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In late 2023, BART Communications debuted BART Connects to showcase the real people who ride and rely on BART.  

Each rider featured in BART Connects has a unique story to share: a college student able to attend their dream school thanks to BART; a couple who said BART showed them “life is out there”; a working mom whose only downtime in the day was her BART ride to and from work. Their stories will move and inspire you.  

Today, we debut a video featuring three riders: Howard Wong, Erica Mitchell, and Kevin DeAntoni. Hear their BART stories in the video or read them at bart.gov/bartconnects. 

Soon, you will see the BART Connects riders featured on trains across our system. They’re featured in a new BART marketing campaign that highlights their stories and relevant BART facts. You can view the campaign art in the slideshow below.  

BART Connects grew out of BART's Role in the Region Study, which demonstrates BART’s importance to the Bay Area’s mobility, cultural diversity, environmental and economic sustainability. We conducted a call for stories to hear from riders and understand what BART means to them. More than 300 people responded, and a selection of respondents were interviewed for the BART Connects series. 

Want to help make BART more accessible for seniors and people with disabilities? The BART Accessibility Task Force (BATF) is recruiting new members!                      

The BART Accessibility Task Force is a public committee comprised of BART riders to advise the BART Board of Directors and staff on disability-related issues and advocate on behalf of people with disabilities and seniors to make the BART system accessible to all.

The BART Accessibility Task Force (BATF) generally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The BATF meetings are open to the public and are located at the East Bay Paratransit Office, 1750 Broadway, 1st floor conference room,  Oakland, CA 94612, which is adjacent to the 19th Street BART station street level elevator. Times and/or locations may vary for the November and December meetings.

BATF member responsibilities include the following:

1. Provide input on issues and policies; capital projects; compliance with local, state and federal legislation;  and other issues that might be brought to the BATF by the public, staff or the Board.
2. Develop recommendations which take into consideration the needs of people with different disabilities and seniors.
3. Participate in the development of proposed new policies and the planning and implementation of new services that affect people with disabilities and seniors who use BART.
4. Provide a public forum for discussion of all BART related issues concerning people with disabilities and seniors.
5. Act as a resource group to BART staff who interact with people with disabilities and seniors to answer complaints, develop new programs, solve architectural problems in the system, conduct staff disability training, and address other areas as needed.

To learn more about the BATF, please click here:  BART Accessibility Task force (BATF).

To become a member of the BATF, people have to attend three of four consecutive BATF meetings and then apply for membership. So come on by and check it out. Here is the schedule for upcoming meetings, as well as agendas from previous meetings: https://www.bart.gov/about/bod/advisory/accessibility

If you are interested or if you have any questions, please contact  Elena Van Loo at 510-874-7366  or by email at [email protected].