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Carpool to BART easy app parking program expands to 19 total stations

BART is expanding its pay-by-app carpool program to make it easier than ever for riders to pay for carpool parking.  The program is now available at 19 stations.

The program debuted in June 2019 at 4 stations. The new program allows riders who carpool to a station to pay for parking using the official BART app and park in the permit section of the lot where spots don’t fill up as early as the daily fee section.  

The app payment feature is a significant step towards modernizing BART’s parking payment and enforcement systems.  The app accepts credit cards, debit cards, Venmo, or PayPal and doesn’t require waiting in line to pay for a stall.  The new program cracks down on carpool cheats by verifying the carpool is valid by requiring both riders in the carpool to enter the fare gates after making the app payment. 

“Our initial test stations have proven to be a success with data showing about 225 carpool payments each day with the carpool verification system working as designed,” said Board President Bevan Dufty. “Not only are we encouraging carpooling to BART which increases ridership and takes cars off the road, but we are using the program to test app-based payments.”

Having an app-based payment process improves the rider experience. At stations without the option, riders must currently wait in line to pay with cash or set up an EZ rider account, load it with funds, connect it to their Clipper card, and get a hang tag for their car.  BART plans to expand the app parking payment in phases to all riders in 2020 but is offering it to carpools first to promote carpooling to stations.  The Carpool to BART program will continue to roll out to additional stations in 2020.

BART riders that carpool to the following stations can park in the permit section and use the official BART app to pay for parking:

  • Antioch
  • Ashby
  • Coliseum
  • Colma
  • Daly City
  • Dublin/Pleasanton
  • Fruitvale
  • Hayward
  • Lake Merritt
  • MacArthur
  • Millbrae
  • North Berkeley
  • Orinda
  • San Bruno
  • San Leandro
  • South Hayward
  • South San Francisco
  • Warm Springs
  • West Oakland

Paper carpool permits may only be used in designated carpool areas.  511 paper permits are currently accepted at the following stations:   

  • Rockridge
  • Lafayette
  • Walnut Creek
  • Pleasant Hill
  • Concord
  • North Concord
  • Pittsburg/Bay Point
  • Bay Fair
  • Castro Valley
  • West Dublin/Pleasanton
  • Union City
  • Fremont
  • El Cerrito Plaza
  • El Cerrito del Norte

Paper permits will be phased out at these stations later in 2020, and replaced with the carpool app.

Learn more about the new carpool program and details about setting up a carpool payment profile within the official app at www.bart.gov/carpool

Carpool to BART app payment