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Submissions are open - Click HERE to Submit

Official contest page: bart.gov/bartlines

Deadline to Submit: Friday, March 8, 2024, at 11:59pm PST (or sooner - see below)

IMPORTANT: Only 300 qualifying submissions will be accepted for review. The submission period will close when 300 applications are received, which may be before the stated deadline. We indicate on this page when we have received approximately 225 applications. We will close the Submittable application page when 300 qualifying submissions have been received. 

Applicants must be between the ages of 13 to 19 as of Friday, March 8, 2024. 

Interested in promoting the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest at your school, library, or organization? Download this printable flyer (PDF).  

Friday, Jan. 19 - We are pleased to announce the 2024 BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest. This will be BART’s first writing contest for youth, following last year’s short story contest for adults. 

With the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest, BART is thrilled to lift and amplify the voices of Bay Area youth, whose perspectives, opinions, and ideas are providing us with a roadmap for the future – one that is informed by their lived experiences as well as the unique histories of their communities. We are listening and learning from you!  

By providing a forum for teens’ voices and creativity with BART Lines, we are underlining our belief that the words, ideas, and foresight of youth matter. One day soon, they will be the leaders and visionaries that decide the future of public transportation, and therefore, the future of our region.    

Pictured above: One of BART’s free story dispensers, where the winning poems will be uploaded. The dispensers are like vending machines for creative writing, dispensing stories on eco-friendly recyclable, receipt-like paper. They’re touchless; you just hover your finger over the button to get your story. 

BART Lines was created by BART Communications and BART’s Art Program. BART is organizing programs such as BART Lines to get people excited about transit and to emphasize the variety of ways you can use our system, as well as the places it can take you. By partnering with local organizations, including BART Lines partners and judges 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks, we are reinforcing the value arts and cultural organizations bring to BART and our community of riders. These partnerships also highlight the key role public transportation plays in connecting people to experiences that have the power to change and enrich their lives.  

BART’s new ridership model emphasizes weeknight and weekend travel, which reinforces the notion that we are not simply a commuter service that transports people to and from work. Our system also carries people to impactful encounters and locations, be it museums, theaters, libraries, public parks, and people, too.  

The BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest is one piece of BART’s robust rider engagement strategy that seeks to bring riders together through unique experiences in both virtual and IRL formats. Recent efforts include the BART Anime Project , the One Book One BART book club, Twitch livestreams, creative and informative TikTok content, shareable rider guides, and free celebratory events in stations and trains. 

When we ride transit, we hold space for one another. On a crowded train, we remove our backpacks and latch our bikes; we stand for someone who needs to sit; and we scooch to the window seat when space is sparse. Riding transit reminds us that we exist in an interconnected web of others – your fellow passengers, who carry with them their dreams, imaginings, and aspirations (along with their shopping bags and suitcases). BART Lines seeks to celebrates this.  

Pictured above: A BART Lines winner reads his poem at Glen Park Station. 

Theme: Bay is Home

The theme for the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest is “Bay is Home.” We want to read your poems related to the Bay Area. Your submission might describe a location – somewhere you take BART, for example – or maybe a specific spot that inspired your piece. With this theme, we’re asking: How do the many places, people, and aspects of the region make the Bay home? 

Submissions-Timeline-Prizes  

To submit an entry, authors must be between the ages of 13 to 19 as of Friday, March 8, 2024,  and reside in one of the five counties where BART operates: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara.  

Submissions must not exceed 7,500 characters (including spaces). Each line longer than will fit on the dispenser print-outs, typically about 38-40 characters and spaces, will be divided as needed with a slash ("/"). Finalists may be required to edit their work to fit the dispenser format. BART will coordinate with you to finalize your work for publication.

To learn more, see the contest rules and submit your poem, click here. Authors may submit only one poem, including if they are co-author.

Thirty finalists will be selected by BART Lines partners 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks, two standout Bay Area organizations lifting the voices of teen poets. Each finalist will receive a $75 honorarium and their poem will be published in BART’s Short Édition Story Dispensers and Story Discs (scroll down for locations), as well as the BART Short Edition website. Select finalists will be invited to participate in a series of readings in and around BART stations (not a requirement for submitting a poem for consideration).   

Judges/Partners

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826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. 

Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs that was founded in San Francisco in 1996. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and more, Youth Speaks offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs and provides numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard. 

About BART’s Short Édition Story Dispensers and Story Discs

Short Édition is a French publishing house of short literature: poetry, short stories, and flash fiction. In addition to its online platform, Short Édition publishes fiction around the world via its Short Story Dispensers and Story Discs (a digital version of the dispensers that allow you to access unlimited content for free on a smartphone) for the public to enjoy a serendipitous literary experience, free of charge.  

The dispensers are like vending machines for creative writing, dispensing stories on eco-friendly recyclable, receipt-like paper. They’re touchless; you just hover your finger over the button to get your story. 

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BART’s Story Dispensers are currently located at the following stations: 

• Balboa Park  
• Downtown Berkeley  
• Fruitvale 
• Pleasant Hill 
• San Leandro (pending installation) 

BART will soon install Story Discs at the following stations:  

• Daly City  
• Dublin/Pleasanton  
• Embarcadero 

About the Artist Behind the Contest Art 

Amy Wibowo is a public transit fan and a creative technologist whose art ranges from sweaters made on a hacked knitting machine to RFID jewelry. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, Forbes, and Vox. She is also the author and illustrator of Bubblesort Zines, a zine series making computer science topics more accessible to a wider audience. Wibowo was chosen from a pool of artists selected from an open call for California-based artists for BART’s Anime Project.  

Quotes from Contest Organizers and Partners 

Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer at BART:

“BART Lines is another way for us to connect with current riders while also attracting new riders. Our adult short story contest helped increase ridership as people came to BART seeking out the story dispensers to read local content. It was thrilling to see people post about their experience on social media, noting they rode just to get a story. I’ll never forget the time our General Manager asked a crowd what their favorite thing about BART was, and someone shouted out: ‘The short story dispensers!’ We have no doubt the teen poetry contest will produce the same results.”   

Jennifer Easton, BART Art Program Manager:  

“The BART Art Program strives to bring the voices of artists into transit spaces in fresh and compelling ways to reflect our communities, to be in dialogue with our riders, to intrigue and compel. By engaging visual artists, writers, musicians and others in our transit spaces they become dynamic, humane, and more Bay Area. Youth poetry in the Bay is so strong right now, and we’re thrilled to bring a small bit of it to the story dispensers.” 

Michelle Robertson, BART Storyteller:  

“What do BART and poetry have in common? On BART, not only are we given space to read, write, doze, and dream, but we’re also given the gift of sharing space with other people and the stories they hold in their bodies and minds. BART is the ‘great connector of the Bay Area,’ and with BART Lines, we’re gratified to highlight the sometimes-unexpected connections our system enables, not solely in physical space, but also in transcendental space, where poetry lives and breathes.”  

Bita Nazarian, 826 Valencia Executive Director: 

"826 Valencia is thrilled to partner with BART to bring youth voices to transit stations across the Bay Area. Seeing one's writing in print can have a transformative impact on a young person's life, and we are excited to be a part of such a unique publishing project."  

Michelle Mush Lee, Youth Speaks Executive Director:  

“Youth Speaks is thrilled to partner with BART on this unique public art project celebrating youth voice and poetry. I see poetry as a universal journey, much like public transportation. Just as BART transports passengers across city lines and social jurisdictions, poetry transcends political and cultural barriers. In each line and verse, lies an invitation to journey beyond our immediate surroundings, to explore landscapes of emotion and thought. It is our vision at Youth Speaks to harness this power, creating a world where words are not just a means of expression, but a vehicle for transformative change, carrying Bay Area residents closer to ourselves and each other.”

New report outlines a pathway for BART to increase ridership by centering youth safety

BART, in coordination with the Alliance for Girls, is doubling down on its commitment to empower girls and gender-expansive youth to play a role in helping BART enhance safety, increase ridership, and prevent and address sexual harassment and gender-based violence. A newly released report centers the ideas of local girls and gender-expansive youth by outlining steps BART can take to advance gender equity, create a welcoming environment, and measure the effectiveness of strategies.

Alliance for Girls prepared BART’s first-ever “Youth-Informed Radical Vision of Safety Evaluation Framework” report to document research and outreach conducted for BART in early 2024. Nearly 100 participants, primarily girls and gender-expansive youth who identify as people of color, provided ideas for preventative and interventional safety on BART, focusing on themes of physical and environmental safety, emotional and mental safety, and the safety of others.

The report, along with new data about harassment, were presented to the BART Board of Directors at its December 5th board meeting (watch the presentation in the video above) The BART Board thanked the Alliance for Girls for their partnership and helping BART set a pathway forward with this work. Several members of the public spoke in support of the recommendations laid out in the report. 

“Safety, as defined by girls and gender-expansive youth of color, goes beyond the absence of violence," said Chantal Hildebrand, Co-Executive Director of Alliance for Girls. "It encompasses a sense of belonging, respect, representation, and sovereignty. To create truly safe public transit, these values must guide the conversation. We are excited to collaborate with BART to amplify and center their voices as we reimagine public transportation.” 

Ideas from girls and gender-expansive youth to reimagine safety

During three Community Learning Exchanges and one Meaning Making Session, youth shared their experiences riding BART, and using visualization exercises, offered specific ideas regarding what they need to feel safe on transit. The report documents these ideas and encourages BART to explore the implementation of each one.

The participants outlined various ways to make stations and trains more attractive, inviting, and family friendly. Their asks included technology upgrades, more language options, greater accessibility, increased promotion of discounts, more community events at stations, and greater investments in non-police alternative interventions.  

“Working directly with our most vulnerable riders, specifically girls and gender-expansive youth, BART is taking essential steps toward building a new vision for what it means to safely move around and be part of a community that looks out for each other,” said Alicia Trost, BART’s Chief Communications Officer who led the project for BART and attended all sessions with the youth. 

Measuring impact through a potential gender audit

The report presents more than five dozen specific indicators that could make up a gender and safety audit to measure BART’s progress in working towards implementing a fabric of safety that supports the specific needs of girls and gender-expansive youth when riding BART. These include physical and environmental needs such as lighting, cleanliness, and art; personal needs such as access to information and familiarity of stations; and community needs such as fare affordability and activated, multi-use spaces.

Advancing the Not One More Girl oinitiative

BART partnered with Alliance for Girls on this research and outreach process to develop a pathway to root the groundbreaking work of the Not One More Girl initiative to uplift the voices and needs of girls and gender-expansive youth of color and find non-policing solutions to prevent and address sexual harassment and gender-based violence on BART. The work, which has been in partnership with community organizations including Alliance for Girls, the Betti Ono Foundation, The Unity Council, and Black Girls Brilliance, aims to create a culture of care among BART riders and teach safe bystander intervention tips. The effort has led to BART policy changes and system changes based on the feedback from girls and gender-expansive youth.

The Youth-Informed Radical Vision of Safety Evaluation Framework report outlines a recommended approach for BART to continually evaluate if this work is enhancing safety, deepening community engagement, and increasing ridership. The process calls for leveraging data from the recently conducted Mineta Transportation Institute’s Street Harassment on Transit survey; creating instrumentation tools; partnering with community-based organizations to gather further insights from girls and gender-expansive youth; and collaborating on findings to inform a continuous improvement cycle.

Read the full report here. The street harassment survey and the publishing of the report meet the requirements of SB 434, by Senator David Min and signed into law in 2023, requiring the state’s ten largest transit agencies, including BART, to collect comprehensive survey data identifying the leading causes of street harassment on transit and to conduct outreach and gather qualitative data with those who are underrepresented in surveys.  

Beginning Wednesday, April 3, you'll hear the voices of some of BART’s biggest fans playing over our PA system. For the second year in a row, BART is celebrating Autism Acceptance Month by participating in the Autism Transit Project, which invites youth on the autism spectrum to record station announcements for transportation agencies around the nation. Jonathan Trichter, who runs multiple schools for children with autism and other neurological differences, spearheads the project.  

The recordings will play at 35 BART stations across the system every hour for the remainder of April. You can find the list of stations and listen to the recordings at the bottom of this announcement.  

“My name is Antoine, and the reason I like BART is because it gets me to my destination without traffic,” is one example of an announcement you may hear.  

Other announcements remind riders of BART rules and courtesy measures, like Bella's: "I love BART because it’s fun looking out the windows. Please remember to keep our train clean and offer your seat to someone in need. Have a fantastic day."  

Some participants kept things simple and gleefully shouted out their favorite things about BART. Said Cameron: "I love BART because they run the next-gen [trains], although I do miss the old boys.” 

In just two years, the Autism Transit Project has become a beloved tradition at BART. It is widely documented that some people with autism have an affinity for trains. Though it’s not entirely known why that is, experts believe the allure could be related to the repetitive and predictable natures of trains, as well as the visually and auditorily stimulating rhythms and patterns they produce as they run along the tracks and pull into stations. 

“Children with autism don’t always come to language naturally, the way neurotypical children do,” said Trichter, who started the Autism Transit Project in 2022. “They grab phrases where they are most focused and may repeat them the same way other kids babble. It is not unusual for the first sentence a child with autism utters to be a regular service announcement at transit stations — something we take for granted every day. For these kids, it is the language they first use to communicate with their family and peers. That’s why this project is so very meaningful to them. I’d like to thank BART for letting these beautiful children be heard. “ 

To record their announcements, participants were invited to BART Headquarters, where the BART Communications team recorded their statements in a soundproof room with professional microphones and equipment. The children also did on-camera interviews after their recording sessions, which will be featured in an upcoming video.

When they weren’t recording, participants listened to presentations in the BART Boardroom from BART General Manager Bob Powers, Manager of Scheduling and Services John FitzGibbon, and Transportation Supervisor Casey Unger. They also rotated between different tables set up around the room, which were run by energetic BART staff. The stations included a table with tactile equipment from around the BART system, including a piece of rail; a dress-up station with real uniforms from a variety of BART jobs, such as train operators and station agents; a crafting table; and a capsule ball machine where participants won BART-themed prizes.  

We hope you enjoy the announcements. 

Announcements 

The child’s name and the stations where their announcement is playing are listed below. To listen, click on the blue hyperlink. 

Antoine – Fremont and Milpitas  

Bella – Castro Valley and Civic Center  

Brian – North Berkeley 

Calvin – Balboa Park 

Cameron B. – 19th St. Oakland and Pleasant Hill 

Cameron C. – Pittsburgh/Bay Point and West Oakland 

Curtis – South Hayward 

Damian – Fruitvale and MacArthur 

Eden – Lafayette and Walnut Creek 

Emmett – 24th St. Mission and Downtown Berkeley 

Isaias – Bay Fair and El Cerrito del Norte 

Joseph – Berryessa and Millbrae 

King – Lake Merritt 

Liam – Concord and Orinda 

Lucy – Glen Park and Montgomery St. 

Max – Coliseum and Powell St. 

Milo – 12th St. Oakland and SFO 

Nita – Rockridge and Union City 

Robert – Daly City and Embarcadero 

Serenity – San Leandro 

BART has equipped its state-of-the-art Next Generation Fare Gates at its showcase San Francisco International Airport Station just in time for the busy holiday travel season.

SFO Station is now the ninth in the BART system to be outfitted with the more formidable fare gates as part of BART’s highest priority capital project.

“As a transportation system, we take tremendous pride in saying our community is what runs BART," said BART General Manager Bob Powers. "Among the world’s transit agencies, BART relies the most on rider fares; they are directly responsible for funding our operations. These new fare gates will protect against fare evasion, expand access to transit-dependent riders, and reduce system downtime due to maintenance, which helps boost investment in BART’s long-term growth.”

“BART is making great progress on this initiative, which is increasing the sense of safety and security of riders while also bringing in more revenue,” said Bay Area Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman. “We applaud BART’s commitment to making the system safer and working so hard to install these new modern fare gates as quickly as possible.”

The new gates bring an exciting new look to BART. They feature clear swing barriers with a one-of-a-kind door locking mechanism to deter fare evasion. The gates include advanced 3D sensors that can detect if someone is in a wheelchair or has a bike, stroller, or luggage with them, allowing for more time before the swing barrier closes. They feature LED lighting on the swing barriers and pathway through the gate to help visually impaired riders.

“These gates at San Francisco International Airport are an important improvement for travelers and employees at the Bay Area’s premiere airport,” said SFO Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “The sensors that allow riders with luggage additional time to get through the gates is just one of the game-changing features of the new fare gates.”

BART is moving rapidly to install Next Generation Fare Gates at more stations. Work is currently underway at Coliseum with plan to begin the installation process at Montgomery Street, Powell Street, Warm Springs, and 12th Street/Oakland City Center stations in November.  

By the end of February 2025, BART will have installed new fare gates at more than half its 50 stations.

Full deployment systemwide will be completed by the end of 2025. Learn more about the project here. Riders can provide feedback about the new gates at bart.gov/comments.
 

Friday, Feb. 14, marks the start of the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, hosted by the Golden State Warriors. BART looks forward to carrying fans to the games and events happening on both sides of the Bay. We’re also proud to partner with the NBA Players Association for the big weekend. 

Follow our directions below to make your journey to games and events as smooth as Curry’s free throws. BART will adjust train lengths to accommodate ridership. Find a list of all the NBA All-Star Weekend events here. 

Win free tickets and prizes 

Those looking to win free tickets and other prizes can download the NBA Events app, which has partnered with BART and other Bay Area agencies to encourage riding transit around the Bay.  

After creating a free NBA ID account, visit the participating stations (see below), tap the tile on the dashboard corresponding with the station, and earn your check-in via your mobile device in mixed reality. Each check-in will also count towards unlocking NBA All-Star prizes through the NBA ID All-Star Rewards Program.  

Participating stations: 

• 16th St./Mission Station
• Coliseum Station
• Embarcadero Station
• Lake Merritt Station
• Powell St. Station 

The Grand BART Prize will be in the form of digital Railgoods.com gift cards in amounts ranging from $10 to $100. 

Take transit to Chase Center 

• Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni, and the special event trains will read “S Shuttle Mission Bay.” Disembark Muni at UCSF/Chase Center.
• Take BART to 16th St./Mission Station and transfer to special Muni 78X bus service. Disembark at 16th St. & Illinois St.  

*Your event ticket is your Muni ticket. Ride Muni to Chase Center for FREE with your event ticket (excluding cable cars). For more information, visit the Chase Center website. 

Friday, Feb. 14, 6pm: Castrol Rising Stars 

Saturday, Feb. 15, 5pm: State Farm All-Star Saturday Night 

Sunday, Feb. 16, 5pm: 74th NBA All-Star Game 

Take transit to Oakland Arena 

BART takes you directly to the Oakland Arena. Take BART to Coliseum Station and walk across the overpass and around the Coliseum to the arena. Use the arena’s North Entrance for a shorter walk.  

Friday, Feb. 14, 4pm: Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 

Saturday, Feb. 15, 11am: NBA All-Star Practice presented by AT&T 

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2pm: NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T 

Take transit to Moscone Center 

Take BART to Montgomery Station and walk a short distance to Moscone Center.  

Friday, Feb. 14, to Sunday, Feb. 16: NBA Crossover interactive fan experience 

Sunday, Feb. 16: NBA G League Next Up Game 

Take transit to the NBA All-Star Concert Series at Pier 48 

The NBA will host a three-day concert series from Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16, at Pier 48. Headliners include Noah Kahan, The Chainsmokers, Zedd, and Flo Rida.  

• Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni, and the special event trains will read “S Shuttle Mission Bay.” Disembark Muni at Mission Rock and walk to Pier 48.
• Take BART to Embarcadero Station and transfer to Muni N Judah trains on the upper level of the station. Disembark at King and 2nd streets and walk to Pier 48. 

Take transit to the NBPA Brotherhood Deli at SPARK Social SF 

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will bring their Brotherhood Deli food truck along with activations and programming to SPARK Social SF from Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 16, 11am to 6pm. It’s a short walk from SPARK Social to Chase Center.  

The celebration will include player appearances, photo opps, plant-based food, immersive gaming, and hourly slam dunk shows and fan shooting contests.  

• Take BART to Powell St. Station and transfer to Muni T Third trains at Union Square Station. Signs on the platform and concourse will guide you to the right exit to catch Muni. Disembark Muni at Mission Rock and walk to SPARK Social.
• Take BART to 16th St./Mission Station and transfer to the Muni 22 bus. Disembark at Mission Bay Blvd North and 3rd Street and walk to SPARK Social.  

(Photos from left to right: Tera Stokes-Hankins at her Station Agent graduation in 1995; Tera handing Station Agent Michael Francis a certificate of recognition at a recent employee appreciation event.)

During Black History Month each February, BART honors the history and contributions of our Black employees, including trailblazers like Tera Stokes-Hankins, the first woman to serve as BART's Chief Transportation Officer. You'll find her "BART story" below. 

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Tera Stokes-Hankins joined BART in the summer of 1995 as a twentysomething near-fresh out of college. Back then, she worked part time as a Station Agent at El Cerrito Plaza Station. Today – 28 years later – she oversees not only El Cerrito Plaza, but all of BART’s stations, service and delivery of day-to-day operations, and the agency’s train operations, Station Agents, and Train Operators. Following an impressive six promotions, including one in 2023, Tera now serves as BART’s Chief Transportation Officer – one of the highest-ranking positions within the organization. She is the first woman to hold the title at the organization. 

“What’s kept me here so long? The people, the relationships I’ve built, and the work is fun!” she said speaking recently on a rare break between operational meetings and field visits, during which she makes sure “we’re running the service we have promised the public.”  

She credits her success to a lifelong love of people and her constant striving to be fair and honest.  

“And I couldn’t have done it without my team. They are BART,” she said.  

Tera grew up in Oakland and still lives there with her family. It never occurred to her to apply for a job at BART. In college, Tera majored in computer systems information and business administration. When BART came calling, she was working an entry-level position at the Federal Reserve in San Francisco and figured she’d be there awhile.  

“My father was trying to get a job at BART, and he saw a listing for part-time Station Agents,” she recalled. “That led my mother to tell me I had to apply.” 

Tera got the job and decided to accept the position. The rest, as they say, is history.  

Every promotion since, she’s called her mom to thank her for that initial push to apply.  

“I wouldn’t be here if she didn’t tell me take this job,” she said. 

As for her dad? “He didn’t get the gig,” she said with a laugh.  

Tera’s days are not without their challenges; being the Chief Transportation Officer is arguably one of the most stressful gigs in transit. What gets her out of bed each morning is knowing “that we are providing an absolutely essential service to the Bay Area and the people who rely on us.”  

“My employees are counting on me, and my family is counting on me, too,” she said. “If BART’s not running, that means people can’t get to an interview or an appointment or class. To get up every day and make sure we’re ready to go and putting our best foot forward – that keeps me going,” 

She also credits her husband with helping her stay grounded. 

“It helps me in my day to day to have someone I can bounce ideas and situations off of,” she said. “He tells me when I’m right and when I’m wrong – especially when I’m wrong.” 

BART is a workplace that seeks to support and elevate its employees to achieve their dreams and rise to their professional aspirations. Tera said she has been consistently uplifted by her mentors, BART’s training and educational opportunities, and the many managers who have supported her in her rise through the ranks. 

“Us managers at BART have a lot to offer,” she said, reflecting. “We are just waiting for our employees to come and ask us how to grow and expand their knowledge.” 

Over the past three decades, Tera has hit many of her most major life milestones while working at BART. In her first year at BART, she got married. Not long after that, she had her first child, and later, her second.  

She now does for her daughter what her mom once did for her. 

“I’ll see opportunities and go, ‘Baby, you should apply for this!’” The approach has paid off so far, she said. 

We invite you to read BARTable's suggestions for honoring and celebrating Black History Month here and to explore One Book One BART's Black History Month Reading List, which highlights a selection of books that illuminate and educate readers about the experiences of Black Americans, especially in the Bay Area. 

BART employees: Later in the month, you will receive an invitation via District Announcements for a special Black History Month event hosted by the Employee Resource Group.

San Francisco Fleet Week 2024 begins Monday, Oct. 7, and culminates on Monday, Oct. 14, and transit is the best way to get there as thousands of people flood the city for air shows and other special events.

To accomodate the predicted crowds, BART will be running longer trains that weekend: Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13. 

Here's how to reach the various air show viewing areas with BART + Muni:

• Pier 39: Take BART to Embarcadero Station and use Exit A1 to transfer to the Muni F Market streetcar or bus.
• Fort Mason, Marina Green, and Crissy Field: Take BART to Montgomery St and use Exit A1. Walk to Kearny St and board the Muni 30 Stockton bus.
• Fort Mason (option 2): Take BART to 16th St Mission and use Exit B to board the Muni 49 Van Ness bus.

Rider Tips

Parking is free at all BART stations except Milpitas and Berryessa/North San Jose (which are operated by VTA) on the weekends. Pay for parking easily on the BART app.

Before you leave home, put Clipper card on your cellphone through either Apple Pay or Google Pay. Please ensure you have sufficient funds for a round trip. Plan at the cost of your trip in advance.

Real-time departures and train alerts can be found at bart.gov/eta or on the BART app. 

Discover more fun events happening this weekend on BARTable. 

There’s been a big decline in the number of riders who say they’ve witnessed fare evasion on BART. For our latest Quarterly Performance Report, we asked riders, “did they see anyone enter or exit the station without paying their fare today?” Only 17% of those questioned said they had, which is a drop of nearly 1/3 from the same period just a year ago when 25% of respondents said they had witnessed fare evasion. 

In the last 12 months, BART has installed Next Generation Fare Gates at more than 20 stations across the system. More stations are getting new gates every month. In just the last few days installation work began at Concord, El Cerrito Plaza, Glen Park, and San Leandro stations.

“The decline in fare evasion sightings is the latest indication that Next Generation Fare Gates are transforming the rider experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “We know it’s not possible to stop 100% of fare evasion, but we are seeing that these state-of-the-art, durable gates are proving themselves to be more resistant to fare evaders and are deterring unwanted activity on BART.”

As more stations receive new gates, BART’s crime rate has dropped. Overall crime on BART was down 17% last year even as BART served 2.6 million more trips than it did in 2023.

As fewer riders are seeing fare evasion, participation in the Clipper START discount program is skyrocketing. Clipper START trips on BART for the latest quarter more than doubled to 363,238 from only 150,282 a year ago. That’s a 141% increase. Clipper START provides a 50% discount on Bay Area transit to eligible riders who have an annual household income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less. 

BART has heavily promoted enrollment in Clipper START throughout the process of installing new fare gates. BART is on track to have Next Generation Fare Gates at all 50 stations by the end of this year.