BART running out of money
Luring riders back: Mask rule, deep cleaning part of strategy to build trust
BART will continue requiring masks for any rider 13 or older even if Bay Area counties loosen their restrictions
The rule is part of a 15point recovery plan the agency put forward Wednesday as the regional economy limps back to life. The plan also includes cleanings with hospitalgrade disinfectant, 10car trains to ensure 6 feet of separation between passengers and hand sanitizer dispensers at every station.
The idea: Welcome commuters back, acclimate them to a dramatically different scene on public
transit and salvage as much revenue as possible.
In a phone interview Wednesday, General Manager Bob Powers remained staunchly upbeat.
“I think we’re already seeing an uptick in ridership,” he said, pointing to an incremental bump this week. The rail system had bottomed out at 24,000 riders a day — about 6% of its normal 400,000person haul — but on Tuesday, ridership was up to 32,000.
That’s still paltry compared to the rush hour crowds on BART before the pandemic, when cars filled the station parking lots before 7 a.m. and riders packed shouldertoshoulder in trains. Luring them back may take years. Although businesses are starting to reopen, BART management expects ridership to range from 15% to 50% of normal, with precoronavirus levels possibly not returning until at least 2023.
BART is offering various assurances to rebuild trust with the public. Even as the agency’s finances erode, its staff expects to spend $44 million next year on expenses related to the coronavirus, including extra cleanings, protective equipment for workers and hand sanitizer.
When a train reaches the end of the line, crews will wipe down poles with disinfectant and use electrostatic foggers to spray disinfecting mist into the cars. Additionally, BART will run 10car trains to ensure 6 feet of separation between passengers. At some point, Powers expects health departments to ease that recommendation, letting riders stand 3 feet apart.
With demand low, BART is running trains 30 minutes apart on weekdays and stopping service at 9 p.m. BART officials hope to add trains and increase frequency to every 15 minutes during the peak commute once they consistently count 30 people on board each car.
The agency will instill new habits in commuters to stave off the spread of the virus, Powers said.
He described a future in which people carry masks alongside their wallet and keys whenever they leave the house.
“It’s a small thing, but the impact is immense,” he said. BART police will enforce the mask requirement by standing near the fare gates at many stations and checking people as they enter.
Additionally, BART will try different seat configurations on its new Bombardier train cars, which have modular seats that can easily be shuffled. The idea is to open as much space as possible without blocking seats off, officials said in a statement Wednesday.
As the agency grinds through a financial crisis, it will continue to provide reliable service, board President Lateefah Simon told The Chronicle. Simon’s acute nearsightedness prevents her from driving, and she has been riding BART sporadically during the shutdown.
“The Bay Area deserves a transit system that is going to run, even with 30minute headways and closing at 9,” she said. “Those of us who are transitdependent — we are going to survive this.”