BART Fares Will Go Up in January for the 2nd Year in a Row

BART riders’ commutes are about to get more expensive.

Fares will increase 5.5% in the new year to keep up with the cost of inflation, the agency announced Wednesday. It said that the price bump is necessary to continue to pay for operations and restore financial stability after multiple years of low ridership.

“BART fares remain a vital source of funds even with ridership lower than they were before the pandemic,” board vice president Mark Foley said in a statement.

The price change is the second half of an increase passed by BART’s board in June 2023, totaling an 11% bump. The first fare increase took effect in January of this year.

The agency said its goal is to help bridge a massive budget deficit looming on the horizon. BART is expected to come up $35 million short in the 2026 fiscal year, a gap that is projected to balloon to nearly $400 million in 2027.

Like other transit agencies in the Bay Area, BART is growing desperate for new sources of funding, especially after an ambitious proposal for a new regional tax died in the state Legislature this year amid growing opposition. It says that its reliance on passenger fares is outdated and “no longer feasible because of remote work.”

“The agency must modernize its funding sources to better match other transit systems throughout the country that receive larger amounts of public funding,” BART said in a press release.

Next year’s fare increase will raise the cost of an average ride by 25 cents, from $4.47 to $4.72. It’s expected to generate about $14 million annually and about $30 million when combined with the last increase.

The agency said it would use the increased revenue to pay for train services, enhance cleaning and add additional safety officers at stops. The money will also help support the implementation of its new fare gates, which make it more difficult for people to evade paying for the train.

To offset the burden of higher costs on low-income riders, the BART board also voted last year to increase its Clipper START means-based discount from 20% to 50%. That program provides reduced fares on several Bay Area transit services.