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Bay Area transit agencies are syncing schedules in a whole new way with a focus on improving transfers between systems and making schedule changes at the same time. 

Most Bay Area transit agencies are rolling out new schedules next week in coordination with each other and are working to align the timing of schedule changes twice each year, once in summer and once in winter. There has been a 250% increase in the number of transit agencies changing their schedule concurrently twice each year, and six of seven major transit providers are syncing their schedule changes at least once a year.  

Agencies convened a meeting in March 2024 to share planned changes for mid-August and to look for opportunities to improve transfers. Advancing schedule change alignment is a key priority for Bay Area transit general managers who meet on a weekly basis to make transit more rider-focused and efficient. The major agencies are already working on another iteration of a coordinated schedule change to go into effect in January 2025. These coordinated schedule changes will benefit current transit riders while attracting new riders. 

Some key examples of improved coordination from the mid-August schedule changes:  

• In the North Bay, a series of coordinated changes between SMART, Golden Gate Transit, and Marin Transit will improve service and connections along the congested Highway 101 corridor. 
• The Napa Valley Transportation Authority is making changes to Route 29 from Redwood Park and Ride to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station to enhance the bus-to-train transfer timing. 71% of the trips will now have a 5- to 10-minute transfer time at El Cerrito del Norte, as opposed to 23% with the current schedule. The change will positively impact as many as 16,465 riders annually. 
• AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit have improved schedules to be more coordinated at El Cerrito del Norte Station and along Cutting Boulevard west of the BART station. This alignment enhances reliability for riders traveling between Marin and West Contra Costa counties via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge 
• In San Francisco, Muni is making changes to improve regional connections, specifically, the 28 19th Avenue bus schedule serving Daly City BART station is changing to ensure East Bay riders can catch the last BART train to Oakland late at night. 
• VTA is making changes to match upcoming BART and Caltrain schedule changes to ensure timed transfers are maintained at various locations across the South Bay and Peninsula. 
• SamTrans is improving several bus routes that serve BART stations. One noteworthy change is to bus route 292, serving both Millbrae and SFO BART stations, with frequency (the time between bus arrivals) to be every 20 minutes from 6am- 6pm to match BART’s frequency. 
• Both BART and Caltrain will make changes to improve some of the rail transfers at Millbrae Station that will go into effect when Caltrain launches its electric service on September 21. With BART’s schedule change on August 12 and Caltrain’s schedule change on September 21, ~85% of all weekday trains will have a transfer between 5 and 19 minutes at Millbrae Station. On the weekend, ~90% of trains will have a transfer between 5 and 19 minutes, allowing for both systems to be off schedule a bit but still provide a reliable connection. If trains were scheduled with less than a 5-minute wait, delays would frequently break the transfer and result in a longer wait.  

Balancing Service Complexities  

While all transit agencies are working to improve transfer timing for Bay Area transit riders, several challenges continue to exist making transfer timing difficult: 

• A better transfer for one end of a route may create a worse transfer for other areas of the route. 
• Adding service to allow frequencies to match each system requires new funding at a time transit agencies are facing significant budget challenges. 
• Transfers between BART and Caltrain at Millbrae Station don’t always line up perfectly because Caltrain has four trains per peak hour and two trains per off-peak hour/weekends. BART has three trains per hour at all times. Both systems are also limited in flexibility due to key system timing points elsewhere. 

Other Coordinated Improvements to Come 

In addition to schedule coordination, Bay Area transit agencies are working together, along with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, on significant regional projects that will transform the rider experience, such as unified transit maps and directional signs and fare integration and affordability programs such as the implementation of free and discounted transfers. 

View details about BART's August 12, 2024 schedule change. 

UPDATE: August 28

On Aug 29th, construction in the bus area for the Fruitvale Accessibility Improvement Project will be complete, and buses will return to their normal locations, as shown in the table and first map below using bus stop numbers. Bus stop numbers will also be posted at the bus stops. 

Bus stops A1 to A7 are located along the west side of the station, with A1 closest to 35th Ave and A7 closest to the BART garage. Bus stops B1 to B3 are located on the bus island. Signs will be posted at each stop showing the Bus Stop number.

UPDATE: August 8

On Aug 9th, the final construction phase of the Fruitvale Accessibility Improvement Project will begin and last for approximately 3 weeks. 

Please note: There are two other projects that will take place at the same time at Fruitvale Station: 

• New faregates will be installed, for more information see the following news item: https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240801
• And murals will be painted on trackway columns. 

During this construction phase the following changes will occur: 

The passenger loading zone will move to the left side taxi area, and taxis will move back in the same lane. The diagonal parking to the north of the passenger loading zone will be reserved for 15 Minute Waiting. 

Buses will move back into the station area from E. 12th Street and the bus island will remain closed for construction. Temporary bus locations for this phase are shown by Bus Stop number in the second map and table below. 

Bus stops A1 to A7 are located along the west side of the station, with A1 closest to 35th Ave and A7 closest to the BART garage. Bus stops B1 to B3 are located on the bus island. Signs will be posted at each stop showing the Bus Stop number.

Note: the information below was originally published on July 3

Construction for the next phase of the Fruitvale Station Accessibility Improvements Project will begin on Monday, July 8, 2024 and last for approximately six weeks. The first phase will take place from July 8th to July 14th, and the second phase will take place from July 15th to August 9th.

During the first phase, the following temporary changes will occur: 

• AC Transit Route 51A and 851 will move to the Passenger Loading Zone
• Passenger Loading will move to the taxi zone on the left side of Oscar Grant Way
• Taxis will move to the southern portion of the zone

During the second phase, the following temporary changes will occur:

• All buses will move to E. 12th Street. Bus lines will be located as follows (see third map below): 

Parking: BART parking is typically reserved for riders parking and using BART. However, since parking along E. 12th Street will be removed for buses during this phase, BART is offering non BART riders the ability to park at BART during the closure. Parking is only available in the Daily Fee area on Garage levels 3-5, and the surface lot north of Fruitvale Avenue. Daily Fee parking payment must be made via the BART Official App; payment should be made when the customer parks. . A Clipper Card number is required to buy Daily Fee parking on the app; learn more about how to obtain a free clipper card here: Clipper and Pay by Phone | Bay Area Rapid Transit (bart.gov). Daily Fee parking at Fruitvale is $3.55/day on weekdays and includes the City of Oakland parking tax. Customers who do not pay for parking may be subject to citation. Daily Fee parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis and at your own risk.

Map of Fruitvale parking locations:https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/BART%20Parking%20Fruitvale.pdf

How to pay for parking on the BART Official App: https://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/payment

As shown in the second map below, to get to the Phase 2 temporary bus locations, exit the station and turn right. Walk through the pedestrian street to E. 12th St. 

Bus stops C1 to C3 will be on E. 12th St to the left, C4 and C5 will be on the right. 

Bus stops D1 and D2 will be on the opposite side of E.12th St to the left, and D3 to D5 will be to the right. 

This construction is part of the Accessibility Improvement Program (AIP), which improves accessibility in and around BART stations to better meet the needs of people with disabilities, including replacement or upgrade of ramps, sidewalks and accessible paths, bus and passenger loading zones, as well as handrails, wall protrusion detection, wheelchair-accessible phones, TTY devices, courtesy phones, and elevator lobby lighting.

For campers at Urban Adventure Camps, the day begins and ends at BART.  

The summer camp takes children ages eight through fifteen on daily field trips to some of the coolest spots in the Bay Area – museums, aquariums, botanic gardens, zoos glass blowing studios. No matter the activity, the campers take public transportation to get there. Depending on the session, home base is Rockridge, North Berkeley, or Lafayette stations.  

Riding transit for the campers isn’t just a “get from point A to point B” situation. For these energetic youngins, hopping on a train or bus or ferry is an adventure in and of itself. And while they explore the Bay – no cramped van or private bus or traffic jam required – they're gaining independence and learning how to navigate the vibrant region where they live.  

“It’s really fun to ride BART,” said Henry Wernli at Rockridge Station, rearing to hop on BART and start the day. The day's itinerary: take BART to 12th St./Oakland Station, catch an AC Transit bus to Jack London Square, hop on the San Francisco Bay Ferry, and walk to the Exploratorium.  

Wernli likes how the new train cars look – their colorful seats and big windows – and thinks riding BART is exciting. He also knows it’s important to know how to navigate the Bay Area, how to read maps, and understand timetables.  

“Riding transit is a good learning experience for when you’re older and you need to go to school or work,” he said. “It’s way better than driving.” 

When all fifteen campers arrived at the station, the kids could barely contain their energy as they flew toward the fare gates, ready to get on a train and start the day.  

Urban Adventure Camps founder and director Mike Dobson reminded campers not to run ahead while he handed each of them their Clipper BayPass cards to tap through the fare gates.  

Dobson reached out to BART to learn about BayPass because having to reload so many campers’ Clipper cards was a tedious process. A single Urban Adventures camper takes anywhere between 25 to 35 transit trips a week. With five groups of fifteen campers running at a time, that’s a collective 2,250 total trips a week! 

BayPass is the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card that lets you take unlimited rides on all regional transit services. Organizations pay a flat fee for the service, and their employees, students – and in this case, campers – can ride as much local transit as they want. 

“Counselors used to have to carry a credit card and cash in their packs in case they needed to reload campers’ cards at a station,” Dobson said. “BayPass is easy. We’re not worried about how much is on the card. It lets us move quicker and smoother.”  

Dobson said the campers love riding transit, and parents that may have been hesitant at first "see the kids having fun and jump onboard.” 

“I’d never ridden BART before this camp,” said camper Eloise Lanzisera. She’s learned “it’s very useful when you’re trying to get somewhere quickly.”  

Added Amani Gilligan, “When you get on BART you can have so many adventures, and there’s no traffic so if you want to go to a movie, you won’t be late.” 

“And it’s honestly really safe,” chimed Terra Williams. “You have a bunch of security and cameras.”  

Ella Whalen is just glad she doesn’t have to walk too much. “I like taking transit because it goes faster. Walking sometimes it makes my legs hurt because I play tennis a lot.”  

And for Wernli, riding BART is “doing your part” to help the earth.  

“Transit like BART saves the planet because it doesn’t make fumes,” he said before launching into an explanation of greenhouse gases and climate change. “BART is a really good thing.”  

This Transit Month, join BART and local transit agencies for All Aboard with Transit CEOs, a multimodal ride-along and happy hour with regional transit leaders. The ride-along is a great opportunity to meet local transit CEOs, including BART General Manager Bob Powers, and ask questions. 

All Aboard with Transit CEOs will be held on Friday, September 26. It is a multimodal trip from Oakland and San Francisco into Marin County and back. Participants are welcome to join for all or part of the journey, which will include rides on BART, Golden Gate Ferry, SMART, Marin Transit, and Golden Gate Transit. The complete trip details are listed below.  

Attendees must pay for each transit ride. For the full journey from 19th Street Oakland BART to the San Rafael Transit Center and back to Oakland, please have at least $26 loaded on your Clipper card (this is adult fare). 

Participating CEOs include: 

Bob Powers (BART)  

Seamus Murphy (San Francisco Bay Ferry) 

Nancy Whelan (Marin Transit) 

Eddy Cumins (SMART) 

Christy Wegener (LAVTA, Wheels) 

Denis Mulligan (Golden Gate Transit) 

Bill Churchill (County Connection) 

April Chan (SamTrans)  

Michelle Bouchard (Caltrain) 

Sal Llamas (AC Transit)

Tamika Smith, (San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission / Altamont Corridor Express)

All Aboard with Transit CEOs is part of the Bay Area’s annual Transit Month, a celebration of regional transportation hosted by San Francisco Transit Riders and Seamless Bay Area with support from local agencies. Transit Month toasts the many trains, buses, and ferries that connect the region and uplift its communities, economies, and cultures and is a great opportunity to explore the places transit can take you and to connect with local agencies and riders.  

The month is hallmarked by dozens of free events as well as a monthlong Ride Contest that invites participants to track their transit trips to win prizes, earn badges, and vie for top leaderboard positions. Sign up at ridecontest.com. 

Ride-along Trip Details 

There are two starting place options, depending on where you are coming from. 

Option 1: From the East Bay 

Meet at 19th Street/Oakland BART Station (20th Street end Station Agent booth) by 3:05 p.m. to take the 3:17 p.m. Yellow Line SFO train to Embarcadero BART station arriving at 3:30 p.m. Then walk to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal Gate C.  

Option Two: From San Francisco 

• Meet at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal Gate C by 3:35pm and meet up with the group coming from the East Bay.  

• Everyone takes the 3:50pm Golden Gate Ferry (grab a drink and mingle) to Larkspur arriving at 4:25pm. 

• Walk to SMART Larkspur Station. SMART Connect micro-transit will also be onsite for those who need a ride to the SMART station. 

• Take 5:03pm SMART train to Marin Civic Center Station arriving at 5:15pm. 

• Take the 5:27pm Marin Transit Route 49 bus to San Rafael Transit Center arriving at 5:40pm. 

For the return trip from San Rafael Transit Center*, there are also two options, depending on your final destination.  

Option 1: To Downtown San Francisco then Oakland 

• Take the 5:47 p.m. Golden Gate Transit Route 150 from the San Rafael Transit Center over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco.
• To transfer to BART or Muni, folks can get off at 6:42 p.m. at Golden Gate Ave. and Polk St. and enter the Civic Center BART Station. Or riders can continue on the bus to the Salesforce Transit Center. 

• From Civic Center BART, take the 6:53pm Red line train from Civic Center to 19th Street/Oakland to arrive at 7:10pm. 

Option 2: To El Cerrito del Norte BART 

• Take the 5:45 p.m. Golden Gate Transit Route 580 to the East Bay and arrive at the El Cerrito del Norte BART Station at 6:23 p.m 

*If some people want to hang out in San Rafael after arriving at the San Rafael Transit Center at 5:40 p.m., they can go to one of the many spots nearby for one hour and then take Golden Gate Transit Route 150 at 6:47 p.m. into San Francisco.   

In late May / early June, the entrance to Montgomery Street Station at Sansome and Sutter Streets will be closed for the construction of a new canopy. The entrance is expected to remain closed until early 2025.

Six other entrances to Montgomery St. will remain open (please see the map below).

BART plans to construct a total of 21 street-level canopies over downtown station entrances.  BART has completed construction of 10 units (including 2 pilot canopies) with 4 more canopies currently under construction and 7 additional canopies to be constructed through 2026.  These entrance canopies will protect the new escalator equipment and reduce maintenance costs.  In addition, canopies will include wayfinding, lighting, real-time information, and security cameras on Market Street.  

Simultaneously, BART is replacing escalator units in the four downtown stations.   These escalators are original to the BART system and have outlived their expected mechanical life, frequently requiring repairs.  In 2020, BART began the escalator renovation project to replace 41 escalators at the four downtown stations on both platform and street levels.  To date, BART has completed installation of 10 units, 4 are currently under construction, and there are 27 remaining escalator units to be completed through 2026.  

The week of September 3rd, BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of 24th Street/Mission Station. The first set of gates to be replaced will be those located next to the Station Agent Booth closest to 24th and Mission streets. 

While work happens on installing the first set of Next Generation Fare 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 about two weeks to install. The latest work comes after BART successfully installed Next Generation Fare Gates at Civic Center, Fruitvale, and West Oakland stations. 

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 at bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.

On November 1, BART will begin the installation of Next Generation Fare Gates on the concourse level of Powell Street 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. Installing each new array is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. The work is anticipated to continue into December when all six fare gate arrays are replaced at Powell Street Station.

A temporary barrier will be installed around the array 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 eight other 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 Gate project here. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.