View source for Bay Area Rapid Transit

{{Short description|Rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area}}
{{Redirect|BART}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox public transit
| box_width = 300px
| name = Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
| image = Bart-logo.svg
| imagesize = 100px
| image2 = BART train from Farallones Street footbridge (1), July 2023.JPG
| imagesize2 = 300px
| caption2 = BART train in southern San Francisco
| locale = [[San Francisco Bay Area]] ([[Alameda County, California|Alameda]], [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]], [[San Francisco]], [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo]], and [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]] counties)
| transit_type = {{plainlist|
* [[Rapid transit]] (main system)
* [[Hybrid rail]] ([[eBART]])
* [[Automated guideway transit|AGT]] ([[Oakland Airport Connector]])
}}
| lines = {{Unbulleted list|5 rapid transit lines (1 with diesel light rail extension)|1 AGT line}}
| stations = [[List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations|50]] (7 planned/proposed)
| daily_ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco BART total daily}} ({{American transit ridership|dailydate}}){{American transit ridership|dailycitation}}
| annual_ridership = {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco BART total annual}} ({{American transit ridership|annualdate}}){{American transit ridership|annualcitation}}
| chief_executive = Robert Powers<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Fracassa |first1=Dominic |last2=McBride |first2=Ashley |date=July 25, 2019 |title=BART selects Robert Powers as new general manager |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-selects-Robert-Powers-as-new-general-manager-14131426.php |access-date=July 25, 2019}}</ref>
| headquarters = 2150 Webster Street<br />[[Oakland, California]]
| website = {{URL|bart.gov}}
| began_operation = {{Start date|1972|9|11}}
| character = Fully [[grade separation#Railways|grade separated]] with at-grade, [[elevated railway|elevated]] and [[tunnel|underground]] sections
| train_length = {{plainlist|
* 6–9 cars<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /> (10 cars, {{convert|710|ft|m|0}} max)
* 2-car married pair ([[Diesel multiple unit|DMUs]])
* 3 cars (AGT)
}}
| vehicles = [[Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock|805]] total, with 700+ available for service;<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 29, 2020 |title=New Train Car Project |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/cars |access-date=March 28, 2021 |location=San Francisco Bay Area}}</ref> with 8 DMU vehicle sets (eBART);<ref name="SystemFacts" /> and 4 AGT vehicle sets
| operator = [[Bay Area Rapid Transit District|San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District]]
| headway = 20 minutes (4 of 5 service lines), 10 minutes (1 service line)<ref name="BART 2023 Schedule">{{Cite press release |date=August 14, 2023 |title=BART unveils reimagined schedule starting in September aimed at increasing ridership |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230427 |access-date=August 28, 2023 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit}}</ref>
| system_length = {{convert|131.4|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="SystemFacts" />
| track_gauge = {{plainlist|
* Main system: {{track gauge|5ft6in|lk=on}}<ref name="SystemFacts" />
* [[eBART]]: {{track gauge|ussg|lk=on}}<ref name="SystemFacts" />
}}
| minimum_radius_of_curvature = {{convert|120|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| el = [[Third rail]], [[List of railway electrification systems#Conductor rail systems (DC voltage)|1 kV DC]]<ref name="SystemFacts" /><ref name="BART cars">{{Cite web |title=BART – Car Types |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/cars.aspx |access-date=April 8, 2021 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit}}</ref>
| average_speed = {{convert|35|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="SystemFacts" />
| top_speed = {{plainlist|
* {{convert|80|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} (maximum)
* {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} (typical)<ref name="OpsAnalysis" />
}}
| map = {{switcher
| {{maplink-road|from=Bay Area Rapid Transit.map}}
| Show interactive map
| [[File:BART system map.png|275px]]
| Show static map
| [[File:BART evening map.png|275px]]
| Show static map (evenings)
| {{Bay Area Rapid Transit lines|inline=yes}}
| Show route diagram
}}
| map_state = show
}}
{{Bay Area Rapid Transit sidebar}}

'''Bay Area Rapid Transit''' ('''BART''') is a [[rapid transit]] system serving the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] in [[California]]. BART serves [[List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations|50 stations]] along six routes and {{convert|131|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of track, including [[eBART]], a {{Convert|9|mi|km|adj=on}} spur line running to [[Antioch, California|Antioch]], and [[Oakland Airport Connector]], a {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=on}} automated guideway transit line serving [[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]]. With an average of {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco BART total daily}} weekday passenger trips as of {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}} and {{American transit ridership|CA San Francisco BART total annual}} annual passenger trips in {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, BART is the [[List of United States rapid transit systems|seventh-busiest rapid transit system in the United States]].

BART is operated by the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit District|San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District]] which formed in 1957. The initial system opened in stages from 1972 to 1974. The system has been extended several times, most recently in 2020, when [[Milpitas station|Milpitas]] and [[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/North San José]] stations opened as part of the under construction [[Silicon Valley BART extension]] in partnership with the [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority]] (VTA).<ref name="Glover 2020">{{Cite news |last=Glover |first=Julian |date=May 19, 2020 |title=BART announces service start date for long-awaited Milpitas, San Jose Berryessa stations |work=ABC7 News |url=https://abc7news.com/society/bart-announces-service-start-date-for-milpitas-sj-berryessa-stations/6196112/ |access-date=May 19, 2020}}</ref>

== Services ==
BART serves large portions of its three member counties – [[San Francisco]], [[Alameda County, California|Alameda]], and [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]] – as well as smaller portions of [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]] and [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]] counties. The system has [[List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations|50 stations]]: 22 in Alameda County, 12 in Contra Costa County, 8 in San Francisco, 6 in San Mateo County, and 2 in Santa Clara County. BART operates five named heavy rail services plus one separate automated guideway line. All of the heavy rail services run through [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], and all but the Orange Line cross the bay through the [[Transbay Tube]] to San Francisco. All five services run every day until 9 pm; only three services operate evenings after 9 pm. All stations are served during all service hours.<ref name="feb2022changes">{{Cite press release |title=BART schedule change begins 2/14/22, extending service to midnight on Sundays |date=January 10, 2022 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220110-0}}</ref> The [[eBART|eastern segment]] of the {{lnl|BART|Yellow}} (between Antioch and the transfer platform east of Pittsburg/Bay Point) uses different rolling stock and is separated from the rest of the line.<ref name=systemmap>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/system-map-detailed-version.pdf |date=2022 |title=Every day until 9pm: 5-Line Service |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Route name
!First<br/>service
!Length<br/>(mi)
!colspan=2|Termini
![[#lettered lines|Lines used]]
!Notes<ref name="schedulepdfs">{{cite web |date=February 14, 2022 |title=BART Schedules (PDF) |url=https://www.bart.gov/schedules/pdfs |access-date=August 3, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>
|-
|{{ric|BART|Orange|name=yes}}
|1972
|51
|[[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/<br/>North San José]]
|[[Richmond station (California)|Richmond]]
|R, K, A, S
|Operates during all service hours.
|-
|rowspan=2|{{ric|BART|Yellow|name=yes}}
|rowspan=2|1973
|rowspan=2|62.2
|[[San Francisco International Airport station|SFO]] (until 9pm)
|rowspan=2|[[Antioch station (BART)|Antioch]]
|rowspan=2|C, K, M, W, Y, E
|rowspan=2|Operates during all service hours.<br />Uses [[Diesel multiple unit|DMU]] vehicles ([[eBART]]) between Antioch and [[Pittsburg/Bay Point station|Pittsburg/Bay Point]].
|-
|[[Millbrae station|Millbrae]] (after 9pm)
|-
|{{ric|BART|Green|name=yes}}
|1974
|53
|[[Daly City station|Daly City]]
|[[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/<br/>North San José]]
|S, A, M
|No evening (after 9 pm) service.
|-
|{{ric|BART|Red|name=yes}}
|1976
|38.2
|[[Millbrae station|Millbrae]]
|[[Richmond station (California)|Richmond]]
|R, K, M, W, Y
|No evening (after 9 pm) service.
|-
|{{ric|BART|Blue|name=yes}}
|1997
|35.7
|[[Daly City station|Daly City]]
|[[Dublin/Pleasanton station|Dublin/<br/>Pleasanton]]
|L, A, M
|Operates during all service hours.
|-
|{{ric|BART|OAK|name=yes}}
|2014
|3.2
|[[Oakland International Airport station|OAK]]
|[[Oakland Coliseum station|Coliseum]]
|H
|Operates during all service hours.<br />Uses [[Automated guideway transit|AGT]] vehicles.
|}

=== Hours and frequencies ===
BART's network topology, which mixes densely-packed urban stations served at high frequencies by multiple [[Through service|interlined]] services along a central trunk ([[West Oakland station|West Oakland]] to [[Daly City station|Daly City]], served by all lines but the Orange) with branching suburban lines with widely-spaced stations and lower frequencies, is similar to European [[S-Bahn]] systems. Trains on each primary service run every 20 minutes, except the busy Yellow Line, which operates every 10 minutes on weekdays.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bart-announces-fall-schedule-changes-tradeoffs-17923872.php |title=This BART line's trains will run more frequently under new schedule changes |first=Ricardo |last=Cano |date=April 27, 2023 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=June 5, 2023}}</ref> However, many stations are served by multiple lines; the trunk between West Oakland and Daly City receives 15 trains per hour (average four-minute [[headways]]) in peak hours.<ref name="BART 2023 Schedule" /> The [[Oakland Airport Connector]] runs "on demand", typically on headways of 10 minutes or less.<ref name="schedulepdfs" />

[[Cross-platform interchange|Timed cross-platform transfers]] are available between the Orange Line, which runs north-south through the [[East Bay]], and the Yellow Line, which operates through the Transbay Tube to serve the [[San Francisco Peninsula]]. This service complements the Red Line during daytime hours and replaces that line when it stops operating after 9:00 p.m.<ref name="BART 2023 Schedule" />

The first inbound trains leave outer terminals around 5:00 am on weekdays, 6:00 am on Saturdays, and 8:00 am on Sundays and most holidays. The last trains of the service day leave their terminals around midnight; the final Yellow and Orange Line trains in both directions meet at [[MacArthur station (BART)|MacArthur station]], and the final Orange and Blue Line trains in the southbound direction meet at [[Bay Fair station]], for guaranteed transfers.

=== Bus services ===
Two different bus networks are operated by regional transit agencies as a [[rail replacement bus service]] when BART is not operating due to regularly scheduled maintenance during the overnight hours.

The [[All Nighter (night bus service)|''All Nighter'']] network provides basic bus service to San Francisco, the East Bay, and Peninsula, replicating rail transit services in those regions, including BART, Caltrain, and Muni Metro. All Nighter buses serve most BART stations (directly or within several blocks), replicating 3-Line late night BART service with abbreviated routes:<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2024 |title=Transit Information: Late Night Bus Services |url=https://511.org/media/604/show |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Commission}}</ref>
* Buses replicating Yellow Line service terminate at [[Rockridge station|Rockridge]] (stations east of Rockridge to the regular terminus at [[Antioch station (BART)|Antioch]] are not served)
* Buses replicating Blue Line service terminate at [[Bay Fair station|Bay Fair]] (stations east to [[Dublin/Pleasanton station|Dublin/Pleasanton]] are not served)
* Buses replicating Orange Line service terminate at [[Fremont station (BART)|Fremont]] (stations south to [[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/North San José]] are not served)
The All Nighter-branded bus service started in 2006,<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2006/news20060519 |title=Now transit stays up as late as you! Catch the "All Nighter" bus service |date=May 19, 2006 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref> although late night bus service had been provided as an alternative to BART prior to then.

The ''{{vanchor|Early Bird Express}}'' network is another bus alternative which provides service to major BART stations in the early morning between 3:50 am and 5:30 am.<ref name=BART-EBE>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/schedules/early-bird-express |title=Early Bird Express |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref> Early Bird Express buses are operated by local transit agencies, including [[AC Transit]], [[Golden Gate Transit]], [[San Francisco Municipal Railway|Muni]], and [[SamTrans]], running between a limited number of major BART stations on San Francisco/Peninsula and Transbay routes which all meet at the [[Salesforce Transit Center]]. Early Bird Express routes are identified by three-digit route numbers starting with 7xx.<ref name=BART-EBE/> {{as of|2024|08}}, there are six Early Bird Express routes, replicating 3-Line service:<ref name=BART-EBE/>
* Yellow Line bus substitute operating to and from Millbrae (Peninsula)
* Blue Line bus operating to and from Daly City (San Francisco)
* Yellow Line buses operating from Pittsburg/Bay Point and Pleasant Hill (Transbay)
* Blue Line bus operating from Dublin/Pleasanton (Transbay)
* Orange Line bus operating from El Cerrito del Norte (Transbay)
The original Early Bird Express network was introduced in February 2019 when the start of rail service was shifted from 4&nbsp;a.m. to 5&nbsp;a.m. to accommodate seismic upgrades in the [[Transbay Tube]];<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2018/news20181105-1 |title=BART to open at 5am starting 2-11-2019 with alternative bus service provided |date=November 5, 2018 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |access-date=March 24, 2025}}</ref> at its debut, it featured fifteen routes,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/EBflyer_FINAL%201-30-19.pdf |title=Early Bird Express (flyer) |date=January 30, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |access-date=March 24, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2019 |title=Early Bird Express |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/EBflyer_v12.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> but some were eliminated later that year due to low ridership.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2019 |title=EBX June 2019 Service Improvements |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/EBX%20June%202019%20Service%20Changesv3-For%20Web.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=Early Bird Express service changes coming 12/16 |date=December 10, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2019/news20191210}}</ref> Additional routes were eliminated in 2024, including an inbound bus from Fremont replicating Orange Line service.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240313-0 |title=BART to reduce some Early Bird Express Bus trips starting August 12, 2024 |date=August 4, 2024 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref>

Historically, BART operated ''{{vanchor|BART Express}}'' bus service between 1974 and 1997, extending transit coverage to central and eastern Alameda and Contra Costa counties; these routes were discontinued following the completion of rail line extensions starting in the late 1990s. BART Express was operated for BART under contracts to AC Transit (1974–1989) and Laidlaw (1989–1997).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bartcars.weebly.com/bart-express.html |title=BART Express |website=BARTchives |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref> Since then, some services similar to the legacy BART Express routes which were not replaced by rail service have been taken over by local bus operators, including WestCAT<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.westcat.org/Content/Pdf/Short-Range-Transit-Plan-Public-FINAL.pdf |title=Short-Range Transit Plan |date=2016 |publisher=Western Contra Costa Transit Authority |access-date=13 March 2025 |quote=A contractor employed directly by BART, using the marketing name of BART Express, formerly operated express service to BART from the WCCTA service area. In July 1998, WCCTA assumed operation of this service and has continually restructured service to enhance performance. The express J (JL/JR), JX, and JPX routes have taken over this role.}}</ref>{{rp|6}} and Tri Delta Transit.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://trideltatransit.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ECCTA-2020-29-SRTP.pdf |title=Short Range Transit Plan |date=2020 |publisher=Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority |access-date=13 March 2025 |quote=In 1997, Tri Delta Transit assumed responsibility for BART Express bus service between Pittsburg/Bay Point BART and Brentwood via the Highway 4 corridor.}}</ref>{{rp|5}}

To accommodate those with conditions and disabilities that prevent from boarding a train, BART has entered a joint venture with AC Transit to establish [[East Bay Paratransit]] to provide [[paratransit]] bus services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who Provides East Bay Paratransit |url=https://www.eastbayparatransit.org/who-provides-east-bay-paratransit.htm |website=www.eastbayparatransit.org}}</ref>

=== Connecting services ===
[[File:AC Transit buses and San Leandro station, April 2018.JPG|thumb|right|AC Transit buses at San Leandro station]]
Intermodal connections to local, regional, and intercity transit – including bus, [[light rail]], [[commuter rail]], and [[intercity rail]] – are available across the BART system. Three [[Amtrak]] intercity rail services – the ''[[California Zephyr]]'', ''[[Capitol Corridor]]'', and ''[[Gold Runner]]'' – stop at [[Richmond station (California)|Richmond station]]; the ''Capitol Corridor'' also stops at [[Oakland Coliseum station]].<!-- Oakland – Jack London Square station and Emeryville station are not located near BART stations. --><ref name="systemmap" /> Transfer between BART and the [[Caltrain]] commuter rail service is available at [[Millbrae station]].<ref name=systemmap />

BART and most lines of San Francisco's [[Muni Metro]] light rail system share four stations ([[Embarcadero station|Embarcadero]], [[Montgomery Street station|Montgomery Street]], [[Powell Street station|Powell Street]], and [[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center/UN Plaza]]) in the [[Market Street subway]]; connections are also available to three lines at [[Balboa Park station]] and one line at [[Glen Park station]]. A tunnel at the Powell Street station connects to the [[Union Square/Market Street station]] on the Muni Metro [[T Third Street]] line. In the South Bay, [[Milpitas station]] provides a connection to the [[Orange Line (VTA)|Orange Line]] of [[VTA light rail]].<ref name=systemmap />

BART is served by bus connections from regional and local transit agencies at all stations, most of which have dedicated off-street bus transfer areas. Many connecting routes (particularly in suburban areas) serve primarily as feeder routes to BART. Larger bus systems connecting to BART include [[San Francisco Municipal Railway|Muni]] in San Francisco, [[AC Transit]] in the East Bay, [[SamTrans]] in San Mateo County, [[County Connection]] and [[Tri Delta Transit]] in eastern Contra Costa County, [[WestCAT]] in western Contra Costa County, [[WHEELS (California)|WHEELS]] in the Tri-Valley, [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority|VTA]] in the Santa Clara Valley, and [[Golden Gate Transit]]. Smaller systems include [[Emery Go-Round]] in Emeryville, [[Commute.org]] on the Peninsula, [[San Leandro LINKS]], [[Dumbarton Express]], and [[Union City Transit]]. The [[Salesforce Transit Center]] regional bus hub is located one block from Embarcadero and Montgomery stations.<ref name="tcmaps">{{cite web |title=Transit Center Maps and Information |url=https://www.actransit.org/transit-center-maps-and-information |publisher=Alameda Contra Costa Transit District}}</ref>

Several transit agencies offer limited commuter-oriented bus service from more distant cities to outlying BART stations; these include [[VINE (Napa County)|VINE]] from Napa County, [[Solano Express]] from Solano County, [[Rio Vista Delta Breeze]], [[Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority]] from Stanislaus County, and [[San Joaquin Regional Transit District|San Joaquin RTD]] from Stockton. Many BART stations are also served by privately run employer and hospital shuttles, and privately run intercity buses stop at several stations.<ref name=tcmaps />

=== Airport connections ===
{{Main|Oakland International Airport station|San Francisco International Airport station}}
BART also runs directly to two of the three major Bay Area airports ([[San Francisco International Airport]] and [[Oakland International Airport]]) with service to [[San Jose International Airport]] provided by a [[List of Santa Clara VTA bus routes#60|VTA bus route]] available at [[Milpitas station]].<ref name=tcmaps /><ref name=systemmap />

== History ==
{{broader|History of Bay Area Rapid Transit}}

=== Origins, planning, and geographical coverage ===
Some of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system's current coverage area was once served by an electrified [[Tram|streetcar]] and suburban train system called the [[Key System]]. This early 20th-century system once had regular transbay traffic across the lower deck of the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]], but the system was [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy|dismantled]] in the 1950s, with its last transbay crossing in 1958, and was superseded by highway travel. A 1950s study of traffic problems in the Bay Area concluded the most cost-effective solution for the Bay Area's traffic woes would be to form a transit district charged with the construction and operation of a new, high-speed rapid transit system linking the cities and suburbs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of BART: The Concept is Born |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/history |access-date=October 8, 2019 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit}}</ref> Marvin E. Lewis, a San Francisco trial attorney and member of the city's board of supervisors spearheaded a grassroots movement to advance the idea of an alternative bay crossing and the possibility of regional transit network.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Healy, Michael C. |title=BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System |publisher= Heyday |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-59714-370-7 |location=Berkeley, California |oclc=948549791}}</ref>

Formal planning for BART began with the setting up in 1957 of the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit District|San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District]], a [[special-purpose district|county-based special-purpose district]] body that governs the BART system. The district initially began with five members, all of which were projected to receive BART lines: [[Alameda County]], [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa County]], [[San Francisco|the City and County of San Francisco]], [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], and [[Marin County, California|Marin County]]. Although invited to participate, Santa Clara County supervisors elected not to join BART due to their dissatisfaction that the peninsula line only stopped at [[Palo Alto]] initially, and that it interfered with suburban development in [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], preferring instead to concentrate on constructing freeways and expressways. Though the system expanded into Santa Clara County in 2020, as of June 2024 it is still not a district member.

In 1962, San Mateo County supervisors voted to leave BART, saying their voters would be paying taxes to carry mainly Santa Clara County residents (presumably along [[Interstate 280 (California)|I-280]], [[California State Route 92|SR 92]], and [[California State Route 85|SR 85]]).<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 12, 2013 |title=History of BART to the South Bay |work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/bart/ci_5162648 |access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> The district-wide tax base was weakened by San Mateo's departure, forcing Marin County to withdraw a month later. Despite the fact that Marin had originally voted in favor of BART participation at the 88% level, its marginal tax base could not adequately absorb its share of BART's projected cost. Another important factor in Marin's withdrawal was an engineering controversy over the feasibility of running trains on the lower deck of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], an extension forecast as late as three decades after the rest of the BART system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of BART: The Concept is Born |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/ |access-date=October 22, 2013 |publisher=Bart.gov}}</ref><ref name="barthistory">{{BART History}}</ref><ref>See BART Composite Report, prepared by Parsons Brinkerhof Tutor Bechtel, 1962</ref> The withdrawals of Marin and San Mateo resulted in a downsizing of the original system plans, which would have had lines as far south as Palo Alto and northward past [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]]. Voters in the three remaining participating counties approved the truncated system, with termini in [[Fremont, California|Fremont]], Richmond, Concord, and Daly City, in 1962.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of BART: the Concept is Born |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>

Construction of the system began in 1964, and included a number of major engineering challenges, including excavating subway tunnels in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley; constructing aerial structures throughout the Bay Area, particularly in Alameda and Contra Costa counties; [[Berkeley Hills Tunnel|tunneling through the Berkeley Hills]] on the Concord line; and lowering the system's centerpiece, the [[Transbay Tube]] connecting Oakland and San Francisco, into a trench dredged onto the floor of San Francisco Bay.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of BART: The Project Begins |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/history2 |access-date=December 1, 2018 |website=Bay Area Rapid Transit}}</ref> Like other transit systems of the same era, BART endeavored to connect outlying suburbs with job centers in Oakland and San Francisco by building lines that paralleled established commuting routes of the region's [[freeway]] system.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=W. S. Homburger |title=The impact of a new rapid transit system on traffic on parallel highway facilities |journal=Transportation Planning and Technology |volume=4 |issue=3}}</ref> BART envisioned frequent local service, with [[headway]]s as short as two minutes between trains through the Transbay Tube and six minutes on each individual line.<ref name="US Congress OTA_2">{{Cite web |date=May 1, 1976 |title=Automatic Train Control in Rail Rapid Transit |url=https://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk3/1976/7614/7614.PDF |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=United States Congress Office of Technology Assessment |page=46 |quote=When BART reaches its full level of service, headways will be reduced to 2 minutes in San Francisco and 6 minutes elsewhere during peak periods...}}</ref>

=== Early years and train control problems ===
Passenger service began on September 11, 1972, initially just between [[MacArthur station (BART)|MacArthur]] and [[Fremont station (BART)|Fremont]]. The rest of the system opened in stages, with the entire system opening in 1974 when the transbay service through the Transbay Tube began.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 13, 1972 |title=BART– Not a Moment Too Soon |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/684558862.html?dids=684558862:684558862&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+13%2C+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=BART---Not+a+Moment+Too+Soon&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107144601/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/684558862.html?dids=684558862:684558862&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+13%2C+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=BART---Not+a+Moment+Too+Soon&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |access-date=March 2, 2011}}</ref> The new BART system was hailed as a major step forward in subway technology,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=BART First in Operation: 2nd great subway boom under way in many cities |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3qgSAAAAIBAJ&pg=3354,4929895 |magazine=[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]] |access-date=August 23, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> although questions were asked concerning the safety of the system<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gillam |first=Jerry |date=November 15, 1972 |title=Safe Automated BART Train Controls Doubted |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/660715472.html?dids=660715472:660715472&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+15%2C+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Safe+Automated+BART+Train+Controls+Doubted&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103144025/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/660715472.html?dids=660715472:660715472&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+15,+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Safe+Automated+BART+Train+Controls+Doubted&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |access-date=March 2, 2011}}</ref> and the huge expenditures necessary for the construction of the network.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lembke |first=Daryl |date=November 16, 1972 |title=BART Manager Denies System Was Overcharged by Designers |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/660721622.html?dids=660721622:660721622&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+16%2C+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=BART+Manager+Denies+System+Was+Overcharged+by+Designers&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103144039/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/660721622.html?dids=660721622:660721622&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+16,+1972&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=BART+Manager+Denies+System+Was+Overcharged+by+Designers&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |access-date=March 2, 2011}}</ref> Ridership remained well below projected levels throughout the 1970s, and direct service from Daly City to Richmond and Fremont was not phased in until several years after the system opened.

Some of the early safety concerns appeared to be well founded when the system experienced a number of train-control failures in its first few years of operation. As early as 1969, before revenue service began, several BART engineers identified safety problems with the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system. The BART Board of Directors was dismissive of their concerns and retaliated by firing them.<ref name="Ethics Center">{{Cite web |last=Stephen Unger |date=April 29, 2010 |title=The BART Case |url=http://www.onlineethics.org/Topics/ProfPractice/Exemplars/AwardWinners/BARTcase.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728224138/https://www.onlineethics.org/Topics/ProfPractice/Exemplars/AwardWinners/BARTcase.aspx |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=The Online Ethics Center for engineering and science}}</ref> Less than a month after the system's opening, on October 2, 1972, an ATC failure caused a train to run off the end of the elevated track at the terminal Fremont station and crash to the ground, injuring four people.<ref name="nytimes Dec1972">{{Cite news |date=December 9, 1972 |title=Troubles Beset Transit System in San Francisco Bay Area |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/10/archives/troubles-beset-transit-system-in-san-francisco-bay-area.html |access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref><ref name="KPFA documentary">{{Cite web |last=Bill Northwood |date=November 29, 1972 |title=What is BART, and why are we saying such terrible things about it? |url=https://archive.org/details/pra-BC1167 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=KPFA Pacifica Radio |page=2 min : 00 sec}}</ref> The "Fremont Flyer" led to a comprehensive redesign of the train controls and also resulted in multiple investigations being opened by the California State Senate, California Public Utilities Commission, and National Transportation Safety Board.<ref name="US Congress OTA">{{Cite web |date=May 1, 1976 |title=Automatic Train Control in Rail Rapid Transit |url=https://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk3/1976/7614/7614.PDF |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=United States Congress Office of Technology Assessment |pages=45–49 |quote=Investigations of BART were undertaken by the California Senate, the California Legislative Analyst, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the National Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the accident was traced to a faulty crystal oscillator…}}</ref> Hearings by the state legislature in 1974 into financial mismanagement at BART forced the General Manager to resign in May 1974, and the entire Board of Directors was replaced the same year when the legislature passed legislation leading to the election of a new Board and the end of appointed members.<ref name="Dr. Wattenburg">{{Cite web |last=Peter Sheerin |date=October 1, 1990 |title=Bill Wattenburg's Background: BART—Bay Area Rapid Transit System |url=http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/bio/BART.html |access-date=March 15, 2017 |quote=Wattenburg challenged the credentials of three successive chief engineers at BART. All of them left or were fired.}}</ref><ref name="IEEE Spectrum2">{{Cite web |date=March 1, 1973 |title=Bigger bugs in BART? |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/ns/pdfs/03_73_bart.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203165037/http://spectrum.ieee.org/ns/pdfs/03_73_bart.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2014 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=IEEE Spectrum Magazine |page=36 |quote=David Hammond, BARTD's assistant general manager submitted his resignation…}}</ref><ref name="Legislative Analyst">{{Cite web |date=May 25, 2013 |title=Legislative Analyst's Office 75th anniversary |url=https://lao.ca.gov/lao75 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) of the State of California |quote=After the state legislature held a month-long series of hearings on the financial mismanagement at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Alan Post recommended the firing of BART's general manager.}}</ref><ref name="Stokes2">{{Cite news |date=May 25, 2013 |title=B.R. Stokes, ex-BART general manager, dies |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/B-R-Stokes-ex-BART-general-manager-dies-4548996.php |access-date=March 15, 2017 |quote=BART officials had to ask the Legislature for more money... but the price was high. Nearly all of the Bay Area's legislators said they would oppose giving BART money unless Mr. Stokes resigned. He quit May 24, 1974...}}</ref><ref name="Commonwealth Club">{{Cite web |last=Bill Wattenburg |date=February 15, 1974 |title=BART: Countdown to San Francisco |url=https://archive.org/details/csth_000013 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=Commonwealth Club of California |page=28 min : 30 sec}}</ref><ref name="bart_history">{{Cite web |title=BART historical timeline |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/PosterTimeline_v2.pdf |access-date=March 15, 2017 |publisher=BART |quote=November 5, 1974, Nine-member Board of Directors elected to replace 12-member appointed board.}}</ref>

=== Extensions ===
{{Main|Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion}}
Even before the BART system opened, planners projected several possible extensions. Although Marin County was left out of the original system, the 1970 Golden Gate Transportation Facilities Plan considered a tunnel under the Golden Gate or second deck on the bridge, but neither of these plans was pursued.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://goldengate.org/organization/documents/Annual-Report-1970-71.pdf |title=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District 1970–71 Annual Report |publisher=Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Over twenty years would pass before the first extensions to the BART system were completed to [[North Concord/Martinez station|North Concord/Martinez]] in 1995, [[Colma station|Colma]] and [[Pittsburg/Bay Point station|Pittsburg/Bay Point]] in 1996. An extension to [[Dublin/Pleasanton station|Dublin/Pleasanton]] in 1997 added a fifth line to the system for the first time in BART's history. The system was expanded to [[San Francisco International Airport]] in 2003 and to [[Oakland International Airport]] via an [[automated guideway transit]] spur line in 2014.<ref name="OAK-open">{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2014 |title=New BART service to Oakland International Airport now open |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2014/news20141121-0 |access-date=December 2, 2014 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)}}</ref><ref name="40Years">{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Celebrating 40 Years of Service 1972 • 2012 Forty BART Achievements Over the Years |url=http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/40thFactsheet_v1.pdf |access-date=December 2, 2014 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)}}</ref> [[eBART]], an extension using [[diesel multiple units]] along conventional railroad infrastructure between Pittsburg/Bay Point and [[Antioch (eBART station)|Antioch]] on the Yellow Line, opened on May 26, 2018. BART's most significant current extension project is the [[Silicon Valley BART extension]] on the Green and Orange Lines. The first phase extended the Fremont line to Warm Springs/South Fremont in early 2017, and the second phase to Berryessa/North San José began service on June 13, 2020. The third phase to Santa Clara is contingent upon the allocation of funding {{as of|May 2020|lc=yes}}, but is planned to be completed by 2036.<ref name="SJ Mercury 2023October 4">{{Cite news |date=October 4, 2023 |title=San Jose BART extension will be further delayed and cost more |work=San Jose Mercury News |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/04/san-jose-bart-extension-will-be-further-delayed-and-cost-more/ |access-date=October 4, 2023|quote=Officials now expect the project to be completed in 2036 and cost $12.2 billion…}}</ref>

Plans had long been floated for an extension from Dublin to Livermore, but the most recent proposal was rejected by the BART board in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=May 24, 2018 |title=BART board votes down extension to Livermore |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-board-votes-down-extension-to-Livermore-12942790.php |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Other plans have included an extension to Hercules, a line along the Interstate Highway 680 corridor, and a fourth set of rail tracks through Oakland.{{update inline|date=February 2019}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=June 22, 2007 |title=BART'S New Vision: More, Bigger, Faster |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/22/MNGJQQJVSD1.DTL |url-status=live |access-date=October 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010014440/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F06%2F22%2FMNGJQQJVSD1.DTL |archive-date=October 10, 2007}}</ref> At least four infill stations such as Irvington and Calaveras on existing lines have been proposed.<ref name="Vision">{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2013 |title=BART Metro Vision Update |url=http://www.transformca.org/sites/default/files/bart_metro_vision_update_0.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719152429/http://www.transformca.org/sites/default/files/bart_metro_vision_update_0.pdf |archive-date=July 19, 2014 |access-date=July 15, 2014 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)}}</ref> With the Transbay Tube nearing capacity, long-range plans included a new four-bore Transbay Tube beneath San Francisco Bay that would run parallel and south of the existing tunnel and emerge at the [[Transbay Transit Terminal]] to connect to [[Caltrain]] and the future [[California High-Speed Rail]] system. The four-bore tunnel would provide two tunnels for BART and two tunnels for conventional/high-speed rail. The BART system and conventional U.S. rail use different and incompatible rail gauges and different [[loading gauge]]s.<ref name="SystemFacts" /> In 2018, BART announced that a feasibility study for installing a second transbay crossing would commence the following year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fortson |first=Jobina |date=November 15, 2018 |title=BART considering 2nd Transbay Tube, 24 hour service |agency=ABC 7 KGO-TV |url=https://abc7news.com/traffic/bart-considering-2nd-transbay-tube-24-hour-service/4694048/ |access-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref> By 2019, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) had joined with BART to study a multi-modal crossing, which could also allow ''[[Capitol Corridor]]'' and ''[[Gold Runner|San Joaquins]]'' routes to serve San Francisco directly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bizjak |first=Tony |date=February 20, 2019 |title=How trains under the bay – not high-speed rail – may connect Sacramento and San Francisco |work=Sacramento Bee |url=https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article226474345.html |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref>

=== System modernization ===
In 2007, BART stated its intention to improve non-peak (night and weekend) headways for each line to 15 minutes. The 20-minute headways at these times is a barrier to ridership.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cuff |first=Denis |date=May 29, 2007 |title=BART board wants to lessen waits |url=https://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/35220 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731134413/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/35220 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=October 26, 2007 |website=Contra Costa Times}}</ref> In mid-2007, BART temporarily reversed its position, stating that the shortened wait times would likely not happen due to a $900,000 state revenue budget shortfall. Nevertheless, BART eventually confirmed the implementation of the plan by January 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2007 |title=Good move by BART |url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_7051537 |access-date=October 26, 2007 |website=Contra Costa Times}}</ref> Continued budgetary problems halted the expanded non-peak service and returned off-peak headways to 20 minutes in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bay Area Rapid Transit |title=Off-peak service reductions began Monday, September 14th |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20090901a.aspx |access-date=May 30, 2013}}</ref>

In 2008, BART announced that it would install solar panels at two yards, maintenance facilities, and [[Orinda station]]<ref name="sol">{{Cite web |last=Dennis |first=Cuff |date=July 10, 2008 |title=BART goes solar at Orinda station |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9842764 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |publisher=[[Contra Costa Times]]}}</ref> (the only station that receives sufficient sunlight to justify installation cost).<ref name="sol" />

In 2012, the [[California Transportation Commission]] announced that they would provide funding for expanding BART facilities, through the [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority]], in anticipation of the opening of the [[Silicon Valley BART extension|Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension]]. $50&nbsp;million would go in part to improvements to the Hayward Maintenance Complex.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2012 |title=Santa Clara VTA receives state funding to expand BART facilities |url=http://www.rtands.com/index.php/passenger/rapid-transit-light-rail/santa-clara-vta-receives-state-funding-to-expand-bart-facilities.html?channel=281 |publisher=RT&S}}</ref>

In March 2019, BART announced that they would begin updating ticket add-fare machines inside the [[paid area]] to accept debit and credit cards for payment (for [[Clipper card]]s only).<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2019 |title=BART add-fare machines inside fare zones will finally start accepting credit cards |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/bart-add-fare-machines-inside-fare-zones-will-finally-start-accepting-credit-cards/ |publisher=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |access-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-date=March 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317024124/http://www.sfexaminer.com/bart-add-fare-machines-inside-fare-zones-will-finally-start-accepting-credit-cards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In December 2020, BART completed the changeover to Clipper and stopped issuing magstripe paper tickets. Existing paper tickets remained valid.<ref name="Clipper-only">{{Cite press release |title=BART completes systemwide conversion to Clipper-only sales |date=December 14, 2020 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2020/news20201214}}</ref> In April 2021, BART began accepting Clipper cards on [[Apple Pay#Usage within public transport systems|Apple Pay]], [[Google Pay (payment method)|Google Pay]], and the Clipper app at all BART stations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clipper card now supported on iPhone and Apple Watch |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2021/news20210416 |website=BART |access-date=September 2, 2022}}</ref> By December 2023, the fare system was entirely Clipper-only.<ref name=":1" /> Beginning August 20, 2025, riders no longer need a Clipper card, and can pay using physical contactless credit or debit cards, or mobile payment methods, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 20, 2025 |title=Tap and Ride: Contactless Payment |url=https://www.bart.gov/tickets/contactless}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fonseca |first1=Ryan |title=BART is (finally) rolling out contactless payment |url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/13/bart-finally-rolling-contactless-payment/ |publisher=SF Standard |date=August 13, 2025}}</ref>

During the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake#Effects on transportation|1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]], the BART equipment was mostly undamaged. A 2010 study<ref>{{Cite web |title=Earthquake Safety Program Technical Information |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/eqs/technical |access-date=November 8, 2010 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> concluded that along with some Bay Area freeways, some of BART's overhead structures could collapse in a major earthquake, which has a significant probability of occurring within three decades.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 11, 2013 |title=Earthquake Safety Program |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/eqs |access-date=February 5, 2014 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> [[Seismic retrofitting]] has been carried out since 2004 upon voter approval to address these deficiencies, [[Transbay Tube#Seismic retrofitting|especially in the Transbay Tube]]. BART projects that Transbay Tube retrofits are expected to be completed in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digging Deeper: Crews Rework Deep Welds on BART's Seismic Retrofit {{!}} 2021-03-22 {{!}} Engineering News-Record |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/51457-digging-deeper-crews-rework-deep-welds-on-barts-seismic-retrofit |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=www.enr.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Transbay Tube Retrofit {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/eqs/retrofit |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>{{Needs update|date=September 2025}}

== Rolling stock ==
{{Main|Bay Area Rapid Transit rolling stock}}

=== Car types ===

[[File:Interior of BART D car, March 2018.jpg|thumb|Interior of a new BART car]]
[[File:Bike on BART.jpg|thumb|A bicycle secured to a BART bike rack]]
The mainline BART network operates with [[Electric multiple unit|electric powered, self-propelled railcars]]. For most lines, six cars are coupled together in a train, except the Yellow Line, which uses nine-car trains.<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /> BART trains have [[gangway connection]]s, and passengers can move freely between cars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Subway Car Design Behind the Curve |url=https://www.planetizen.com/node/75624 |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=www.planetizen.com |language=en}}</ref> The cars have three doors on each side, bike racks, 54 seats per car, and [[Passenger information system|interior and exterior displays]] giving information.<ref name="BARTNewTrainCarProject" /> The new cars, branded by BART as its "Fleet of the Future", were unveiled in April 2016.<ref name="New train cars">{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2016 |title=Onsite testing begins for BART's first new train car |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160406 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> The first cars were expected to be in service in December 2016, however, glitches and a failed [[California Public Utilities Commission|CPUC]] inspection delayed introduction to January 19, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rodriguez |first=Joe Fitzgerald |date=November 7, 2017 |title=BART's new train cars fail regulatory test, possibly delaying rollout |work=San Francisco Examiner |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/barts-new-train-cars-fail-regulatory-test-possibly-delaying-rollout/ |access-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108001741/http://www.sfexaminer.com/barts-new-train-cars-fail-regulatory-test-possibly-delaying-rollout/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=January 18, 2018 |title=New BART rail cars approved for service |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/New-BART-rail-cars-approved-for-service-10-more-12507069.php}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Brinklow |first=Adam |date=January 19, 2018 |title=New BART cars go into service today |work=Curbed SF |url=https://sf.curbed.com/2018/1/19/16909532/new-bart-cars-transit-bay-area-when |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref> A total of 775 cars were ordered from [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]] (which merged with [[Alstom]] during production):<ref>{{Cite news |last=Richman |first=Josh |date=May 10, 2012 |title=BART board approves contract for 410 new train cars |work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20595058/bart-board-approves-contract-new-410-rail-cars |access-date=May 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bowen |first=Douglas John |date=May 11, 2012 |title=BART taps Bombardier; U.S. content at issue |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/rapid-transit/bart-taps-bombardier-us-content-at-issue.html |magazine=Railway Age |access-date=May 11, 2012}}</ref> 310 cab cars (D-cars) and 465 non-cab cars (E-cars).<ref name="Board-11-21-13">{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2013 |title=Board Meeting Agenda |url=http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/agendas/11-21-13%20Agenda%20Packet_2.pdf |access-date=December 5, 2013 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |pages=91–92}}</ref><ref name="BARTNewTrainCarProject">{{Cite web |title=New Train Car Project |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/cars/new-features |access-date=January 29, 2018 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> {{As of|2024|7|23|df=US}}, BART has received all 775 D and E cars, of which 769 have been certified for service.<ref>{{cite web |year=2013 |title=New Train Car Project |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/cars |access-date=August 28, 2023 |website=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |publisher=}}</ref> To run its peak service, BART requires 400 cars. Of those, 384 are scheduled to be in active service; the others are used to build up spare trains (used to maintain on-time service).<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /><ref name="BartCars2015">{{Cite news |last=Chinn |first=Jerold |date=January 29, 2015 |title=Long wait ahead for longer BART trains |location=San Francisco Bay Area |url=http://sfbay.ca/2015/01/29/long-wait-expected-for-longer-bart-trains/ |access-date=September 29, 2015 |quote=BART explains it has total of 662 trains, but about 535 are in service during peak commute times, about 86.5 percent of its fleet. BART said it runs more of its fleet than any other major transit agency despite having the oldest trains in the nation.}}</ref><ref name="crush">{{Cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=April 10, 2010 |title=BART can't keep pace with rising 'crush loads' |work=SFGate |url=http://m.sfgate.com/bpm_test/article/BART-can-t-keep-pace-with-rising-crush-loads-6234574.php}}</ref>

The previous BART fleet, consisting of A, B, and C cars, was built between 1968 and 1996.<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /> It was retired from regular service on September 11, 2023, with the final revenue runs on April 20, 2024.<ref name="Train Size Change 2023">{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2023 |title=Sizing Trains for Safety and Efficiency |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/Sizing%20Trains%20for%20Safety%20and%20Efficiency%20FY2024.pdf |access-date=August 28, 2023 |website=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=BART invites the public to "ride through history" at a legacy car retirement ceremony and final ride on 4/20/24 |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240311 |date=April 16, 2024 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>

The [[Oakland Airport Connector]] uses a completely separate and independently operated fleet of [[cable car (railway)|cable car-based]] [[automated guideway transit]] vehicles. It uses four [[Cable Liner]] trains built by [[DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car]], arranged as three-car sets, but the system can accommodate four-car trains in the future.

The [[eBART]] extension uses eight [[Stadler GTW]] [[Diesel multiple unit|diesel railcars]].<ref name="implementation">{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2015 |title=East Contra Costa BART Extension (eBART) Implementation |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/ecc/implementation |access-date=August 9, 2015 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)}}</ref> The Stadler GTW vehicles are [[diesel multiple unit]]s, which operate over standard gauge tracks (as opposed to BART's broad gauge).<ref name="New train cars" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 26, 2014 |title=Stadler Rail delivers trains to Oakland |url=http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/news/2014/04/26/stadler-rail-delivers-trains-to-oakland/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102100/http://www.stadlerrail.com/en/news/2014/04/26/stadler-rail-delivers-trains-to-oakland/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=August 9, 2015 |publisher=[[Stadler Rail]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Current fleet
|-
! Lines
! Manufacturer
! Class
! Image
! Car<br />numbers
! Qty.
! Built
|-
| rowspan="2" | Main system
| rowspan="2" | [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]]/<br>[[Alstom]]{{efn|Bombardier merged with Alstom during production.}}
| D
| [[File:Future Fleet Open House at El Cerrito Del Norte Station (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| 3001–3310
| 310
| rowspan="2" | 2012–2024
|-
| E
| [[File:BART E cars at 19th Street Oakland station, March 2018.jpg|100px]]
| 4001–4465
| 465
|-
| [[Oakland Airport Connector]]
| [[Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group#Doppelmayr Cable Car|Doppelmayr]]
| [[Cable Liner]]
| [[File:OAK-Coliseum Airport Mover.jpg|100px]]
| 1.3–4.3
| 4 sets
| 2014
|-
| [[eBART]]
| [[Stadler Rail|Stadler]]
| [[Stadler GTW|GTW]]
| [[File:Westbound eBART train approaching Pittsburg Center station, May 2018.JPG|100px]]
| 101–108
| 8
| 2016
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Retired fleet
! Lines
! Manufacturer
! Class
! Image 
! Car<br />numbers
! Qty. 
! Built
! Retired 
|-
| rowspan="4" | Main system
| rowspan="2" | [[Rohr, Inc.|Rohr]]
| A
| [[File:Bart A car Oakland Coliseum Station.jpg|100px]]
| 1164–1276
| 59
| 1968–1975
| rowspan="2" | April 20, 2024
|-
| B
| [[File:BART train at Fruitvale station 2.JPG|100px]]
| 1501–1913
| 380
| 1971–1975
|-
| [[Alstom]]
| C1
| rowspan="2" | [[File:BART C1 car at Fruitvale station, March 2018.JPG|100px]]
| 301–450
| 150
| 1987–1990
| May 15, 2023
|-
| [[Morrison–Knudsen]]
| C2
| 2501–2580
| 80
| 1994–1996
| August 2021
|-
|}

=== Depots ===
The initial BART system included car storage and maintenance yards in Concord, Hayward, and Richmond, with an additional maintenance only (no car storage) yard in Oakland. The Daly City car storage and maintenance yard opened in December 1988.<ref name="barthistory" /> The Oakland Airport Connector uses the [[Doolittle Maintenance and Storage Facility]]. eBART vehicles use a facility in Antioch.

== Fares ==
[[File:BART Clipper machines in Embarcadero station.jpg|alt=Two BART Clipper card machines|thumb|Two [[BART]] ticket machines at [[Embarcadero station]] in [[San Francisco]]. Both have been converted to [[Clipper card]] usage only. The machine on the left dispenses new Clipper cards and adds value to existing cards, while the machine on the right only adds value to existing cards.]]

=== Fare schedule ===
BART has [[Fare#Distance-based fare|distance-based fares]], which requires riders to use fare gates to both enter and exit, with a flat fare of $2.15 for trips under {{convert|6|miles}}. A surcharge is added for trips traveling through the [[Transbay Tube]] ($1.40), to/from [[Oakland International Airport]] ($6.70) or [[San Francisco International Airport]] ($4.95), and to/from [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]] ($1.45, except $1.25 for Daly City).<ref name=faretriangle /><ref name=fy19srtpcip>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/FINAL%20FY19%20SRTP_CIP.pdf |title=FY19 Short Range Transit Plan and Capital Improvement Program |date=October 2018 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>{{rp|2{{hyphen}}9}}<!--old document, but establishes the various categories--> The maximum fare, including both airport surcharges and the Transbay surcharge, is $17.60; the maximum without surcharges ({{bart|Antioch}}–{{bart|Berryessa}}) is $10.30.<ref name=faretriangle>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BART%20Clipper%20Fares%20Triangle%20Chart%20July%202022.pdf |date=July 1, 2022 |title=Clipper Fares |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> {{As of|2022|06}}, the average fare paid is $3.93.<ref name=june2022budget>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220609 |title=BART Board approves two-year budget focused on rider experience |date=June 9, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>

Because of the varied fares, it is possible to enter the system with enough stored value for a shorter trip, but not a longer trip. Passengers without sufficient fare to complete their journey must use an add-fare machine to add value [[Exit fare|in order to exit the station]].<ref name=basics>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BARTBasicsAug2021.pdf |title=BART Basics Guide |date=August 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>

Before August 20, 2025, entering and exiting at the same station within 30 minutes incurred an "excursion fare" of $6.40 – significantly higher than many station-to-station fares.<ref name=basics /><ref name="excursion">{{cite news |last=Cabanatuan |first=Michael |date=August 5, 2022 |title=This little-known BART fare can cost you $6.70, even if you don't step foot on a train |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/This-little-known-BART-fare-can-cost-you-6-70-17354885.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806000327/https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/This-little-known-BART-fare-can-cost-you-6-70-17354885.php |archive-date=August 6, 2022}}</ref> This was originally introduced to allow people to tour the then-futuristic system; it was kept to discourage undesired behaviors such as [[San Francisco tech bus protests|tech bus]] riders using BART parking lots. The excursion fare has been criticized for negatively impacting riders who leave stations during service disruptions (although station agents can allow riders to exit without fare payment). As of August 20, 2025, riders paying using the contactless Tap and Ride system have a 30-minute grace period to avoid the BART excursion fare; Clipper card users still need to see an agent to avoid it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tap and Ride: Contactless Payment |url=https://www.bart.gov/tickets/contactless |access-date=August 20, 2025}}</ref>

As of December 2022, BART is working to implement a 30-minute "grace period" before the fare is charged.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bartlett |first=Amanda |date=December 6, 2022 |title=A new policy change will eliminate this annoying BART fee |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/bart-updates-excursion-fare-policy-17633060.php |access-date=January 6, 2022}}</ref>

Unlike many other rapid transit systems, BART does not have weekly or monthly passes with unlimited rides.<ref name=discounts>{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/tickets/discounts |title=Discounts |access-date=August 10, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> The only discount provided to the general public is a 6.25% reduction when "high value tickets" (only available on Clipper cards with autoload) are purchased with fare values of $48 and $64. 50% discount is available to youth aged 5–18 (children age 4 and under ride free), and a 62.5% discount is provided to seniors and the disabled. The Clipper START program for low-income adults provides a 50% discount.<ref name=discounts /> The San Francisco [[San Francisco Municipal Railway|Muni]] and BART offer a combined monthly "A" Fast Pass, which allows unlimited rides on Muni services plus BART service within San Francisco.<ref name=discounts />

In August 2022, BART launched Clipper BayPass, a two-year pilot program to examine the viability of a transit pass that is compatible with all the [[Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area#Public transportation|public transit agencies]] in the Bay Area. The program was initially made available to around 50,000 college students and affordable housing residents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/pilot-program-launches-for-transit-pass-compatible-with-all-bay-area-transit-agencies |title=Pilot program launches for transit pass compatible with all Bay Area transit agencies |work=[[KTVU]] |date=August 19, 2022 |first=Eli |last=Walsh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/clipper-baypass-transit-pass-bay-area-pilot-program/ |title=Clipper BayPass pilot program launched; transit pass to be used on all Bay Area public transit agencies |date=August 17, 2022 |work=[[CBS News]]}}</ref>

=== Fare media ===
The primary fare media for BART is the [[Clipper card]], which is used by most Bay Area transit agencies. Clipper is a [[contactless smart card]]; passengers tap in and out at card readers on fare gates. Clipper cards in [[Apple Pay]] and [[Google Wallet]] [[electronic wallet]]s can also be used. As of August 20, 2025, riders can also pay using physical contactless credit or debit cards, or mobile payment methods, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 20, 2025 |title=Tap and Ride: Contactless Payment |url=https://www.bart.gov/tickets/contactless}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fonseca |first1=Ryan |title=BART is (finally) rolling out contactless payment |url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/13/bart-finally-rolling-contactless-payment/ |publisher=SF Standard |date=August 13, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:BART ticket.png|thumb|150px|A legacy BART ticket. The initial purchased fare is printed parallel to the magnetic strip, and the card's balance is printed on the left, updated at each exit.]]
BART's original fare system used tickets made of a paper-plastic composite with a [[Magnetic stripe card|magnetic stripe]].<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trcircular/421/421-004.pdf |page=38 |title=Evolving Fare Technologies |first=R. Scott |last=Rodda |conference-url=https://trid.trb.org/view/390329 |conference=Workshop on Transit Fare Policy and Management: Research Needs and Priorities |date=July 1993 |publisher=Transportation Research Board |location=Woods Hole, Massachusetts}}</ref> The tickets were sold by fare vending machines. When exiting, fare gates read the magnetically stored value on the card, encoded the new value with the fare subtracted, and printed the new value on the card. Tickets with no remaining value were retained by the machine rather than being returned.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107363165/oakland-tribune/ |title=Ticket Machines Treat You Farely |date=September 10, 1972 |page=26 |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The entire fare system was designed and built by [[IBM]] under a $7 million contract (equivalent to ${{inflation|US-GDP|7|1972}} million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name=healy>{{cite book |title=BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System |first=Michael C. |last=Healy |year=2016 |publisher=Heyday |isbn=978-1-59714-370-7 |pages=222–225}}</ref> It was the third system in the US to use encoded-value magnetic stripe tickets, following the [[Metra Electric District|Illinois Central Gulf commuter line]] (now the Metra Electric District) in 1964 and the [[PATCO Speedline]] in 1968.<ref name=fareoptions>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_10-c.pdf |chapter=Chapter 6: Electronic Fare Payment Options |page=93 |title=TCRP Report 10: Fare Policies, Structures, and Technologies |year=1996 |publisher=Transportation Research Board |first1=Daniel |last1=Fleishman |first2=Nicola |last2=Shaw |first3=Ashok |last3=Joshi |first4=Richard |last4=Freeze |first5=Richard |last5=Oram}}</ref>

Although tickets could be refilled at fare machines, riders often discarded tickets with small values remaining. BART formerly relied on unused ticket values on such discarded cards for additional revenue – as much as $9.9&nbsp;million annually in 1999 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US-GDP|9.9|1999}} million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref>{{Cite news |first=Jon |last=Carroll |date=December 6, 2000 |title=Tiny Tickets Ha Ha Ha Ha |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/carroll/article/Tiny-Tickets-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-3315661.php |access-date=August 10, 2022}}</ref> Tickets stopped being sold in December 2020 in favor of Clipper cards, and can no longer be used.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=BART will no longer accept paper/magstripe tickets beginning Nov 30 {{!}} Bay Area Rapid Transit |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230911 |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> A 50-cent surcharge per trip (25 cents for discounted fares) is applied to all journeys made on paper tickets.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baldassari |first=Erin |date=June 22, 2017 |title=BART: 50-cent surcharge for paper tickets, expanded discount for youth |publisher=The Mercury News |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/22/bart-board-approves-50-cent-surcharge-for-paper-tickets-expanded-discount-for-youth/ |access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> However, due to supply chain shortages resulting in a lack of plastic Clipper cards, BART started issuing tickets again at the SFO station in October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 19, 2022 |title=Supply chain woes: MTC, BART encourage adding Clipper card on mobile phones |url=https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/fare-collection/mobile-applications/article/21284298/supply-chain-woes-mtc-bart-encourage-adding-clipper-card-on-mobile-phones |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=Mass Transit Magazine}}</ref> Sales of paper tickets again ended on September 30, 2023, and they were no longer usable after November 30.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230911 |title=BART to end sale of paper tickets, including at SFO, beginning September 30, 2023 |date=September 11, 2023 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref>

BART first piloted a [[smart card]] for fare payment called EZ Rider in 2006; this program was abandoned in 2010 in favor of a regional farecard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BART enhances "EZ Rider" card with parking payment option {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2008/news20081020 |access-date=May 9, 2021 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2010 |title=BART Phasing Out EZ Rider Passes in Switch to Clipper |url=https://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/11/10/bart-phasing-out-ez-rider-passes-in-switch-to-clipper/ |access-date=May 9, 2021 |website=Streetsblog San Francisco |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2009, BART became one of the first five transit agencies to accept TransLink (later renamed Clipper) cards for fare payment<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Rachel |date=August 4, 2009 |title=BART starts accepting TransLink fare cards |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-starts-accepting-TransLink-fare-cards-3223398.php |access-date=May 9, 2021 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> and began phasing out tickets. By December 2020, all BART ticket machines, except for add-fare machines inside of paid areas, were converted to Clipper use only. Tickets were no longer accepted starting in December 2023.

== Ridership levels ==
For most of its history, BART's ridership has reflected the U.S. economy, growing modestly during periods of economic expansion and dropping slightly during recessions.<ref name="FY17-ridership">{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=Total Annual Exits FY1973 – FY2017 |url=http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BART_Ridership_FY73_FY17_0.xls |website=BART.gov |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |format=xls}}</ref> A major exception occurred in 1989 in the aftermath of the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]], which severely damaged the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge]], causing its closure for a month. BART became the only direct route between the East Bay and San Francisco, resulting in a nearly 17% ridership jump for the 1990 fiscal year.<ref name="FY17-ridership" /> Ridership would not drop back to previous levels after the repair of the bridge until the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] began to affect the Bay Area in March 2020.

Between 2010 and 2015, BART ridership grew rapidly, mirroring strong economic growth in the Bay Area. In 2015, the system was carrying approximately 100,000 more passengers each day than it had five years earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |title=BART can't keep pace with rising 'crush loads' |work=SFGate |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-can-t-keep-pace-with-rising-crush-loads-6192950.php |access-date=March 2, 2017}}</ref> High gasoline prices also contributed to growth, pushing ridership to record levels during 2012, with the system recording five record ridership days in September and October 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=October BART ridership soaring |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20121012a.aspx |access-date=October 18, 2012 |publisher=BART}}</ref>

After six straight years of expansion, ridership growth began to slow in late 2016, dropping by 1.7% in October 2016 from the prior year.<ref name="SF Examiner_a">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 2016 |title=Uber and Lyft use at SFO increases six-fold in two years, BART loses ridership |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |access-date=December 8, 2016 |quote=BART officials told the agency's Board of Directors...that increased Uber and Lyft ridership led to less passengers taking BART in 2016…BART's overall ridership rate of growth "rapidly slowed," according to a staff presentation. In October, overall ridership was down to 438,000 trips for the average weekday, 1.7 percent less than the same time the year prior. |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206182043/http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, showed an average weekday ridership of 423,395, the second-highest in BART's history, this was a 2.3% drop from FY 2016.<ref name="FY17-ridership" /> Ridership continued to decline by approximately 3% per year between 2016 and 2019, mirroring a nationwide decline in mass transit ridership in the second half of the decade.<ref name="2019ridership">{{Cite web |title=Nationwide Transit Ridership Falls 2.9% in June |url=https://ti.org/pdfs/APB15.pdf |access-date=November 21, 2019}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' and LA Streetsblog attributed the national decline in ridership to changes in commute patterns, the fall in gasoline prices since 2014, and competition from the private sector in the form of [[ride-hailing]] services such as Uber and Lyft.<ref name="Washington Post 2016">{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2016 |title=Ripple effect of Metro's troubles: plummeting bus ridership across the region |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/ripple-effect-of-metros-troubles-plummeting-bus-ridership-across-the-region/2016/02/20/6b8e9248-d5b4-11e5-9823-02b905009f99_story.html |access-date=December 8, 2016 |quote=falling bus ridership in the Washington region mirrors a national trend that experts say is due to a variety of factors, including changing job markets, falling gas prices and the growing popularity of other transportation options such as biking and app-based services such as Uber and Lyft.}}</ref><ref name="la streetsblog 2016">{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2016 |title=What Factors Are Causing Metro's Declining Ridership? What Next? |url=http://la.streetsblog.org/2016/01/29/what-factors-are-causing-metros-declining-ridership-what-next/ |access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> Ride-hailing has especially affected ridership on the lines to the San Francisco International Airport and the Oakland International Airport. At SFO, ride-hailing services grew by a factor of almost six or nearly 500% at the airport between 2014 and 2016.<ref name="SF Examiner_c">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 2016 |title=Uber and Lyft use at SFO increases six-fold in two years, BART loses ridership |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |access-date=December 8, 2016 |quote=BART's train line to the San Francisco International Airport is losing riders and losing money. And that culprit is competition from the private sector, BART staff said. Uber and Lyft in particular have seen their ridership at SFO rise by almost six times over from 2014 to 2016, according to data provided by SFO to the San Francisco Examiner...BART's SFO ridership was discussed during a presentation at the Board of Directors meeting. |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206182043/http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> BART planners believe that competition from Uber and Lyft is reducing overall ridership growth and BART's share of airport transit.<ref name="SF Examiner_b">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 2016 |title=Uber and Lyft use at SFO increases six-fold in two years, BART loses ridership |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |access-date=December 8, 2016 |quote=Uber and Lyft in particular have seen their ridership at SFO rise by almost six times over from 2014 to 2016, according to data provided by SFO to the San Francisco Examiner. BART officials told the agency's Board of Directors at its regular meeting Thursday that increased Uber and Lyft ridership led to less passengers taking BART in 2016. "We believe Uber and Lyft are impacting our ridership," Carter Mau, executive manager of BART's office of planning and budget, told the San Francisco Examiner outside the meeting. |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206182043/http://www.sfexaminer.com/uber-lyft-use-sfo-increases-six-fold-two-years-bart-loses-ridership/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 17, 2018 |title=Ride-hailing companies fly off with BART's airport riders |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Ride-hailing-companies-fly-off-with-BART-s-13470466.php |access-date=December 7, 2019 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US |last1=Ross |first1=By Matier &. }}</ref>

Stations in the urban cores of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley have the highest ridership, while suburban stations record lower rider numbers. During fiscal year 2017, the busiest station was [[Embarcadero Station|Embarcadero]] with 48,526 average weekday exits, followed by [[Montgomery Street Station|Montgomery Street]] with 45,386. The busiest station outside of San Francisco was [[12th Street Oakland City Center station|12th Street Oakland City Center]] with 13,965 riders, followed by [[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]] with 13,456. The least busy station was [[Oakland International Airport station|Oakland International Airport]] with 1,517 riders, while the least busy standard BART station was [[North Concord / Martinez (BART station)|North Concord / Martinez]] with 2,702 weekday exits.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Average Weekday Exits by Station |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/FY%20Avg%20Wkdy%20Exits%20by%20Station_5.xlsx |access-date=June 16, 2017 |publisher=BART |format=xls}}</ref>

BART's one-day ridership record was set on Halloween of 2012 with 568,061 passengers attending the San Francisco Giants' victory parade for their [[2012 World Series|World Series championship]].<ref name="world-series-2012">{{Cite news |date=October 31, 2012 |title=BART marks all-time highest ridership day in 40 years of service |publisher=BART |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20121031.aspx |access-date=November 1, 2012}}</ref> This surpassed the record set two years earlier of 522,198 riders in 2010 for the Giants' [[2010 World Series]] victory parade.<ref name="world-series">{{Cite news |date=November 4, 2010 |title=World Series parade boosts BART ridership to highest day ever – past half-million |publisher=BART |url=http://bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20101104.aspx |access-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref> Before that, the record was 442,100 riders in October 2009, following an [[Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge#Eyebar crack, repair, subsequent failure and bridge closure|emergency closure of the Bay Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=11.01.2009 BART customers continue to set ridership records |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20091030.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120230453/http://bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20091030.aspx |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |access-date=December 29, 2010 |publisher=Bart.gov}}</ref> During a planned closure of the Bay Bridge, there were 475,015 daily riders on August 30, 2013, making that the third highest ridership.<ref name="Bay Bridge 2013">{{Cite news |date=August 30, 2013 |title=BART ridership soars during Bay Bridge closure |work=KTVU |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/bart-ridership-soars-during-bay-bridge-closure/nZhKf/ |url-status=dead |access-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906235409/http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/bart-ridership-soars-during-bay-bridge-closure/nZhKf/ |archive-date=September 6, 2013}}</ref> On June 19, 2015, BART recorded 548,078 riders for the Golden State Warriors [[2015 NBA Finals|championship]] parade, placing second on the all-time ridership list.<ref name="Warriors_parade">{{Cite news |date=June 20, 2015 |title=Warriors parade BART's second highest ridership day |publisher=BART |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2015/news20150620 |access-date=June 22, 2015}}</ref>

BART set a Saturday record of 419,162 riders on February 6, 2016, coinciding with [[Super Bowl 50]] events and a [[Golden State Warriors]] game.<ref name="superbowl50">{{Cite news |last=Alexander |first=Kurtis |date=February 7, 2016 |title=Super Bowl helps BART crush weekend-day ridership record |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Super-Bowl-helps-BART-crush-weekend-day-ridership-6813729.php |access-date=February 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 8, 2016 |title=BART ends milestone week with a record; next challenge: playing catch-up |publisher=BART |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160208 |access-date=February 9, 2016}}</ref> That easily surpassed the previous Saturday record of 319,484 riders, which occurred in October 2012, coinciding with several sporting events and [[Fleet Week#San Francisco|Fleet Week]].<ref name="saturday-record">{{Cite web |date=October 7, 2012 |title=BART shatters Saturday ridership record, adds capacity for Sunday |url=http://bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20121007.aspx |access-date=October 12, 2012 |publisher=BART}}</ref> BART set a Sunday ridership record of 292,957 riders in June 2013, in connection with the [[San Francisco Pride|San Francisco Gay Pride Parade]],<ref name="sunday-record">{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2013 |title=Pride Parade Service Breaks Sunday Ridership Record |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2013/news20130630a.aspx |access-date=July 3, 2013 |publisher=BART}}</ref> surpassing Sunday records set the previous two years when the Pride Parade was held.<ref name="sunday-record" />

Ridership dropped sharply during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and [[COVID-19 lockdowns|associated lockdowns]] beginning in March 2020, during which BART was forced to drastically cut service.<ref name="Ridership Watch" /> Ridership in the weeks immediately following the start of the Bay Area's lockdown (on March 17, 2020) fell by as much as 93%.<ref name="Ridership Watch" /> If ridership does not recover and additional revenue is not obtained, in the worst case the agency projected it would only be able to sustain trains on three lines running once an hour from 5am to 9pm weekdays, and would have to close nine stations.<ref>{{Cite web|last=SFGATE|first=Silas Valentino|date=November 22, 2022|title='A death spiral': BART considers cutting weekend service|url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/bart-considers-cutting-weekend-service-17602366.php|access-date=November 23, 2022|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}}</ref> {{As of|2024|May}}, weekday ridership is at 41% of pre-pandemic levels, Saturday ridership is at 63%, and Sunday ridership is at 75%.<ref name="Ridership Watch">{{Cite web |title=Ridership Watch: daily updates related to riders returning to BART |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230729 |access-date=July 9, 2024 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>

In a 2022 survey, 31% of riders report household income below $50,000 (up from 26% in 2018), and 44% did not own a vehicle (up from 31% in 2018). Compared to the region, BART riders are more likely to be Black or Latino, and less likely to be White or Asian.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/CS2022_Report_040423.pdf |title=2022 BART Customer Satisfaction Study |publisher=BART Marketing & Research Dept. |date=2023-04-04}}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==
[[File:Walnut Creek station and aerial structure, August 2018.JPG|thumb|A typical concrete viaduct structure near Walnut Creek station]]
The entirety of the system runs in exclusive, grade-separated right-of-way. BART's [[rapid transit]] revenue routes cover about {{convert|131|mi}} with 50 stations. On the main lines, approximately {{convert|28|mi}} of lines run through underground sections with {{convert|32|mi}} on elevated tracks.<ref name="SystemFacts" /> [[List of railway electrification systems#Conductor rail systems (DC voltage)|1,000 volts DC]] is delivered to the trains over a [[third rail]].<ref name="BART cars" /> An [[automated guideway transit]] line and an additional station were opened in 2014, using [[Commercial off-the-shelf|off-the-shelf]] [[cable car (railway)|cable car]] technology developed by [[DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car]]: the [[Cable Liner]]. The section of the Antioch-SFO/Millbrae line east of the Pittsburg/Bay Point station, known as [[eBART]], runs on conventional unelectrified {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}} rail.

BART trains are so unpleasantly noisy that a recording while inside the Transbay Tube, described as "the worst sound in the history of man", was used in the 2008 [[horror video game]] ''[[Dead Space (2008 video game)|Dead Space]]''.<ref name="dowd20190113">{{Cite web |last=Dowd |first=Katie |date=2019-01-13 |title='The worst sound in the history of man': How BART trains turned terror in 'Dead Space' |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/dead-space-sound-effects-bart-train-inspiration-13530076.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250728210525/https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/dead-space-sound-effects-bart-train-inspiration-13530076.php |archive-date=July 28, 2025 |access-date=2025-08-09 |website=SFGATE |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The main system uses an unusual {{RailGauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} broad gauge<ref name="SystemFacts" /><ref name="bartgauge">{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2013 |title=Why does BART use wider, non-standard gauge rails? – BayRail Alliance |url=http://www.bayrailalliance.org/question/why-does-bart-use-wider-non-standard-guage-rails/ |access-date=June 28, 2019 |website=BayRail Alliance}}</ref> (mostly seen in India and Pakistan) and mostly [[ballastless track]]. Originally using flat-edge rail and [[Wheelset (rail transport)|wheelsets]] with cylindrical treads, in 2016 BART started switching to conical treads<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wheel-rail-seminars.com/archives/2016/rt-papers/RT%2006%20WRI%202016%20BART%20Final.pdf |first=Gregory |last=Shivy |title=BART Wheel Profile Change |date=May 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> to reduce the noise caused by flange/rail contact and loss of adhesion of one of the wheels on curves.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 2, 2016 |title=The Four-Year Fight to Make San Francisco's Subway Stop Screaming |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/three-year-fight-make-san-franciscos-subway-stop-screaming/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref>

Schedules call for trains to operate at up to {{convert|70|mph|kph}}, but certain segments (in particular, the Transbay Tube) are designed for {{convert|80|mph|kph|abbr=on}} operation when making up delays.<ref name="SystemFacts">{{Cite web |title=BART System Facts |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/history/facts |access-date=April 8, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2006 |title=BART reduces trains speeds, station lighting, to help PG&E and state power grid |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2006/news20060724) |access-date=September 26, 2015 |quote="BART doesn't typically run trains at their maximum speed of 80 mph except to help a train make up time." |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430050552/https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2006/news20060724%29 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="OpsAnalysis">{{Cite web |date=June 2013 |title=BART Sustainable Communities Operations Analysis |url=http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/BART%20SCOA%20Final%20Report%20June%202013.pdf |access-date=February 5, 2014 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |page=23 |quote=Certain sections of the BART system are designed for 80 mph operations, however the maximum operating speed BART currently uses today is 70 mph. It is unlikely that 80 mph operating speeds will be used again due to the increase in motor wear and propulsion failures at the higher rate. There are also higher impacts on track maintenance. In addition, the 80 mph segments tend to be short, and the higher speed benefits are limited as train speeds become inconsistent.}}</ref>

{{As of|2023|9}}, rapid transit trains are typically six cars long, except on the Yellow Line, which uses eight-car trains.<ref name="Train Size Change 2023" /> The minimum train length is four cars, and the maximum length is ten cars. A ten-car train is {{convert|710|ft|m}}, the longest of any metro system in the United States, and extending slightly beyond the {{convert|700|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} platforms.<ref name="trainLength">{{Cite web |date=July 3, 2000 |title=BART Train length |url=https://groups.google.com/group/ba.transportation/browse_frm/thread/2b50a587214ace23/5be1c19d04ad4b06 |access-date=January 7, 2007 |publisher=Google Groups: ba.transportation}}</ref> Cars are {{convert|10.5|ft|m|1}} wide, the maximum gradient is four percent, and the [[minimum curve radius]] is {{convert|394|ft|m|0}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Garbutt |title=World Metro Systems |publisher=Capital Transport |year=1997 |isbn=1-85414-191-0 |pages=130–131 |chapter=Facts and Figures}}</ref> The combination of unique [[loading gauge]]s and unusual rail technologies has complicated maintenance and increased cost of the system, as rolling stock requires custom wheelsets, brake systems, and power systems.{{r|bartgauge}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gafni |first=Matthias |date=March 25, 2016 |title=Has BART's cutting-edge 1972 technology design come back to haunt it? |work=San Jose Mercury News |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_29687067/has-barts-cutting-edge-1972-technology-design-come.html |access-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref>

Many of the original 1970s-era stations, especially the aerial stations, feature simple [[Brutalist architecture]], but newer stations are a mix of [[Neomodern]] and [[Postmodern architecture]]. The additional double-tracked {{Convert|4|mi|km|-long|adj=mid|spell=in}} upper deck of the [[Market Street subway]] and its four underground stations were built by BART for [[Muni Metro]].

=== Lines ===
{{anchor|lettered lines|A-Line|C-Line|K-Line|L-Line|M-Line|R-Line|S-Line|W-Line|Y-Line}}The routes run on track segments ("lines"), which are internally, but not commonly, known by letters.<ref name="SystemFacts" /><ref name="segments">{{Cite web |date=October 2012 |title=Rail Capacity Improvement Study for Heavy Rail Transit Operations |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/FTA_Report_No._0035.pdf |publisher=Federal Transit Administration |page=52}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bay Area Rapid Transit |title=Geospatial Data |url=https://www.bart.gov/schedules/developers/geo |access-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Line
!class="unsortable"|Endpoints
!Opened
!class="unsortable"|Right of way
|-
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center;" | Heavy rail
|-
|'''A-Line'''
|[[Oakland Wye]] – [[Fremont station (BART)|Fremont]]
|September 11, 1972
|Former [[Western Pacific Railroad]] right-of-way ([[Union Pacific Railroad|UP]] [[Oakland Subdivision]]), tunnel near the Oakland Wye
|-
|'''C-Line'''
|[[Rockridge station|Rockridge]] – [[Pittsburg/Bay Point station|Pittsburg/Bay Point]]
|May 21, 1973 (to [[Concord station (BART)|Concord]])<br />December 16, 1995 (to [[North Concord/Martinez station|North Concord/Martinez]])<br />December 7, 1996 (to Pittsburg/Bay Point)
|[[California State Route 24|SR 24]] median, [[Berkeley Hills Tunnel]], former [[Sacramento Northern Railway]] right-of-way, [[California State Route 4|SR 4]] median
|-
|'''K-Line'''
|Oakland Wye – Rockridge
|September 11, 1972 (to [[MacArthur station (BART)|MacArthur]])<br />May 21, 1973 (to Rockridge)
|Tunnel under Broadway, SR 24 median
|-
|'''L-Line'''
|[[Bay Fair station|Bay Fair]] – [[Dublin/Pleasanton station|Dublin/Pleasanton]]
|May 10, 1997
|Median of [[Interstate 238|I-238]], median of [[Interstate 580 (California)|I-580]]
|-
|'''M-Line'''
|Oakland Wye – Daly City Yard (north of [[Colma station|Colma]])
|November 5, 1973 (Daly City – [[Montgomery Street station|Montgomery Street]])<br />September 16, 1974 (Montgomery Street – Oakland Wye)<br />December 9, 1988 (to Daly City Yard)
|Elevated above 5th and 7th streets, [[Transbay Tube]], [[Market Street subway|tunnel under Market Street]] and Mission Street, former [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] right-of-way ([[Ocean View Branch]])
|-
|'''R-Line'''
|MacArthur – [[Richmond station (California)|Richmond]]
|January 29, 1973
|Elevated above Martin Luther King Jr. Way, tunnel under Adeline St and Shattuck Ave, former [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] right-of-way
|-
|'''S-Line'''
|Fremont – [[Berryessa/North San José station|Berryessa/North San José]]
|March 25, 2017 (to [[Warm Springs/South Fremont station|Warm Springs/South Fremont]])<br />June 13, 2020 (to Berryessa/North San José)<ref name="Glover 2020" />
|Tunnel under [[Fremont Central Park]], former Western Pacific Railroad right-of-way (San Jose Branch)
|-
|{{nowrap|'''W-Line'''}}
|Daly City Yard – [[Millbrae station|Millbrae]]
|February 24, 1996 (to Colma)<br />June 22, 2003 (to Millbrae)
|Former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way ([[Ocean View Branch]]), shared [[Caltrain]] right-of-way
|-
|'''Y-Line'''
|W-Line – [[San Francisco International Airport station|San Francisco International Airport]]
|June 22, 2003
|Elevated wye into [[San Francisco International Airport]]
|-
! colspan=4 style="text-align: center;" | Light rail
|-
|'''E-Line'''
|Pittsburg/Bay Point – [[Antioch station (BART)|Antioch]]
|May 26, 2018
|SR 4 median
|-
! colspan="4" |Automated guideway transit (AGT)
|-
|'''H-Line'''
|Coliseum – [[Oakland International Airport station|Oakland International Airport]]
|November 22, 2014
|Mostly elevated above Hegenberger Road, depressed section below Doolittle Drive
|}

<!--===Network map===
{{Rapid transit OSM map
| system_qid   = Q610120
| frame-lat    = 37.80
| frame-long   = -122.27
| frame-width  = 750
| frame-height = 470
| zoom         = 9
| length       = yes
}}-->

=== Automation ===
BART was one of the first U.S. rail transit systems of any size to be substantially automated. Routing and dispatching of trains, and adjustments for schedule recovery are controlled by a combination of computer and human supervision at BART's Operations Control Center (OCC) and headquarters at the [[Kaiser Center]] in Downtown Oakland. Station-to-station train movement, including speed control and maintenance of separation between successive trains, is entirely automatic under normal operation, the operator's routine responsibilities being issuing announcements, closing the doors after station stops, and monitoring the track ahead for hazards. In unusual circumstances the operator controls the train manually at reduced speed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Natalie |date=March 19, 2019 |title='Troubleshooting on the fly': Riding in the cab with a BART operator |url=https://www.berkeleyside.org/2019/03/19/troubleshooting-on-the-fly-riding-in-the-cab-with-a-bart-operator |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=Berkeleyside |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Parking ===
Many BART stations offer parking; however, underpricing causes station parking lots to overflow in the morning.<ref>{{Cite news |title=BART parking overview |publisher=BART |url=http://bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp |url-status=dead |access-date=January 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922182009/http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp |archive-date=September 22, 2006}}</ref> Pervasive congestion and underpricing forces some to drive to distant stations in search of parking.<ref name="Richards2015October">{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Gary |date=October 7, 2015 |title=Opening of BART Warm Springs station pushed back to next year |work=San Jose Mercury News |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mr-roadshow/ci_28929100/roadshow-opening-bart-warm-springs-station-pushed-back |access-date=October 9, 2015 |quote=parking after 10 a.m. at any BART station is difficult. Here are the southern Alameda County stations where you might get lucky and find parking in this order: South Hayward, Hayward, Union City, West Dublin/Pleasanton and Castro Valley.... BART is testing the feasibility of posting real-time information that would let a driver check whether spots are available at a particular station. Right now, the best it can do is to provide estimates on its website for when parking lots will be full.}}</ref> BART operates Parking Lots at 36 stations and offers parking passes for designated spots at many stations.<ref>{{cite web |title=BART parking |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/parking |website=BART Parking guide |access-date=2023-02-03}}</ref>

BART offers long-term airport parking through a third-party vendor<ref name="BartAiportParking">{{Cite web |title=Long-Term Parking for Travelers |url=http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/longterm.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922190045/http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/longTerm.asp |archive-date=September 22, 2006 |access-date=January 7, 2007 |publisher=BART}}</ref> at most East Bay stations. Travelers must make an online reservation in advance and pay the daily fee of $5 before they can leave their cars at the BART parking lot.

Parking at stations in Santa Clara County (Milpitas and Berryessa/North San José) is managed by [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority]] rather than BART.

=== Accessibility ===
All BART trains have dedicated spaces for wheelchair users and every station has accessible elevators.<ref name="Accessibility">{{Cite web |title=Wheelchair or Limited Mobility |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/mobility |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511054034/https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/mobility |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> Estimated train arrival times and service announcements are both displayed on platform-level screens and announced audibly over the [[public address system]]. Station platforms are equipped with [[tactile paving]] to aid those with visual impairments, and [[Braille]]/tactile signs are present throughout stations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Low Vision or Blind {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/guide/accessibility/vision |access-date=May 10, 2021 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>

==== Platform elevators ====
[[File:Elevator faregate on Embarcadero BART platform.jpg|thumb|The elevator faregate on the [[Embarcadero station]] BART platform, installed in December 2021]]
At some stations, the elevator to the platform (which is inside the [[paid area]]) is accessed from an unpaid area of the station. To enter the BART system at one of these stations, passengers using the elevator must first pass through a faregate into the paid area and then exit back through the swing gate adjacent to the station agent booth before taking the elevator to the platform. To exit the system from one of these stations, passengers must do the reverse: take the elevator from the platform to the concourse level, enter the paid area through the swing gate, and then process their ticket at a faregate to exit the paid area once again. Station agents may be able to assist upon request.<ref name="Accessibility" /> The configuration of these stations enables [[fare evasion]] and causes confusion for passengers.<ref name="Moench 2020">{{Cite news |last=Moench |first=Mallory |date=December 7, 2020 |title=BART's new gate stopped some fare cheats this year. How will the agency pay for more? |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-new-gate-stopped-some-fare-cheats-this-15777567.php |access-date=May 10, 2021 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

As of 2020, eighteen stations{{efn|[[12th Street Oakland City Center station|12th Street Oakland City Center]], [[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]], [[Balboa Park station|Balboa Park]], [[Bay Fair station|Bay Fair]], [[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[Oakland Coliseum station|Coliseum]], [[Concord station (BART)|Concord]], [[Downtown Berkeley station|Downtown Berkeley]], [[El Cerrito del Norte station|El Cerrito del Norte]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[Embarcadero station|Embarcadero]], [[Montgomery station (BART)|Montgomery]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], [[Powell Street station|Powell]], [[Rockridge station|Rockridge]], [[South Hayward station|South Hayward]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had a platform elevator outside of the paid area.<ref name="New fare gates 2020">{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Next Generation Fare Gates Update |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/New%20Fare%20Gate%20Board%20Presentation%20Board%2012032020.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123075641/https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/New%20Fare%20Gate%20Board%20Presentation%20Board%2012032020.pdf |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |access-date=May 12, 2021 |website=[[BART]]}}</ref> Of these, three stations{{efn|[[Oakland Coliseum station|Coliseum]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had ticket processing machines near the elevators that allowed elevator users to avoid having to enter, then exit, then re-enter the paid area; however, these did nothing to deter fare evasion.<ref name="Accessibility" /> BART has begun to correct this issue at stations either by expanding the paid area on the concourse level or by installing a single accessible faregate in front of the elevator doors.<ref name="Moench 2020" /><ref name="New fare gates 2020" /> By December 2021, the number of stations with elevators outside the paid area had been reduced to eight.{{efn|[[19th Street Oakland station|19th Street Oakland]], [[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], [[Powell Street station|Powell]], [[Rockridge station|Rockridge]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}}<ref name="New fare gates 2022" /> Five of these stations{{efn|[[Civic Center/UN Plaza station|Civic Center]], [[El Cerrito Plaza station|El Cerrito Plaza]], [[North Berkeley station|North Berkeley]], [[Orinda station|Orinda]], and [[Walnut Creek station|Walnut Creek]]}} had elevator faregates installed by January 2023, while the paid area on the concourse level at {{bart|19th Street Oakland}} was expanded to include a new elevator as part of a larger renovation.<ref name="New fare gates 2022">{{Cite press release |title=New Embarcadero platform fare gate speeds up transfer to Muni, improves accessibility, reduces fare evasion |date=February 9, 2022 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2022/news20220209-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2016 |title=GO Uptown Gateway to Oakland Uptown: 2016 TIGER Grant Project Summary |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2018-03-15%20Website%20Handout.pdf |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2022 |title=Next Generation Fare Gates Update |url=https://bart.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10663025&GUID=B7D3ADE7-4576-4824-B81F-05A906613649 |access-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref> As of March 2023, only [[Orinda station|Orinda]] and [[Powell Street station|Powell Street]] stations have a platform elevator outside the paid area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=New Fare Gates & Station Hardening {{!}} bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> New elevator faregates are expected to be installed at these two remaining stations by April 2023.<ref name=":0" />

=== Cell phone and Wi-Fi ===
In 2004, BART became the first transit system in the United States to offer [[cell phone|cellular telephone]] communication to passengers of all major wireless carriers on its trains underground.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Michael Cabanatuan |date=November 19, 2005 |title=Underground, but not unconnected – BART offers wireless service to riders |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/19/MNGF2FR6C11.DTL |access-date=January 22, 2007}}</ref> Service was made available for customers of [[Verizon Wireless]], [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint/Nextel]], [[AT&T Mobility]], and [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] in and between the four San Francisco Market Street stations from [[Civic Center (BART station)|Civic Center]] to [[Embarcadero (BART station)|Embarcadero]]. In 2009, service was expanded to include the Transbay Tube, thus providing continuous cellular coverage between [[West Oakland (BART station)|West Oakland]] and [[Balboa Park (BART station)|Balboa Park]].<ref name="wireless_12_21_2009">{{Cite web|title=BART expands wireless access to Transbay Tube &#124; bart.gov|url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20091221b|access-date=November 23, 2022|website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> In 2010, service was expanded to all underground stations in Oakland (19th Street, 12th Street/Oakland City Center, and Lake Merritt).<ref name="wireless_08_27_2010">{{Cite web|title=BART expands wireless network to underground stations in downtown Oakland &#124; bart.gov|url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20100827|access-date=November 23, 2022|website=www.bart.gov}}</ref>

In 2007, BART ran a [[beta test]] of [[Wi-Fi]] Internet access for travelers. It initially included the four San Francisco downtown stations: Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center. It included above ground testing to trains at BART's Hayward Test Track. The testing and deployment were extended into the underground interconnecting tubes between the four downtown stations and further. The successful demonstration provided for a ten-year contract with WiFi Rail, Inc. for the services throughout the BART right of way.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=WiFi Rail Inc. to provide wifi access on BART system |date=February 2009 |publisher=BART |url=http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20090202.aspx |access-date=February 2, 2009}}</ref> In 2008, the Wi-Fi service was expanded to include the [[Transbay Tube]].<ref>{{Cite press release |title=WiFi Rail Tube Access |date=June 2009 |publisher=KRON 4 |url=http://www.wifirail.net/clips/kron4.com_061809.mov |access-date=June 18, 2009}}</ref> BART terminated the relationship with Wi-Fi Rail in December 2014, citing that WiFi Rail had not submitted an adequate financial or technical plan for completing the network throughout the BART system.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 30, 2014 |title=BART scraps Wi-Fi contract, prompting threats of legal action |newspaper=Sfgate |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-cuts-Wi-Fi-service-prompting-threats-of-5984611.php |access-date=July 6, 2016 |last1=Williams |first1=By Kale }}</ref>

In 2011, during the [[#Charles Hill|Charles Hill killing and aftermath]] BART disabled cell phone service to hamper demonstrators.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elinson |first=Zusha |date=August 11, 2011|title=BART Cuts Cell Service to Foil Protest |work=The Bay Citizen |url=http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/bart-cut-cell-service-foil-protest/ |url-status=dead |access-date=September 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817042150/http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/bart-cut-cell-service-foil-protest/ |archive-date=August 17, 2011}}</ref> The ensuing controversy drew widespread coverage<ref name="reuters">{{Cite news |date=March 2, 2012 |title=US regulators seek input on cell phone interruptions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/fcc-wireless-disruptions-idUSL2E8E2E6M20120303 |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref> that raised legal questions about free speech rights of protesters and the federal telecommunications laws that relate to passengers.<ref name="law journal">{{Cite web |last=Rachel Lackert |date=May 1, 2012 |title=BART Cell Phone Service Shutdown: Time for a Virtual Forum? |url=http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1626&context=fclj |access-date=January 2, 2016 |quote=this unilateral action raised significant legal questions as to whether this was authorized under federal telecommunications law relating to the right of the passengers to access the telephone network and the legality of a shutdown by a quasi-governmental authority such as BART. Additionally, BART's actions raised issues concerning the First Amendment rights of the passengers and protesters to freedom of speech and assembly.}}</ref> In response, BART released an official policy on cutting off cell phone service.<ref name="electronic frontier foundation">{{Cite news |date=August 12, 2012 |title=BART's Cell Phone Shutdown, One Year Later |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/08/barts-cell-phone-shutdown-one-year-later |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>

== Organization and management ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:250px; font-size:95%; float:right; clear:right; margin:10px"
|-
!colspan=2|2012 statistics
|-
|Number of vehicles||670
|-
|Initial system cost||$1.6&nbsp;billion
|-
|Equivalent cost in 2004 dollars (replacement cost)||$15&nbsp;billion
|-
|Hourly passenger capacity||15,000
|-
|Maximum daily capacity||360,000
|-
|Average weekday ridership||365,510
|-
|Annual operating revenue||$379.10&nbsp;million
|-
|Annual expenses||$619.10&nbsp;million
|-
|Annual profits (losses)||($240.00&nbsp;million)
|-
|Rail cost/passenger mile (excluding capital costs)||$0.332
|}

=== Governance ===
The San Francisco [[Bay Area Rapid Transit District]] is a special district consisting of [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]], [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa County]], and the [[San Francisco|City and County of San Francisco]]. [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], which hosts six BART stations, and [[Santa Clara County]], which hosts two, are not part of the BART District. A nine-member elected Board of Directors represents nine districts. BART has its own [[Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department|police]] force.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BART Police |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/police/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826151055/http://www.bart.gov/about/police/ |archive-date=August 26, 2009 |access-date=August 23, 2009 |publisher=BART}}</ref>

While the district includes all of the cities and communities in its jurisdiction, some of these cities do not have stations on the BART system. This has caused tensions among property owners in cities like [[Livermore, California|Livermore]] who pay BART taxes but must travel outside the city to receive BART service.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 17, 2003 |title=BART's Livermore role reviewed |publisher=Contra Costa Times |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CC&s_site=contracostatimes&p_multi=CC&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1064A15771213A81&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |access-date=August 23, 2009}}</ref> In areas like Fremont, the majority of commuters do not commute in the direction that BART would take them (many Fremonters commute to San Jose).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} This would be remedied with the completion of the [[Silicon Valley BART extension]]. Phase I of the extension opened on June 13, 2020, giving San Jose its first BART station, [[Berryessa/North San José station]].

==== BART Board of Directors ====
{| class="wikitable"
!District
!Stations Included
!Counties Included
!Board Member
|-
|1
|Concord, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre, Walnut Creek
|Contra Costa
|Matt Rinn
|-
|2
|Antioch, Concord (partial), North Concord/Martinez, Pittsburg/Bay Point, Pittsburg Center
|Contra Costa
|Mark Foley
|-
|3
|Bay Fair, Downtown Berkeley, El Cerrito del Norte (partial), El Cerrito Plaza (partial), North Berkeley, Orinda, Rockridge, San Leandro
|Alameda/Contra Costa
|Barnali Ghosh
|-
|4
|Bay Fair, Coliseum, Fruitvale, Hayward (partial), Oakland International Airport, San Leandro, and South Hayward (partial)
|Alameda
|Robert Raburn
|-
|5
|Castro Valley, Dublin/Pleasanton, Hayward, West Dublin/Pleasanton
|Alameda
|Melissa Hernandez
|-
|6
|Fremont, South Hayward (partial), Union City, Warm Springs/South Fremont
|Alameda
|Liz Ames
|-
|7
|Ashby, El Cerrito del Norte (partial), El Cerrito Plaza (partial), MacArthur (partial), Montgomery (partial), Richmond, West Oakland, Embarcadero (partial)
|Alameda/Contra Costa/San Francisco
|Victor Flores
|-
|8
|Balboa Park, Embarcadero (partial), Glen Park (partial), Montgomery (partial), Powell Street (partial)
|San Francisco
|Janice Li
|-
|9
|16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Civic Center, Powell Street, Balboa Park (partial)
|San Francisco
|Edward Wright
|}

==== BART General Managers ====
* [[B. R. Stokes]] (1963–1974)
* Larry Dahms (Acting)
* Frank Herringer
* Keith Bernard
* Frank Wilson (1989–1994)
* [[Richard A. White]] (1994–1996)
* [[Thomas Margro]] (1996–2007)
* [[Dorothy Dugger]] (2007–2011)
* [[Grace Crunican]] (2011–2019)
* Bob Powers (2019–present)

=== Budget ===
In 2005, BART required nearly $300&nbsp;million in funds after fares. About 37% of the costs went to maintenance, 29% to actual transportation operations, 24% to general administration, 8% to police services, and 4% to construction and engineering. In 2005, 53% of the budget was derived from fares, 32% from taxes, and 15% from other sources, including advertising, station retail space leasing, and parking fees.<ref name="bart_ar">{{Cite report |url=http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.pdf |title=BART 2005 Annual Report |date=2005 |access-date=August 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922203544/http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.pdf |archive-date=September 22, 2006 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite report |url=http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.pdf |title=BART 2005 Annual Report |date=2005 |access-date=August 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922203544/http://www.bart.gov/docs/AR2005.pdf |archive-date=September 22, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> BART reported a [[farebox recovery ratio]] of 75.67% in February 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |title=BART 2016 Factsheet |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2016Factsheet_v11.pdf |access-date=April 18, 2016 |website=BART.gov |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit}}</ref> up from 2012's 68.2%.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 6, 2012 |title=Sustainable BART |url=http://news.theregistrysf.com/sustainable-bart/ |magazine=The Registry SF}}</ref> BART train operators and station agents have a maximum salary of $62,000 per year with an average of $17,000 in overtime pay.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griffin |first=Melissa |date=June 13, 2013 |title=BART labor seeking more money for not laboring |work=[[The San Francisco Examiner]] |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/bart-labor-seeking-more-money-for-not-laboring/Content?oid=2459157 |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |access-date=July 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707195716/http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/bart-labor-seeking-more-money-for-not-laboring/Content?oid=2459157 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (BART management claimed that in 2013, union train operators and station agents averaged about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime, and pay a $92 monthly fee from that for health insurance.)<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 3, 2013 |title=San Francisco rail strike continues as commuters face third day of chaos |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/03/san-francisco-bart-rail-strike}}</ref>

== Incidents and controversies ==
{{see also|History of BART#Incidents and accidents}}

=== BART Police shootings ===

==== Oscar Grant III ====
{{Main|Shooting of Oscar Grant}}
On January 1, 2009, a [[Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department|BART Police]] officer, Johannes Mehserle, fatally shot Oscar Grant III.<ref name="deadlybart">{{Cite news |last1=Jill Tucker |last2=Kelly Zito |last3=Heather Knight |date=January 2, 2009 |title=Deadly BART brawl – officer shoots rider, 22 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/02/MNB9152I2Q.DTL |url-status=live |access-date=January 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104054941/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2009%2F01%2F02%2FMNB9152I2Q.DTL |archive-date=January 4, 2009}}</ref><ref name="resign">{{Cite news |last1=Eliott C. McLaughlin |last2=Augie Martin |last3=Dan Simon |year=2009 |title=Spokesman: Officer in subway shooting has resigned |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/07/BART.shooting/index.html |access-date=January 5, 2009}}</ref> Eyewitnesses gathered [[direct evidence]] of the shooting with video cameras, which were later submitted to and disseminated by media outlets and watched hundreds of thousands of times<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elinor Mills |year=2009 |title=Web videos of Oakland shooting fuel emotions, protests |work=[[CNET Networks]] |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10137796-93.html |access-date=January 9, 2009}}</ref> in the days following the shooting. Both peaceful and violent demonstrations occurred protesting the shooting.<ref name="Bulwa">{{Cite news |last1=Demian Bulwa |last2=Charles Burress |last3=Matthew B. Stannard |last4=Matthai Kuruvilaurl |date=January 8, 2009 |title=Protests over BART shooting turn violent |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/MN2N155CN1.DTL |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116014530/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2009%2F01%2F07%2FMN2N155CN1.DTL |archive-date=January 16, 2009}}</ref>

BART held multiple public meetings to ease tensions led by [[Carole Ward Allen|BART Director Carole Ward Allen]]<ref name="AP111">{{Cite news |last=Terry Collins |date=January 11, 2009 |title=Transit board gets another earful on Oakland death |publisher=Associated Press |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TRAIN_STATION_SHOOTING?SITE=CAELI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112085833/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TRAIN_STATION_SHOOTING?SITE=CAELI&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |archive-date=January 12, 2009}}</ref> who called on the BART Board to hire two independent auditors to investigate the shooting, and to provide recommendations to the board regarding [[Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department|BART Police]] misconduct.<ref name="BARTcreates">{{Cite news |last=Maria L. La Ganga |date=January 13, 2009 |title=BART board creates commission to oversee transit police |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-13-me-bart-shooting13-story.html}}</ref> Director Ward Allen established BART's first Police Department Review Committee and worked with [[Sandre Swanson|Assemblyman Sandre Swanson]] to pass AB 1586 in the [[California State Legislature]], which enforced civilian oversight of the BART Police Department.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 2020 |title=Governor signs bill into law authorizing citizen oversight of BART Police |work=bart.gov |url=https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20100716}}</ref> BART Director Lynette Sweet said that "BART has not handled this [situation] correctly,"<ref name="apology">{{Cite news |last1=Rachel Gordon |last2=Steve Rubenstein |date=January 9, 2009 |title=BART directors apologize to slain man's family |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/MN3U155V2F.DTL |url-status=dead |access-date=January 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116110601/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2009%2F01%2F09%2FMN3U155V2F.DTL |archive-date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref> and called for the BART police chief and general manager to step down, but only one other BART Director, Tom Radulovich, supported such action.<ref name="cuff127">{{Cite news |last=Cuff |first=Denis |date=January 27, 2009 |title=Second BART director wants new general manager |publisher=Contra Costa Times |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/oakland-bart-shooting/ci_11567734 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310062107/http://www.mercurynews.com/oakland-bart-shooting/ci_11567734 |archive-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref>

Mehserle was arrested and charged with murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. Oakland [[civil rights]] attorney [[John Burris]] filed a US$25&nbsp;million [[wrongful death claim]] against the district on behalf of Grant's daughter and girlfriend.<ref name="BSFSB">{{Cite news |year=2009 |title=BART Shooting: Family Suing BART For $25&nbsp;Million |work=[[KTVU]] |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/18409300/detail.html |url-status=dead |access-date=January 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116015823/http://www.ktvu.com/news/18409300/detail.html |archive-date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref> Mehserle's trial was subsequently moved to Los Angeles following concerns that he would be unable to get a fair trial in Alameda County. On July 8, 2010, Mehserle was found guilty on a lesser charge of [[involuntary manslaughter]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 8, 2010 |title=Jury Finds Mehserle Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter |work=[[KTVU]] |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/24188551/detail.html |url-status=dead |access-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714022412/http://www.ktvu.com/news/24188551/detail.html |archive-date=July 14, 2010}}</ref> He was released on parole on June 13, 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bulwa |first=Demian |date=June 14, 2011 |title=Johannes Mehserle, ex-BART officer, leaves jail |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/13/BAIJ1JT7CV.DTL |access-date=August 21, 2011}}</ref>

==== Charles Hill ====
On July 3, 2011, an officer of the BART Police shot and killed Charles Hill at Civic Center Station in San Francisco. Hill had thrown a bottle at the officers and was in the process of throwing a knife at them from a distance of about 15 feet when the first shot was fired.<ref name="Shooting case dismissed">{{Cite web |date=2014-09-13 |title=Judge Dismisses Suit Over 2011 Fatal Shooting By BART Officer |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/judge-dismisses-suit-over-2011-fatal-shooting-by-bart-officer/ |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

On August 12, 2011, BART shut down cellphone services on the network for three hours in an effort to hamper possible protests against the shooting<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Murphy |first=David |date=August 13, 2011 |title=To Prevent Protests, San Francisco Subway Turns Off Cell Signals, August&nbsp;13,&nbsp;2011 |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391046,00.asp |magazine=PC Magazine |access-date=August 18, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=S.F. subway muzzles cell service during protest |work=CNET |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20091822-245/s.f-subway-muzzles-cell-service-during-protest/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20}}</ref> and to keep communications away from protesters at the Civic Center station in San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Questions, Complaints Arise Over BART Cutting Cell Phone Service |work=[[KTVU]] |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/28854510/detail.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005000120/http://www.ktvu.com/news/28854510/detail.html |archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref> The shutdown caught the attention of state senator [[Leland Yee]] and international media, as well as drawing comparisons to the internet shutdowns during the [[2011 Egyptian revolution|Egyptian revolution]] earlier that year.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Leland Yee scolds BART over cell phone blackout |work=KGO-TV |url=https://abc7news.com/archive/8305470/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824224155/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fsan_francisco&id=8305470 |archive-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref> Antonette Bryant, the union president for BART, stated that "BART have lost our confidence and are putting rider and employee safety at risk."<ref>{{Cite news |title=BART Under Fire From Hackers, Critics, Employees |work=KTVU |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/28870409/detail.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005001102/http://www.ktvu.com/news/28870409/detail.html |archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref>

Members of [[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]] broke into BART's website and posted names, phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail information on the Anonymous website.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Hackers Escalate Attack On BART; User IDs Stolen |work=[[KTVU]] |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/28863267/detail.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005003324/http://www.ktvu.com/news/28863267/detail.html |archive-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Shadowy Internet group Anonymous attacks BART website |work=San Francisco Examiner |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/2011/08/anonymous-attacks-bart-website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617072511/http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/2011/08/anonymous-attacks-bart-website |archive-date=June 17, 2012}}</ref>

On August 15, 2011, there was more disruption in service at BART stations in downtown San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite news |title=BART runs without problems despite protest threats |work=[[KGO-TV]] |url=https://abc7news.com/archive/8301228/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111101447/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources%2Ftraffic&id=8301228 |archive-date=November 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=BART Warns Commuters Of Potential Protest Disruptions |work=[[KTVU]] |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/28834929/detail.html |url-status=dead |access-date=August 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127085342/http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/bart-warns-commuters-of-potential-protest-disrupti/nDTRR/ |archive-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=BART Warns Commuters Of Potential Protest Disruptions |work=NBC Bay Area |url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/BART-Protest-Could-Impact-Evening-Commute-127554708.html}}</ref> ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]'' reported that the protests were a result of the shootings, including that of Oscar Grant.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Protesters storm BART, slow commute out of San Francisco |work=San Francisco Examiner |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/07/protesters-storm-bart-slow-commute-out-san-francisco |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216194854/http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/07/protesters-storm-bart-slow-commute-out-san-francisco |archive-date=December 16, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=BART warns passengers of possible protests at San Francisco stations Thursday |work=San Francisco Examiner |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/08/bart-warns-passengers-possible-protests-san-francisco-stations-thursday |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728191419/http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/08/bart-warns-passengers-possible-protests-san-francisco-stations-thursday |archive-date=July 28, 2012}}</ref>

On August 29, 2011, a coalition of nine public interest groups led by [[Public Knowledge]] filed an Emergency Petition asking the U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) to declare "that the actions taken by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District ("BART") on August 11, 2011, violated the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, when it deliberately interfered with access to Commercial Mobile Radio Service ("CMRS") by the public" and "that local law enforcement has no authority to suspend or deny CMRS, or to order CMRS providers to suspend or deny service, absent a properly obtained order from the Commission, a state commission of appropriate jurisdiction, or a court of law with appropriate jurisdiction".<ref>[http://www.cdt.org/files/pdfs/Emergency%20Petition%20for%20Declaratory%20Ruling_0.pdf "In the Matter of the Petition of Public Knowledge et al. for Declaratory Ruling that Disconnection of Telecommunications Services Violates the Communications Act"], Harold Feld, Legal Director, and Sherwin Siy, Deputy Legal Director, of Public Knowledge before the Federal Communications Commission, August 29, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Crawford |first=Susan |date=September 25, 2011 |title=Phone, Web Clampdowns in Crises Are Intolerable |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-26/phone-web-clampdowns-in-crises-are-intolerable-susan-crawford.html}}</ref>

In December 2011 BART adopted a new "Cell Service Interruption Policy" that only allows shutdowns of cell phone services within BART facilities "in the most extraordinary circumstances that threaten the safety of District passengers, employees and other members of public, the destruction of District property, or the substantial disruption of public transit service".<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2011 |title=Cell Service Interruption Policy |url=http://www.bart.gov/docs/final_CSIP.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218011705/http://www.bart.gov/docs/final_CSIP.pdf |archive-date=December 18, 2011 |access-date=March 30, 2012 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}</ref> According to a spokesperson for BART, under the new policy the wireless phone system would not be turned off under circumstances similar to those in August 2011. Instead police officers would arrest individuals who break the law.<ref name="NYT-2March2012">{{Cite news |last=Wyatt |first=Edward |date=March 2, 2012 |title=F.C.C. Asks for Guidance on Whether, and When, to Cut Off Cellphone Service |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/technology/fcc-reviews-need-for-rules-to-interrupt-wireless-service.html}}</ref>

In February 2012, the San Francisco District Attorney concluded that the BART Police Officer that shot and killed Charles Hill at the Civic Center BART station the previous July "acted lawfully in self defense" and would not face charges for the incident.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowell |first=James |date=February 22, 2012 |title=BART Officer Who Shot Charles Hill, 'Acted Lawfully' According To District Attorney |work=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/james-crowell-charles-hill_n_1294352.html}}</ref>

In March 2012, the FCC requested public comment on the question of whether or when the police and other government officials can intentionally interrupt cellphone and Internet service to protect [[public safety]].<ref name="NYT-2March2012" />

A federal lawsuit filed against BART by Charles Hill's brother was dismissed in 2013.<ref name="Shooting case dismissed" /> The federal judge concluded that "a reasonable officer in that situation could believe that he was in danger of being hit by a knife after having had a bottle thrown at him."<ref name="Shooting case dismissed" /> The lawyers of Hill's family did not dispute that he had thrown a knife at the officer, but argued that both officers should have done more to deescalate the situation.<ref name="Shooting case dismissed" />

=== Worker fatalities ===

==== 1979 fatal electrical fire ====
{{Further|Transbay Tube#January 1979 fire}}
In January 1979, an electrical fire occurred on a train as it was passing through the [[Transbay Tube]]. One firefighter (Lt. William Elliott, 50, of the Oakland Fire Department) was killed in the effort to extinguish the blaze. Since then, safety regulations have been updated.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geoffrey Hunter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0WPyrvBDAcC&pg=PA97 |title=Oakland Fire Department |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7385-2968-4 |page=95}}</ref>

==== James Strickland ====
On October 14, 2008, track inspector James Strickland was struck and killed by a train as he was walking along a section of track between the Concord and Pleasant Hill BART stations. Strickland's death started an investigation into BART's safety alert procedures.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Gordon |first1=Rachel |last2=Bulwa |first2=Demian |last3=Jones |first3=Carolyn |date=October 15, 2008 |title=BART train kills worker on tracks in Concord |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-train-kills-worker-on-tracks-in-Concord-3189945.php |access-date=December 29, 2010}}</ref> At the time of the accident, BART had [[Single tracking|assigned trains headed in opposite directions to a shared track]] for routine maintenance. BART came under further fire in February 2009 for allegedly delaying payment of death benefits to Strickland's family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eskenazi |first=Joe |date=February 2, 2009 |title=BART Accused of Being Late – in Paying Out to Survivors of Track Inspector Killed by Train |url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/02/bart_accused_of_being_late_--.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105174409/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/02/bart_accused_of_being_late_--.php |archive-date=January 5, 2011 |access-date=December 29, 2010 |publisher=San Francisco News – The Snitch. Blogs.sfweekly.com}}</ref>

==== October 2013 incident ====
On the afternoon of October 19, 2013, a BART employee and a contractor, who were inspecting tracks, were struck and killed near Walnut Creek by a train being moved for routine maintenance. A labor strike by BART's two major unions was underway at the time, which caused BART to use an undertrained operator. Instead of the usual 14 weeks of the training, the operator only received four. The BART trainer was not in the cab with the operator at the time of impact but was instead in the passenger compartment. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] concluded that the accident occurred because BART facilitated access to the railway line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Railroad Accident Brief: Bay Area Rapid Transit Train 963 Struck Roadway Workers |url=https://ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAB1503.aspx |access-date=September 26, 2020 |website=ntsb.gov}}</ref> BART was fined $600,000 for the incident.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 13, 2017 |title=Video of 2013 Fatal BART Accident Reveals Safety Lapses: Regulators |work=NBC Bay Area |url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/State-Seeks-Hefty-Fine-For-BART-in-Deaths-of-Two-Workers-419397954.html |access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref>

=== Crime ===
In mid-2017, BART came under criticism for refusing to publicly release video evidence of crimes committed at Oakland stations. That year, in at least three incidents, groups of young people had boarded stopped trains and attacked and robbed train riders.<ref name="surveillance article">{{Cite news |last=Caen |first=Melissa |date=July 9, 2017 |title=BART Withholding Surveillance Videos of Crime to Avoid 'Stereotypes' |publisher=CBS San Francisco |url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/07/09/bart-withholding-surveillance-videos-of-crime-to-avoid-stereotypes/}}</ref>
In response to the criticism, a BART manager argued that "to release these videos would create a high level of racially insensitive commentary toward the district [...] and in addition it would create a racial bias in the riders against minorities on the trains." According to an internal memo, the agency decided to not issue a press release about one of the cases (where a woman had her phone stolen by one of a group of teenagers) in order to avoid having BART look "crime ridden" and because it would "unfairly affect and characterize riders of color, leading to sweeping generalizations in media reports."<ref name="surveillance article" /> A spokesman also stated that state laws about "juvenile police records" prohibited BART from releasing surveillance video.<ref name="surveillance article" />

In 2018, BART released surveillance video from one of the 2017 incidents, showing (as summarized by [[KRON-TV|KRON4]]) "the moments leading up to a mob-style attack on a BART train [... with] about 40 teens jumping the fare gates and pushing through the emergency gates at the station as an overwhelmed station agent calls for help."<ref name="Kelly 2018">{{Cite web |date=2018-09-25 |title=WATCH: Video shows moments before BART mob attack in Oakland |url=https://www.kron4.com/news/watch-video-shows-moments-before-bart-mob-attack-in-oakland/ |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=KRON4 |language=en-US}}</ref> BART stated that two juveniles and an 18-year-old had been arrested for the incident, with the 18-year-old ending up serving one year in jail.<ref name="Kelly 2018" /> In September 2017, six victims of the robberies/assaults filed suit against BART for gross negligence, claiming BART did not provide adequate security for its riders.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruggiero |first=Angela |date=September 14, 2017 |title=BART mob robbery: Six victims sue transit agency over brazen attacks |work=The East Bay Times |url=http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/09/14/bart-mob-robbery-six-victims-sue-transit-agency-over-brazen-attacks/}}</ref> In January 2020, two passengers affected by the same incident lost their lawsuits, one of them on the grounds that she had been attacked on the platform rather than on the train, outside of BART's [[common carrier]] duties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Egelko |first=Bob |date=2020-01-18 |title=BART not responsible for safety of passenger on platform, court rules |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-not-responsible-for-safety-of-passenger-on-14985051.php |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Henry |date=2020-01-20 |title=TV news report on KTVU |url=https://twitter.com/henrykleektvu/status/1217630496428978176 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Twitter |language=en}}</ref>

On July 22, 2018, [[Murder of Nia Wilson|a man fatally stabbed 18-year-old Nia Wilson]] with a knife as she exited a train car at the [[MacArthur station (BART)|MacArthur station]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 23, 2018 |title=BART Investigating 3 Homicides in Less Than a Week |publisher=CBS San Francisco |url=https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/07/23/bart-investigating-three-homicides-in-less-than-a-week/}}</ref> This was the third homicide at a BART station within five days.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sweeney |first=Don |date=July 23, 2018 |title=3 killed in 5 days at BART stations. Official calls it an 'anomaly' |work=The Sacramento Bee |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article215392800.html}}</ref> In June 2019, the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury released a report documenting a 128% increase in thefts on BART between 2014 and 2018, and an 83% increase in aggravated assault during the same time period.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swan |first=Rachel |date=June 25, 2019 |title=Violent crime on BART more than doubles in four years |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Violent-crime-on-BART-doubles-in-four-years-14039170.php |access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref>
<!-- This controversial claim has been hidden pending outcome of talk page discussion
=== Racially biased design ===
{{pov section|date=February 2023|talk=Alleged racially biased design}}
In the 1960s, BART was designed to speed white suburban commuters past minority urban neighborhoods. For example, it has stop spacing of {{convert|2.75|mi}} in the racially diverse and dense urban neighborhood of [[San Antonio, Oakland, California|San Antonio, Oakland]], but {{convert|1.75|mi}} in majority-white suburban Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill.<ref name="kinder">{{cite web |last1=Spieler |first1=Christof |title=Racism has shaped public transit, and it's riddled with inequities |url=https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/racism-has-shaped-public-transit-and-its-riddled-inequities |website=Kinder Institute for Urban Research - Rice University |access-date=October 20, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pettigrew |first1=Thomas F. |title=Racial discrimination in the United States |date=1975 |publisher=Harper & Row |location=New York |isbn=9780060451837 |page=398 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ECd2AAAAMAAJ&q=rapid%20transit}}</ref> -->

BART has historically suffered from fare evasion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M57RY58fuI|title=BART Fare Evasion Remains Rampant Despite Crackdown|date=February 21, 2019 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> Prior police crackdowns have occurred, but have not curbed the issue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/transportation/barts-new-gates/3371906/|title=BART's new gates aimed at stemming costly fare evasion|first=Kris|last=Sanchez • •|date=November 15, 2023}}</ref> An estimated 448 calls per month are made to BART police regarding fare evaders, and riders have observed that, at times, there are more fare evaders than paying customers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Monthly Chief Report |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-02%20Monthly%20Chief%27s%20Report%20CRB%2003312023.pdf |website=www.bart.gov}}</ref> In April 2023, BART announced plans to install new gates resistant to fare evasion. The project, which was projected to cost $90 million, began with a pilot program at West Oakland station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate|title=New Fare Gates & Station Hardening &#124; Bay Area Rapid Transit|website=www.bart.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/bart-offers-preview-of-new-fare-gates/|title=BART offers preview of new fare gates|date=November 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://missionlocal.org/2023/08/bart-awards-contract-for-new-anti-fare-evasion-gates/|title=BART awards contract for new anti-fare-evasion gates|first=Gilare|last=Zada|date=August 7, 2023|website=Mission Local}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fermoso |first1=Jose |title=BART's new 'hardened' fare gates get mixed reactions from West Oakland riders |url=https://oaklandside.org/2024/01/26/barts-new-hardened-fare-gates-get-mixed-reactions-from-west-oakland-riders/ |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=The Oaklandside |date=26 January 2024}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |title=BART: a study of problems of rail transit |publisher=California. Legislature. Assembly. Committee on Transportation |year=1973}}
* {{Cite book |last=Richard Grefe |title=A history of the key decisions in the development of Bay Area Rapid Transit |publisher=National Technical Information Service |year=1976}}
* {{Cite book |last=E. Gareth Hoachlander |title=Bay Area Rapid Transit: who pays and who benefits? |publisher=University of California |year=1976}}
* [http://sonic.net/~mly/www.geolith.com/bart/#berkeley-exploration Engineering Geology of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System, 1964–75]
<!--* {{Cite book |last=Cervero |first=Robert |title=The transit metropolis: a global inquiry |publisher=Island Press |year=1998 |isbn=1-55963-591-6 |author-link=Robert Cervero}}
* {{Cite book |last=University of California |url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscobaya00scotrich |title=The San Francisco Bay area: its problems and future, Volume 2 |publisher=University of California |year=1966}}
* {{Cite book |last=Owen |first=Wilfred |url=https://archive.org/details/metropolitantran00owenrich |title=The metropolitan transportation problem |publisher=Anchor Books |year=1966 |url-access=registration}}-->

== External links ==
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|http://www.bart.gov/|Bay Area Rapid Transit}}

{{Bay Area Rapid Transit}}
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[[Category:Bay Area Rapid Transit| ]]
[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States]]
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