BART Reports Drop in Fare Evasion with Installation of New Secure Fare Gates

With the continuing installation of new secure fare gates, BART is reporting a decline in fare evasion. In a quarterly survey of riders, 17% said they had witnessed fare evasion, an almost 30% drop from the same period just a year ago when 25% of respondents said they had seen fare dodgers. The Bay Area Council helped secure funding for the new fare gates and has also been a strong advocate for getting them installed as fast as possible.

In the last 12 months, BART has installed Next Generation Fare Gates at more than 20 stations across the system. More stations are getting new gates every month. In just the last few days installation work began at Concord, El Cerrito Plaza, Glen Park, and San Leandro stations.

“The decline in fare evasion sightings is the latest indication that Next Generation Fare Gates are transforming the rider experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “We know it’s not possible to stop 100% of fare evasion, but we are seeing that these state-of-the-art, durable gates are proving themselves to be more resistant to fare evaders and are deterring unwanted activity on BART.”

As more stations receive new gates, BART’s crime rate has also dropped. Overall crime on BART was down 17% last year even as BART served 2.6 million more trips than it did in 2023.