cart with a custom "skin" over it). 

In all, the BARTmobile gave 70 rides during the party, traveling more than 11 miles in just three hours. More than 370 people got a ride, including BART boardmembers Mark Foley (vice president of the board), Rebecca Saltzman, and Melissa Hernandez, who came out to toast the mascot. 

At the end of the party, BARTy's handlers, Ricky and Angel, packed him up and put him to bed at the Oakland shops for some much needed rest. 

Enjoy snapshots from the day in the slideshow and stay tuned for more BART events this summer. 

Read how BART’s quirky mascot came to be 20 years ago.

The week of November 17, BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates at Warm Springs/South Fremont Station. The first set of gates to be replaced will be the array on the south end of the concourse.  While work happens to install the first set of new gates, the second array of old gates will remain open for riders. There will be signage to direct riders to the open gates. Once the installation of the first set of new gates is complete, work will begin on the second array. 

A temporary barrier will be installed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. Each new array is expected to take up to two weeks to install. While this work will not impact train service, riders may experience a few minutes wait to pass through the old gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at ten stations across the system. All BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gate project here. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.

The week of February 3, BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Downtown Berkeley Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining current gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. The installation of each new array is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. The work to replace all six fare gates arrays at Downtown Berkeley Station is anticipated to continue into February.

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not impact train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 16 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

On Friday, March 14 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Concord Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. The work to replace all the gates at Concord Station is expected to continue through the end of April.

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not impact train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 22 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

On Wednesday, May 28 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Colma Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. There will also be a service gate available for those riders who would typically use an accessibility gate. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. 

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not delay train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 36 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

On Wednesday, June 18 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Berryessa/North San Jose Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. There will also be a service gate available for those riders who would typically use an accessibility gate. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. 

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not delay train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 36 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

On Monday, June 16 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Millbrae Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. There will also be a service gate available for those riders who would typically use an accessibility gate. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. 

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not delay train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 37 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

On Wednesday, June 25 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Union City Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. There will also be a service gate available for those riders who would typically use an accessibility gate. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. 

A temporary barrier will be installed around each array when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not delay train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the fare gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 37 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.

Tyler and Raja Singh pictured commuting together on BART.

This past summer, Raja and Tyler Singh did something they’d never done before; they worked together. They also traveled to their Downtown San Francisco office on BART with each other in what they described as a relaxing bonding experience. 

Tyler is Raja’s son. A second year at Santa Clara University, Tyler also worked as Raja’s intern over summer break doing quality assurance at his dad’s new enterprise software company, Revolear. Raja deliberately headquartered the company in Downtown San Francisco, in the building directly above Montgomery Street Station, at the “crux of all transit lines.”  

Every morning the two would head to the office, sitting or standing side-by-side on the train, for the three in-office days Raja and his cofounder required of employees. Tyler would drive the five-minute ride to Lafayette Station while Raja “slumped over in the passenger seat." Tyler said they timed their exiting of the house thoughtfully, referencing the official BART app, which displays real-time train arrivals and departures.  

In addition to making sure he leaves on time, Raja said he’s loved taking his son behind the curtain of his working life – an experience most children never have. The workday, for many kids, is a black box from which their parents come and go. 

“It’s super fun to have Tyler at the office and seeing what I do every day when I’m not home,” Raja said. 

Before setting out on his own, Raja worked at various software companies. Since 2011, he’s taken BART to various offices in San Francisco. He said he’s long understood the importance of a relaxed, reliable commute – one that wouldn’t require sitting in miles of traffic to travel from his home in Lafayette.  

When starting his own business, Raja realized that transit would serve his employees’ well-being and morale. It also, as an added bonus, would serve his own interests and priorities as the head honcho. 

"People perceive going into the office as somewhat of a burden, and I thought it was important to make it as easy as possible for folks,” he said. “It’s more relaxing to get on BART and zone out or work than it is to navigate a tunnel and bridge then find parking downtown.” Raja would know – he's been commuting by BART for well over a decade. 

Employee Tyler agreed: "BART is faster and more consistent. You can’t drive to the city in a half hour. Definitely not.”  

Raja also cited the recruitment benefits of headquartering his company by transit. They can enter the office, at 44 Montgomery Street, directly from the station, without having to step foot outside. Raja said nine of his employees live in the Bay Area and all of them commute by transit – seven take BART and two travel by Muni from their homes in the city. 

“Because we’re located at a transit hub, we can recruit from the East Bay, the South Bay, the Peninsula, and the city all at once, and it’s equally easy to get there,” he said “There's nowhere else in the Bay where you can say that. It gives you the broadest recruiting reach.”  

Raja has witnessed the ups and downs of Downtown San Francisco since the start of the pandemic. He said he himself got back on BART two years after the onset of the lockdown. But he has faith that the area will spring back to its former vibrant self. He expects rents to adjust to make Downtown SF once again attractive to companies.  

There is, he added, nowhere quite like San Francisco. It remains an attractive destination for enticing potential customers for corporate visits, an integral part of the sales process.  

“It’s stunningly beautiful, it has great fancy restaurants, and it remains a destination for people,” Raja said. “There’s nowhere like San Francisco. People want to visit!”  

On Wednesday, May 7 BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of North Berkeley Station. The installation work will happen in stages so riders can continue to use the remaining gates while new ones are being installed. A temporary gate will also be installed to support entry and exit. There will be additional BART staff as well as signage to direct riders to the open gates. The installation of each new set of gates is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. The work to replace all three sets of fare gates at North Berkeley Station is expected to continue into June.

A temporary barrier will be installed around each set of gates when it is ready to be removed to provide a safe workspace for the installation team as well as to protect riders from construction. The work will not delay train service, but riders may experience a few extra minutes wait to pass through the gates during peak travel hours.

The latest work comes after BART has successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at 29 stations across the system. All 50 BART stations will have new fare gates by the end of 2025. You can learn more about BART’s Next Generation Fare Gates project here.