BART unveils new fare gates at West Oakland Station
As part of its Safe and Clean Plan, BART this morning unveiled prototypes of its new fare gates at the West Oakland Station. The system is upgrading its fare gates for the first time in 20 years. BART has committed to opening 700+ new fare gates systemwide by the end of 2025.
Watch the time lapse video.
Mechanical Door Lock to be Installed Soon
These are not the final version of the fare gates that will be installed throughout the rest of the system. The development team will be installing the latest door-braking technology in the coming weeks. This mechanical door lock will be exclusive to BART. No other transit system in the world has it. Once installed, these gates will be harder to push through than any other fare gate in the world.
The prototypes now installed at West Oakland will test the new gates in a station environment with riders. Initial field testing will primarily focus on door material options.
BART will announce the next eight stations to get the new fare gates at the January 11, 2024, board meeting.
“As a transportation system, we take tremendous pride in saying our riders are what runs BART," said BART General Manager Bob Powers. "Among the world’s transit agencies, BART relies the most on rider fares; they are directly responsible for funding our operations. These new, state-of-the-art fare gates will protect against fare evasion, expand access to transit-dependent riders, and reduce system downtime due to maintenance, which helps boost investment in BART’s long-term growth.”
“We welcome the new fare gates starting at West Oakland and its future expansion to other stations," said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin. "These stronger, higher gates will limit fare evasions through self-enforced fare payments, keep riders safe and engaged to return to BART, and have police officers focused on more serious situations that require emergency services.”
While BART is rolling out new fare gates to boost safety and reduce fare evasion, the agency is also working to increase access to BART by more than doubling the discount for low-income individuals from 20% to 50% beginning January 1, 2024.
BART’s Safe and Clean Plan focuses on attracting riders to return to the system by reimagining the BART experience. BART is making dramatic improvements, from new payment systems to infrastructure renovations. It's all being done to guarantee customers a clean, safer ride and ensure BART is the safest way to travel around the Bay.
