50% off drives 50% of pre-pandemic ridership for the first time

BART’s weekend ridership skyrocketed this past weekend with a series of record-breaking days, hitting 50% of pre-pandemic weekend ridership for the first time since March 2020. 

Saturday’s ridership was 80,439 exits, representing 53% of pre-pandemic Saturday ridership and about 14,000 more trips than the previous Saturday record.

Sunday’s ridership was also a record breaker at 54,458 exits, representing 50% of pre-pandemic ridership for a September Sunday. It was the highest Sunday ridership since the pandemic.

Friday ridership was 112,193 exits, representing 26% of pre-pandemic ridership for a weekday in September. It was the overall highest ridership day since the pandemic. 

Riders returning to BART are enjoying 50% off all Clipper fares throughout the entire month of September. 

“Weekend ridership is returning at a faster rate than weekdays,” said BART’s Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost. “Weekends offer a tremendous growth potential to regain riders for trips not related to commuting to work. Weekend riders are more likely to be transit dependent and many event venues have reopened with activities across the region. Offering 50% off is a great incentive to try BART again after a long period of opting for other transportation options. We have increased the number of cleaning and safety staff and we are working closely with event organizers to help promote transit as an affordable, safe, and reliable transportation option.”

In August, BART significantly increased Saturday service, including returning to a midnight closure and adding more trains into service. 

BART currently closes at 9pm on Sundays and runs 30-minute headways to accommodate replacing critical infrastructure. BART has committed to improving Sunday service including retuning to a midnight closure and adding more trains to the schedule in February 2022.