BART is appealing to riders to weigh-in via a survey on fare increases in 2024 and 2025 that it says will help it continue to provide “safe and reliable service.” The agency is also considering offering low-income Clipper START customers an increased discount of 50 percent—which is up from 20 percent, on Jan. 1, 2024. Customers can find the online survey here. BART began implementing its Board-Approved Inflation-Based Fare Increase Program in 2004, which institutes below-inflation, small fair adjustments intermittently over time. Amid “recent rapid inflation,” BART said the program’s formula “calls for a single 11.4 percent increase on Jan. 1, 2024.” The agency is looking to sidestep that larger, at-once increase by spreading it out over two smaller increases “of up to 5.5 percent each in 2024 and 2025.” The agency last increased fares by 3.4 percent on July 1, 2022. According to BART, it is also examining the possibility of offering larger discounts for Clipper START program riders, which is for adults with a household income that’s 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less. Again, the discount would increase from 20 percent per trip to 50 percent per trip. “Money from the fare increases will go towards our operating and capital budgets, funding train service, enhanced cleaning, additional police and unarmed safety staff presence and capital projects such as purchasing new train cars,” said BART. Again, find the survey about BART’s scheduled fare increases through March 26 here. Those responding can enter to win a $50 Clipper card.

New app makes bike parking at BART stations easier

in Community/Infrastructure

Rather than using a pre-paid card to store your bike in eLockers at stations, riders can now use an app.

The new BikeLink app available on both iOS and Android also allows users to start with only $5 on their BikeLink account, rather than the minimum for the BikeLink card of $20.

The on-demand, secure eLockers are available at 40 BART stations, including at Millbrae (32 eLockers), Daly City (20), San Bruno (12), South San Francisco (12), and Colma (8).

After downloading the app, riders create an account. Then when they ride up to an available eLocker, they can launch the app, follow on-screen instructions to put time on the meter and open the door to park their bike inside.

The BikeLink card balance and app account balance are not connected, according to BART.

Learn more about how to use BART’s electronic bicycle lockers here or see answers to frequently asked questions on the BikeLink website. Download the BikeLink app on iOS or Android.

Photo credit: BART