BART seeks feedback on fare issues; survey & in-station events planned
BART has launched an online survey and a series of in-station outreach events aimed at gathering feedback on our fare program.
January 2020 Fare Increase
To help fund the BART system's extensive capital needs, BART has a fare increase program that calls for small, regular, less-than-inflation increases every two years, with the next increase of 5.4% scheduled for January 1, 2020. For a short trip like Downtown Berkeley to 19th St./Oakland, the Clipper fare will increase by 10 cents, and a longer trip like Antioch to Montgomery will increase by 40 cents. Paper ticket fares will continue to cost more than the Clipper fare. All new revenue from this fare increase goes to BART's highest priority capital needs including new rail cars, a new train control system to provide more frequent service and an expanded maintenance facility.
BART Fare Increase Program
BART’s current fare increase program, which calls for small, regular less-than-inflation increases every two years, expires in 2020. BART is considering extending this program so that fares would increase in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 by an estimated 3.9% in each of these years, based on current inflation projections. Revenue from the 2022-2028 increases is proposed to help fund new rail cars and system improvements, such as a new train control system to provide more frequent service, and operation of the expanded service.
Paper Ticket Surcharge Increase
Currently BART trips made with paper tickets cost 50 cents more than BART trips made with Clipper cards to encourage riders to use Clipper and optimize the Bay Area’s significant investment in the regional transit smart card. BART is considering increasing the paper ticket surcharge to $1.00 to incentivize the 15% of riders still using paper tickets to switch to Clipper. BART’s maintaining one fare payment system is more efficient and cost-effective, and Clipper card customers enter and exit BART more quickly, using fare gates that are more reliable when they just process Clipper cards.
In-Station Events
Please join us at an in-station event or fill out the survey starting Feb. 26. Our staff can help you with any questions at the in-station events, and the survey form will give you more information about all the options being considered. Your feedback is important to us.
Online Survey
Take the survey online at www.bart.gov/faresurvey
The survey closes March 15th.