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[CNJRoss]

BART news release

 

09.10.21

Ridership Watch: daily updates related to riders returning to BART

 

 

This page is being continuously updated below to keep the public informed about our recovery efforts and BART ridership data as we work to regain riders.  

 

Stay informed of our plans by signing up for news alerts at https://cloud.info.bart.gov/signup

Scroll down for the daily update.

 

• BART returned to near pre-pandemic service levels and hours on August 2, 2021. Highlights of our August 2, 2021 schedule change. 
• Due to a TSA directive, masks are still required at BART through January 18, 2022
• BART will offer 50% off all Clipper fares for the month of September.
• View BART's Welcome Back plan outlining what riders can expect when returning to BART and what we are doing to welcome you back.
• View BART's report on air flow in BART train cars and air filters. BART train cars filter and replace air about every 70 seconds and by June 2021, upgraded Merv 14 filters will replace Merv 8 filters on board all cars. 
• Use our Trip Planner to see our current schedule or pdfs of the timetables by line.

 

 

Click for Daily updates.

[CNJRoss]

BART news release 

 

03.03.22

  BART to receive $270 million in additional federal funding to support service

 

 

Today, BART was notified we will receive $270.8 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Additional Assistance Grant Program. BART is receiving the second highest amount in the country, with New York’s MTA receiving the highest. The award recognizes BART’s unique reliance on fare revenue and the importance of the service BART provides to the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

“We want to thank our Congressional delegation for their support and advocacy for transit,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “The pandemic has made clear our operating funding model of relying so heavily on riders is outdated and hampers our efforts to provide equitable service, especially for low-income riders and marginalized communities. Increased federal funding allows BART to continue to invest in service improvements and safety enhancement as we welcome riders back to transit.”   

 

BART will play a vital role in the Bay Area’s recovery efforts. Pre-pandemic, BART carried more than twice the people per hour through the Transbay Tube than used the Bay Bridge.

 

BART has previously been allocated $1.3 billion in CARES Act, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

 

BART has used the federal funding to fully restore service hours, improve safety, enhance cleaning, and modernize equipment to make riding BART easier. View BART’s welcome back plan at bart.gov/welcomeback.

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

KRON TV, San Francisco CA 3/18/22

,

 

BART records highest single-day ridership since March 2020

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — After the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to work remotely from home for the last two years, it seems a lot of those workers are slowly going back to their pre-pandemic commute.

 

Factoring in record-high gas prices in the Bay Area, BART ridership might’ve seen its most significant increase since the pandemic began.

 

BART reported 133,246 riders on Thursday March 17 — the highest number of riders in a single day since March 2020, the agency announced Friday.

 

That number has reached 33% of pre-pandemic ridership, according to BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman.

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

4/20/22

 

 

Face Masks Now Optional and Strongly

Encouraged on BART Pending Potential Board

Action

 

BART has confirmed there are no longer any federal, state, or local level directives that enable a mask mandate on BART. Like other transit agencies, BART's mandate was based on the now withdrawn TSA directive. In addition, on Wednesday, April 20, the California Department of Public Health terminated their statewide order requiring masks on transit and is now strongly recommending people wear masks on transit.

Pending any future developments from the local, state, or federal level, masks are now optional and strongly encouraged on BART.

BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman has announced the Board of Directors will consider a proposal to continue to require masks in the BART system at its next meeting on Thursday, April 28.

Free masks are still available from all station agent booths and from all safety staff for those who need a mask or forgot one. 

BART has Merv 14 air filters on all train cars new and old. These filters are dense enough to trap the virus and provide an extra layer of protection to our riders. Air is replaced every 70 seconds on board cars mixing filtered air with fresh air. 

All BART employees are fully vaccinated. 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

Masks once again required on BART 

 

Release Date: 04/28/22

 

The BART Board of Directors at its meeting today approved a temporary amendment to the District’s Code of Conduct to require riders to wear masks in paid areas of the system with limited exceptions. This requirement applies to trains and all portions of stations beyond the fare gates. Children ages two and under as well as people with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks are exempt from the mandate. The rule is effective until July 18, 2022, unless it is extended by the BART Board.

“I strongly support requiring a mask to ride BART to keep all our riders safe,” said BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman. “I’m especially concerned for our riders who are immunocompromised, people with underlying health conditions, and children under the age of five who are not yet eligible for vaccination.”

The update to the Code of Conduct comes after a federal judge in Florida earlier this month tossed out a federal mask mandate for public transit systems and airlines. Like other Bay Area transit agencies, BART's previous mask mandate had been based on the now former TSA directive.

“It is essential the BART Board take action to protect our riders and employees after the surprising ruling that threw out the federal mandate,” said BART Board Vice President Janice Li. “Wearing masks helps to protect everyone, which is especially important now as COVID cases rise in the Bay Area.”

Free masks are available at station agent booths and from all safety staff for those who need one. As with the previous federal mandate, BART PD will continue its education-based enforcement of the mask requirement by offering free masks to anyone who needs one before taking any enforcement action which could include a citation up to $75 or being ejected from the paid area.

Throughout the pandemic BART has prioritized the safety of riders. BART has installed MERV 14 (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) air filters on all train cars new and old. These filters are dense enough to trap the virus and provide an extra layer of protection to our riders. Air is replaced every 70 seconds onboard cars mixing filtered air with fresh air. That means the circulation on BART train cars is better than most offices. In addition, all BART employees are fully vaccinated. 

 

[KevinKorell]

AP News, 4/29/22:

 

 

     Masks back by popular demand on San Francisco BART trains  

 

 

A mask mandate for commuter rail passengers is back by popular demand in the San Francisco Bay Area, the region that two years ago imposed the nation’s first coronavirus stay-at-home order and now is bucking the national trend away from required face coverings.

 

Story

[CNJRoss]

 

Masks Required on BART

 

RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2022

The BART Board of Directors today voted to reinstitute a face mask requirement effective immediately until and inclusive of October 1, 2022, unless further extended by the board.

The temporary amendment to the District’s Code of Conduct requires riders to wear face masks that fully cover a person's nose and mouth in paid areas of the system with limited exceptions. This requirement applies to trains and all portions of stations beyond the fare gates. Children ages two and under as well as people with medical conditions that prevent them from wearing masks are exempt from the mandate.

The Board will agendize an action item at the September 22, 2022, meeting to determine if the mandate should be extended. 

Free face masks are available at station agent booths and from all safety staff for those who need one. BART PD will continue its education-based enforcement of the mask requirement by offering free masks to anyone who needs one before taking any enforcement action which could include a citation up to $75 or being ejected from the paid area.

Throughout the pandemic BART has prioritized the safety of riders. BART has installed MERV 14 (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) air filters on all train cars new and old. These filters are dense enough to trap the virus and provide an extra layer of protection to our riders. Air is replaced every 70 seconds onboard cars mixing filtered air with fresh air. That means the circulation on BART train cars is better than most offices.