BART celebrates installation of new fare gates at all of its stations

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — With the cutting of a ribbon, BART officially celebrated the installation of new fare gates at all of its stations.

“I can think of no other improvement that BART could make that would resonate with our riders and improved the quality of the customer experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers.

Powers says the agency has spent months working to install the new gates.

An initiative, he says, that was driven by the need to satisfy customer demands, particularly around fare evasion and safety on trains.

MORE: Office of Inspector General finds BART needs to better manage overtime

“What we’re doing is an absolute full court press with getting uniformed personnel out on the trains and in the stations,” said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin.

Those efforts were felt by the passengers we talked to at the West Dublin/Pleasanton station before Friday’s event.

Brandon Nguyen is a regular BART rider. He says before the new gates went up, he frequently saw people hopping turnstiles.

“It was wide open and a lot of people got through. Anyone could get through. Now you need to have a valid pass to get through – so it’s a lot safer,” Nguyen said.

MORE: Gov. Newsom approves $750M loan for Bay Area public transit

Beyond the safety aspect, BART has come under pressure in recent years due to its lack of revenue and exploding budget deficits.

Powers acknowledges there’s still a lot of work to do, but tells us he believes the new fare gates will continue the system’s and our region’s post-COVID revitalization.

“I think the new BART is going to be pivotal in the whole entire Bay Area turning, from a financial, from an economic standpoint,” Powers said.

That’s why he’s focusing on pushing the agency forward. Determined to make BART as efficient as possible.

“We’re not stopping here. I’m going to push. I’m going to push and we’re going to improve public transit in the Bay Area,” said Powers.