If it seems like it’s been a long time since you have stepped on a BART train, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
BART ridership is at approximately 90,000 riders per day, about 20% of its pre-pandemic levels, according to the agency's board of directors president Mark Foley.
Getting more riders back on the tracks could take some time, however as they do slowly return, officials remain optimistic about what the future holds.
Now that a nearly normal schedule has resumed this week, Foley told KCBS Radio that BART is on track to slowly build back ridership through a number of methods that will enhance the experience.
Firstly, the agency invested in resources to create cleaner trains, adding both a brand new air filtration system, as well as over 50 new members of the maintenance staff.
The additional daily service also means less people per trains and BART created a service so riders can check how crowded trains should be before they board them.
"What BART has been doing is providing crowding charts on our website, so that folks can look at which trains are more crowded based on time of day and station," Foley explained.
Another new feature this summer is the implementation of crisis intervention specialists aboard trains - professionals who can intervene when people on BART or at the stations are having a mental breakdown.
"We think it really gives a good balance in trying to approach progressive policing on BART," Foley said.
He added the agency’s goal is to get to 52% of pre-pandemic levels by June of 2022.
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