BART Crime Down
BART crime was always much lower than perceived, but efforts to secure the system are making it even safer. From a BART report issued Tuesday:
The number of crimes against riders per million trips has fallen 67% from the end of 2024 to the latest quarter. The crime rate is falling even as more people are riding BART. Over that same period the number of BART PD and safety-related delays fell 47% as police had to respond to fewer reported incidents.
BART attributes the decline, at least in part, to the rollout of its new fare gates, which are harder to breach. “They have been a real game changer,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers in a statement. “The new fare gates are at the core of what I call the ‘New BART.’ We are offering our riders a safer, cleaner, and more reliable experience than even just a year ago.”
The new fare gates were fully installed in September of last year.
“New gates and our high-visibility patrols on trains and in stations are providing layers of security for our riders,” said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin. “As reports of fare evasion drop, it frees up members of my team to respond more rapidly to emergencies in the system.”
BART is also reaping the benefits of its Transit Ambassador program, launched in 2020.
“Having more non-police staff on hand to assist riders and defuse conflict has been so successful that Representative Lateefah Simon has introduced a bill to nationalize it,” said Abibat Rahman-Davies, Transform Transportation Policy Manager. “We applaud BART for listening to rider concerns and implementing programs like the Transit Ambassadors.”
Ridership is also up. The latest data available, for July, shows a 16.5 increase over July of last year.
The news reflects well on efforts to continue funding and improving Bay Area transit via the pending Regional Transit Measure, which will appear on the November ballot.
“This data reflects that BART’s safety strategies are working and that the rider experience is improving, which is exactly what the voters want,” said Jeff Cretan, a spokesperson for Connect Bay Area. “BART and other transit agencies have been focused on strengthening how they deliver safe, reliable transit—and all of that will be wiped away if we don’t pass the Regional Transit Measure.”
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