OAKLAND — BART riders will soon have to pay more to ride.
The 5.5 percent increase — which means fares will increase on average by 25 cents from $4.47 to $4.72 — is effective on New Year’s Day.
“We understand that price increases are never welcome, but BART fares remain a vital source of funds even with ridership lower than they were before the pandemic,” BART Board Vice President Mark Foley said in the press release. “My Board colleagues and I voted in June 2023 to spread necessary fare increases over two years rather than catching up all at once. At the same time, we voted to increase the Clipper START means-based discount from 20 percent to 50 percent to help those most in need.”
Even with the fare increase, BART is staring down a 2026 fiscal year deficit of $35 million, and transit officials say it will grow to a staggering $385 million in the 2027 fiscal year. BART officials say the deficit is due in part to ridership dropping off during the coronavirus pandemic and not rebounding since, as remote work has become more widespread.
In addition to the fare increase, BART has reduced spending by implementing a service schedule that reflects the lower ridership and running shorter trains.
This is the second time BART has increased fares by 5.5%; the first increase was initiated on the first day of this year.
The fare increase is expected to raise about $14 million per year for operations. Combined with the Jan. 1, 2024 fare raise, BART will pull in $30 million a year. The agency says the money is used to fund train service, enhanced cleaning, additional police and unarmed safety staff and capital projects, like the installing new fare gates.
The inflation-based fare increase program dates back to 2004, when the agency decided to increase prices every two years at a less-than-inflation rate. BART stated that despite the increase, taking the train is less expensive than driving on a cost per mile basis. According to the Internal Revenue Service, a driver spends 67 cents per mile, while BART riders pay 27 cents per mile on average, which is 60% less than the cost of driving.
BART provides discounts for children between 5 and 18 years old, people aged 65 years old and older, people with disabilities and low-income riders.
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