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Watch: BART representatives speak at Senate Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit on 5/16/23

Video of BART remarks at Senate Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit

BART Assistant General Manager of External Affairs Rodd Lee and interim BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin gave their remarks on May 16, 2023 at the Senate Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit at Sacramento. Please watch the video above for full remarks made by Lee and Franklin.

Lee and Franklin spoke of the measures BART has taken to improve public safety and the rider experience to help improve ridership, such as the new deployment plan by BART Police in March to double their visible presence on trains and stations. 

"As interim chief for BART Police Department, I know the stakes couldn't be higher for both BART and the Bay Area," said Franklin. "If we can boost our ridership, that can be the engine that helps drives the revitalization of Downtown San Francisco. The key steps of regaining riders back is to offer them a safe experience they can believe in. That vision of safety is what personally drives me forward as we respond to the concerns of our riders."

Lee spoke of new fare gates arriving to BART systemwide, expanded cleaning crews and a new service plan starting in September to improve reliability. The new fare gates, approved by the BART Board in April, will be first installed at West Oakland Station later this year and be finished systemwide by 2026. 

"This is a big win for rider safety," said Lee.

The full length video of the Senate Select Committee meeting can be found at https://www.senate.ca.gov/media-archive. BART's comments begin at 41:18. 

To learn more about BART's fiscal cliff, please visit bart.gov/fiscalcliff.