Politics & Government

Surge In Use Makes Riding BART An Up-Close and Personal Experience

BART officials confirm what Bay Area commuters already suspect- ridership on the transit line is up.

If you ride BART during the morning or evening, there's a good chance you may have to stand.

Transit agency officials say BART's weekday ridership is approaching its record highs of 2008, making it sometimes difficult for passengers to find a seat during the peak commute times.

In recent months, BART ridership has averaged more than 360,000 on weekdays. On Wednesday, April 20, the passenger load peaked at 375,000.

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About 57 percent of BART riders travel between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Ridership is about 190,000 people during those six hours.

The downtown San Francisco stations are averaging 46,500 entrances and exits on weekday mornings, slightly higher than 2008 levels.

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BART officials say the reason for the increase is the improving economy creating more jobs and rising gasoline prices driving people to public transit.

BART says they are putting every car they can on the tracks during commute hours. Lately, 573 of the system's 669 train cars are used during peak times. The rest are undergoing scheduled maintenance or component upgrades.

"We don't let a car operate unless we have complete confidence in its safety and reliability," said Jay Bolcik, BART's manager of schedules and service planning.

A Monday evening BART train from Orinda to Walnut Creek seemed to be typical.

The eastbound 10-car train pulled into the Orinda station at 5:06 p.m. Every car had at least a few people standing. The middle cars had no seats available and more than a dozen standing passengers.

However, commuters said they are used to standing and haven't really noticed the trains being any more crowded than usual.

Sean Mayer, a Concord resident, has been taking BART from Pleasant Hill to his job in Oakland for 18 months.

He usually rides to work about 6 a.m. and returns home about 5 p.m. He said Monday evening's ride seemed about normal capacity.

"I really don't mind standing, especially given the condition of some of the seats," Mayer said.

Chad Wilson, a Walnut Creek resident, has been riding BART to the San Francisco Embarcadero station for three years.

He generally catches a morning train at 7 a.m. and rides home about 6 p.m. On this day, he was a little early.

Wilson said he hasn't noticed any bigger crowds on the trains, but then again he reads the paper while standing in the aisle.

"I rarely look up," he admitted.

Anna Larsen usually rides BART from her home in San Francisco to her job in Berkeley. On this afternoon, she took the train to Walnut Creek to meet a friend.

She said she actually got a seat but only because she got on the train at the Civic Center station before the crowds emerged in downtown San Francisco.

She said she doesn't always get a seat during her commute, but that's OK.

"It's actually great because it means the economy is getting better," she said.

The passenger increase also means BART parking lots are filling up more quickly. BART's web site lists each station and what time their parking lots fill up.

A quick check revealed most station lots are full by 8 a.m. Walnut Creek and Lafayette are usually at capacity by 7 a.m.

Castro Valley, Dublin/Pleasanton and Union City are usually out of spaces between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

San Leandro and El Cerrito Plaza are full between 7:30 a.m. and 7:50 a.m.

Your best bet? Concord, San Bruno and Berkeley/Ashby normally have spaces until 8 a.m.

BART officials are urging passengers to be more patient and courteous as trains become more full.

They ask riders to move to the center of the cars when they enter. They also ask bicyclists to follow the rules closely and for passengers to enter and exit cars politely.

The ridership statistics will be presented to BART's board of directors on Thursday.


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