As California lifts nearly all of its coronavirus-related restrictions, BART is ramping toward a return to pre-pandemic service levels.
BART will resume normal service Aug. 30, with midnight service returning that day and trains running every 15 minutes between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. The transit line will also offer a 50% discount to riders using their clipper cards throughout September.
Jim Alison, media relations manager with BART, told KCBS Radio’s Margie Shafer and Jim Taylor on Tuesday that ridership levels are steadily increasing. BART had more riders last Friday (76,405, according to BART’s data) and Saturday (45,985) than at any point since the Bay Area’s first stay-at-home order last March.
That’s a far cry from BART’s typical June ridership, with Alison noting the agency would’ve expected over 410,000 riders on a weekday prior to the pandemic. But it’s a significant improvement over this time last year, according to Alison.
"(Compared) to the 25,000 people we were getting at this time last year, it's a major accomplishment, we feel," Alison said.
Last week, BART added 26 weekday train trips and 16 on Saturdays.
Riders must continue to wear their masks through Sept. 13, thanks to a TSA directive. Alison said Tuesday that BART’s latest data showed 96% of riders complied with the mask rules, and that station agents can provide masks to people who aren’t wearing one.
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