DART vs. BART World Series bet
Top Exec in Losing Region Will Serenade Winning Region's Riders in Team Uniform to Promote Transit Use
The top executives at BART and DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) have agreed to a unique and colorful World Series bet – one which is designed to promote transit use as well as amuse morning commuters.
BART Board President James Fang and DART Executive Director Gary Thomas have agreed that when the Giants win the World Series, Thomas will fly to the Bay Area, courtesy of Southwest Airlines, dress in Giants gear and serenade BART riders while passing out San Francisco treats during an upcoming morning commute.
"I, and the rest of the BART riders, look forward to getting pampered by Gary Thomas dressed in orange and black," BART Board President James Fang said. "I'm encouraging him to print his Southwest boarding pass early to improve his chances of getting a good seat."
Bet to Promote Public Transit Use
This first-of-its-kind World Series bet between two major transit systems is designed to promote transit use.
"Given the interest and energy surround the Giants going to the World Series, I can't think of a more fun way to promote taking BART to the ballpark," Fang said. "We hope to use this landmark event to remind fans that they can beat the backup by taking BART. With our 95% average customer on-time performance BART is clearly the most efficient means of getting to the ballpark. Fans taking BART to the ball park will save on time, gas, bridge tolls and the heartburn of missing the first pitch because they're either stuck in rush hour traffic or searching for those limited but expensive parking spots near AT&T Park. Not to mention, each person riding BART will also save an average of 23 pounds of global warming emissions during just one round trip to the ball park."
BART Running Longer Trains to World Series Games
On Wednesday and Thursday, BART will be running longer trains on all lines before and after the games, and will keep special event trains on standby in case even more space is needed. The first pitch both days is scheduled for 4:57 pm.
BART Encourages Riders to Buy Roundtrip Tickets
BART strongly encourages riders to buy roundtrip tickets to avoid waiting in lines at ticket machines after the games; or consider getting a Clipper electronic card and avoiding paper tickets altogether. For more information on Clipper, customers can visit www.clippercard.com.
Employees Show Spirit with Decorations, Caps
Fans taking BART will notice some extra touches of hometown pride. Station Agents in downtown San Francisco will be decorating their booths with Giants themes, and – in an exception to the usual uniform policy – employees are allowed to don Giants baseball caps.
Riders will see and hear a variety of "Go Giants" slogans on digital destination signs, on overhead platform announcements and, occasionally, in messages on trains that come from the Operations Control Center or from individual Train Operators. The slogarns are intended to show community spirit and make the experience a little more fun for all riding trains, not only those lucky enough to be going to the games.
Fans heading to AT&T Park on BART can get off at Embarcadero or Montgomery stations and walk or transfer to Muni Metro http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/pacbsvc.htm.