Train rates will increase by 5.5% on January 1st, BART said on Tuesday.
According to a statement from BART, the raise is being made “to keep pace with inflation so that the agency is able to pay for continued operations and to work toward restoring financial stability.”
According to BART, its present funding strategy depends on passenger fares to cover operating costs.
The rise is based on the inflation rate less half a percentage point. The first of these increases went into effect on January 1, 2024, and this is the second.
The average cost will rise from $4.47 to $4.72, a 25-cent hike.
In a statement, BART board vice president Mark Foley stated, “We recognize that price hikes are never acceptable, but BART fares continue to be an essential source of funding even with ridership lower than it was prior to the pandemic.” In June 2023, my board colleagues and I decided against catching up all at once and instead to spread out the necessary fee increases over two years. In order to assist those who are most in need, we also decided to raise the Clipper START means-based discount from 20% to 50%.
It is anticipated that the fare hike will generate around $14 million annually for operations. BART will utilize this $30 million annually, along with the fare adjustment from the previous year, to pay for capital investments, improved cleaning, more police and unarmed safety personnel, and train service.
According to BART, low-income users of BART and other Bay Area transit systems can benefit greatly from the regional Clipper START program. Adult riders who earn at least 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the program. Participants in the program, which is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, are given a customized Clipper card that reduces the cost of fares on over 20 transit systems by half.
Clipper START offers riders with restricted incomes a 50% discount.
With a youth Clipper card, anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 can receive 50% discount. Senior Clipper cardholders 65 and above receive 62.5% discount. For travelers under 65 with eligible disabilities, the RTC Clipper card was developed, offering 62.5% discount.
According to BART, the fee hike is the most recent update in a plan to fund BART while giving passengers predictable, gradual increases in the cost of riding.
In order to allow charges to keep up with the expense of providing dependable and secure service, BART initially introduced this inflation-based fare increase program in 2004. It calls for small, frequent, less-than-inflation increases every two years.
Despite the fare increase, BART reported that its operating loss for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 will be $35 million and $385 million, respectively. The agency stated that BART needs to update its funding sources to better align with other transportation systems around the nation that receive more public support since its model of depending on passenger tickets to cover the majority of operating costs is no longer viable due to the rise in remote work.
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