Home » City Guide » , , ,

BART Fares Going Up Average of 15¢ Starting July 1, 2022

Fares are going up 3.4% system-wide starting July 1st with more trains and more late night trains coming by 2023
By - posted 6/12/2022 No Comment

By Eli Walsh Bay City News Foundation

BART’s governing board unanimously approved its budget for the coming fiscal year on Thursday as well as a preliminary budget for the following 2023-2024 fiscal year.

The balanced budget includes the use of $313.6 million in federal COVID-19 emergency funding in the 2022-2023 fiscal year as the transit agency continues to recover from its ridership plummeting due to the pandemic.

BART officials elected to switch to a rolling two-year budget approval process this year in an effort to improve the agency’s long-term financial planning.

As part of the budget, BART will increase fares by 3.4 percent systemwide, an increase that was initially planned to go into effect Jan. 1, 2022, in an effort to keep up with inflation. BART officials noted that the 3.4% fare hike increase remains below current inflation levels.

Fare Hike Coming July 1, 2022
The budget for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 includes a less-than-inflation-rate fare increase effective July 1, 2022.  

For a short trip like Downtown Berkeley to 19th St/Oakland, the regular fare is estimated to increase by 5¢  and for a longer trip like Antioch in Eastern Contra Costa County to Montgomery Street Station in Downtown San Francisco, it’s estimated to increase by 30¢. Other than saying it’s a 3.4% hike, BART has not revealed yet the exact cost of higher-fare trips such as trips beginning or ending at SFO or Oakland Airport. The average fare system-wide will increase 15¢.

Other Changes Coming in 2022 + 2023 – More Trains, More Late Night Trains
Beginning in September 2022, BART trains will run with more consistent intervals. Currently evening service through San Francisco seven days a week and on Sundays has trains that are not well-spaced apart because of single tracking for rebuilding work. This pattern will come to an end and trains will be better spread apart, reducing wait times for many riders.

In February 2023, BART anticipates making a major investment in Saturday evening service by running five-line service until closure which increases frequency and reduces transfers for many riders.

According to BART officials, the average fare cost will increase 15 cents to $3.78. BART riders pay an average of 28 cents per mile traveled throughout the transit system, according to BART Assistant General Manager for Performance and Budget Pamela Herhold.

The increase is expected to generate roughly $15 million over the coming two fiscal years.

The FY 2023 budget also includes plans to change BART’s Saturday service schedule by running service on all five lines until the system’s closure at midnight.

Currently, BART operates all five of its lines daily until 9 p.m. and then limits service to lines between Millbrae and Antioch, Daly City and Dublin/Pleasanton and Richmond and North San Jose.

Members of BART’s Board of Directors have pushed for more frequent weekend service in the budget approved Thursday as ridership has recovered faster on weekends than it has during the standard work week.

“Using transit should be easy,” BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman said in a statement. “The service plan enabled by this budget makes taking BART more convenient and less complicated.”
The FY 2023 budget will take effect July 1, 2022.

Copyright © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.