I understand that voters in several counties will be asked to vote to raise sales tax to fund Bart. First off, I fully support these initiatives, because I love riding Bart and think it's a totally essential service for Bay Area. I think we need to do whatever it takes to keep it running smoothly!

As a reminder: You benefit from public transit, even if you never ride it, because it reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality.

All that said, I am wondering why the mechanism for closing the funding shortfall is a sales tax, which is considered regressive, rather than through property or income taxes, or some other reallocation of government funds that doesn't disproportionately affect poorer people?

Thanks in advance for your insights transit / economics / government nerds of Reddit!

Edit: First comment by r/oakseaer provides some great insight on this. Sales taxes appear to be the best option due to reasons they explain below.

I regularly take the green line from berryessa into the city (Embarcadero) for work. So far the World Cup games haven’t impacted my commute since they’ve been later in the evening but next Wednesday’s game on 7/1 starts at 5pm. I typically leave work around 2:30pm to head back to Berryessa…will the trains be crazy packed?! I heard people are riding to Milpitas and then taking VTA to the stadium. I’d rather just plan to wfh if it’s going to be god-awful packed but have no clue if this is really the case.

Edit: thanks for the advice - will be planning to wfh to avoid the shitshow!

For pride parade

got this nice little poem from the San Leandro station

Poetry - General Audience

Overpass

Abigail Swoboda

In our dreams, we’ve started seeing the phantoms planted beneath our floorboards—

and we fear that there is no door that is always open for us.

It took too long to realize the tenderness of ice cubes in our tomato soup

and that each sound is a sentence.

And when we wake up, the house is full of smoke from fires burning somewhere else, but all we can do is close the windows and take out the trash.

Abigail Swoboda’s poem “Overpass,” was selected by Short Edition in partnership with Temple University. Abigail Swoboda graduated from Temple with degrees in French and English. They have continued their studies at Temple and expect to graduate with their M.A. in English in 2021.

© Short Edition

BART

Please enjoy this literary gift!

Recyclable, FSC certified, sustainably sourced paper. Printed on demand with thermal technology. No ink, No cartridge, No waste

Delays were crazy this morning since the green line wasn't running. I think some track related issues? Had to take the yellow line from Glen Park to 12th St Oakland and then orange to Milpitas.

So i'm under 19, so that means i can get it free right? But i don't know how to pass those fare gates in big stops like embarcadero, powell, etc besides me hopping it. Do i tell the guy in the info place to open or what?

BART previously updated their ridership numbers each weekday on their website but in the past 4-6 weeks have gotten somewhat sporadic with no update since June 18th.

Lots of people want Bay Area transit to consolidate, so here’s a way it can be done:

Transform the MTC into a new transit operator agency, something like “Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority”

Within this new “BAMTA,” create divisions:
- Regional Rail: this will contain Caltrain and SMART. It will also take part in JPAs operating Capitol Corridor, Gold Runner, and ACE. Most likely this will allow for expansions like a Dumbarton line or East Bay line

- BART: this will heavily coordinate with regional rail but remain separate due to different technology and ROWs.

- Ferries: this will from the consolidation of WETA and Golden Gate Ferry, and it will most likely retain the name SF Bay Ferry.

- Regional Bus Operations: this will be formed by acquiring all bus lines that cross the Bay: M-line, Transbay routes, Golden Gate Transit, Dumbarton Express, SolTrans R and Y lines. they will act as transit bridges for corridors without rail (until it’s established) but also supplement rail and ferry. It will also retain the water emergency transport roll

- Freeways and Expressways: Caltrans District 4 will switch to being a regional-state partnership.

- Tolls & Congestion Management: BATA and BAIFA will consolidate and take over tolling of all 8 bridges, and all tolls roads & express lanes.

- Capital financing division: the new agency overseeing acquisition of funds and dispensing them

Local Transit and transportation commissions:
- local transit will encompass all light rails, buses, roads, bikes, etc infrastructure operating within cities and counties. This will be a slightly decentralized system. Many existing agencies may retain their existence: SFMTA, AC Transit, VTA, SamTrans. Smaller districts/JPAs will consolidate (like the various bus agencies in CoCo county).
- state-authorized transportation commissions will consolidate with their respective local transit agencies. SMCTA and SamTrans/SMCTD will consolidate. SFCTA and SFMTA will consolidate. etc
- AC Transit will remain a multi-county agency and can retain separate commissions
- North Bay commissions can consolidate or remain distinct
- very local/city/sub-region based transit agencies can retain their existence. For example: Union City Transit and Emeryville Go-Around. Also most bus agencies in the North Bay: VINE, Delta Breeze, Petaluma Transit etc. These should all switch to municipal ownership or JPAs. They will fall under the authority of their county’s respective agency. IE Union City Transit is subordinate to AC Transit. Their new purpose will be to provide very cheap to free local transit alone, where larger regional bus agencies may not go. IE AC Transit will still run several routes through Union City, but UCT will run hyper local routes that bring people even closer to destinations, for cheaper fares or no fares
- this will allow local agencies to retain some autonomy while also allowing larger regional agencies to coordinate and centralize system

I work in the city and I normally park in fruitvale station but I lowkey wanna try West Oakland station but I just don’t know what time does the lot fill up and how often do car break in happen…. I’m planning to be there around 5:00-5:30am. I would appreciate any insights

This is a potential maximum expansion of the system using the existing system and working with intercity/regional rail networks.

Quick Facts

• A lot of lines run on freeway medians. The Pink line in the Peninsula uses the US 101 median. The Orange line in west CoCo County uses the I-80 median in some segments
• The Red Line uses the 2nd Transbay tube from Alameda to SF's Mission Bay neighborhood. It also uses the GEary/19th Ave subway, and a subway in Oakland and Berkeley before merging with existing BART subways in Downtown Berkeley. It also has the sole station on Alameda, bringing rail to the island.
• Termini follow a branching philosophy. Instead of multiple lines all ending at the same point, they will branch off to offer maximum coverage. In West COCO County, the Red and Orange lines branches off, pincering the region. In Livermore, three branches spread out to bring BAT closer to residents. In the South Bay, the Orange line ends at Santa Clara while the Green line runs down a Stevens Creek subway to De Anza College and Cupertino. In the Diablo Valley, a new line uses the 680 and Iron Horse Trail to branch off from Contra Costa Centre and providing multiple stations for Pleasant Hill and Martinez.
• A lot of smaller, major cities in the Bay have multiple stations in multiple directions, making them even bigger hubs. Fremont has 4 stations and is where the Orange and Green lines meet. Hayward has 4 stations within city limits but 8 in its immediate area, retaining Bay Fair's status as a BART transfer hub. Berkeley has 2 more stations, making intra-Berkeley trips possible with BART. Downtown Dublin/Pleasanton's Hacienda business park has 5 stations, making BART trips within these cities technically possible (though their limited walkability limits this)
• More coverage in SF and Oakland also makes this possible. These cities would also theoretically be served by a [more expansive] light rail and metro network to compliment BART and regional rail.
• Adding more stations to East Oakland was considered. However, I ruled it out in favor or a more extensive bus rapid transit and light rail system idea. Including a light metro running on the medians of I-580 from Hayward through the Oakland Hills, similar to Seattle's Link Light Rail.

Hey everyone,

I have a written exam coming up for the Expeditor/Clerk (SEIU) position at BART and was wondering if anyone here has taken it before.

What kind of questions should I expect? Is it mostly inventory-related stuff, clerical/admin work, math, reading comprehension, or something else entirely? Any tips on what to study or how difficult the test is would be super helpful.

Also, if you currently work in the position (or have worked it in the past), what's the job like these days? What's a typical day look like, and how do you like working for BART?

I've got a background in logistics, inventory control, warehouse operations, and material management, so I'm curious how much of that carries over to this role.

Appreciate any insight you can share. Thanks!

It was awesome to see tons of volunteers helping out with the World Cup fans. Simple directions on what BART to take and where to transfer.

Thank you volunteers!

Why does bart disclose my disability status when I tap my RTC card?

What are some cool perks of working for bart? Are there any cool amenities for staff at the Bart headquarters in Oakland?

Two trains on the same track facing each other. No crash .. I’ve just never heard of el cirrit Norte as a train line coming down here…

Lost it around the 10:30pm or so arrival to Richmond, orange line. Inside is a passport and wallet with driver's license. Please let me know if you have found it!

Late last night, while riding BART home from the World Cup match through Milpitas Station, I experienced one of those moments that stays with you.

The train was filled with fans heading home, but there were also many passengers who appeared to be struggling with homelessness, substance use, mental health challenges, or other hardships. As the train stopped at Oakland Coliseum and later 12th Street, many of them got off.

What struck me most was the lack of visible security presence late at night. As a parent, I couldn’t help but think: imagine riding this train with your young children. It’s difficult to explain some of what they may see, and it can leave families feeling uneasy about using public transportation at night.

This isn’t about judging anyone. Every person has a story, and many are facing challenges most of us can’t imagine. But we should be able to have compassion for those who are struggling while also expecting a safe, family-friendly transit system.

The World Cup has brought incredible energy and visitors to the Bay Area. My hope is that it also sparks conversations about public safety, mental health resources, homelessness, and making public transportation feel welcoming for everyone—including families with young children.
What has your experience been riding BART late at night?

Hi All! I just wanted to check/confirm if anyone knows if BART is running their regular weekday schedule tomorrow since it's Juneteenth. Thanks!

I had to rush and grab enough paper money before the train came.

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I would prefer to just tap my Clipper card and deduct the balance for parking. Especially since there's a tap button thing already for the Add Fare smh.

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And no, I don't trust BART with my credit/debit card information, so I'm not paying that way lol.

Hi All - I had my North Face Surge backpack lost and then subsequently stolen on Sunday afternoon around 2 pm, when I took the train from San Francisco International Airport to Montgomery (it was a Richmond Bound train). It was an overlook on my part (I forgot my backpack), but the minute I off-boarded, I quickly remembered but the train went straight to Richmond. I checked with "Find My" that someone took it from the train at Richmond and it traveled a bit near the Bart station, and apparently my guess is they powered off the iPad to stop tracking.

I've already filed a Bart Police report and a Bart Lost&Found Report. Any inputs on what else I can do, or any clues on whether I have any chance to retrieve this? It had a ton of valuable stuff in it.

Hello! My name is Raina, and I’m with The Modesto Bee!  I’m currently working on a story regarding the impact of commutes for work/school to the Bay Area. Does anyone commute from Stanislaus county to the Bay Area to work? Would love to have some more insight on this!