‘Modest’ BART Fare Increase

Passengers appreciate BART’s annual New Year’s Eve ride-for-free, but on New Year’s morning, it was back to reality.

Fares increased on BART, starting Jan. 1. Fares went up by 5.5 percent in what BART calls a modest fare increase.

The fare hike was approved by BART’s board of directors in June. The board decided to deviate from its policy of approving a fare increase every two years. So, instead of an 11 percent fare increase in January 2024, the fare rose by 5.5 percent in January 2024 and will increase by the same rate again in January 2025.

But BART also announced bigger discount fares for qualifying lower-income riders that went into effect Jan. 1.

The Clipper START program for low-income riders will increase the discount on fares from 20 percent to 50 percent, so low-income riders will pay half fare. The discount is for residents between 19 and 64 who earn under 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Young riders (age 5 to 18) can get a Youth Clipper Card that offers a 50 percent discount. Riders who are 65 and over can get the Senior Clipper Card, which has a 62 percent discount.

Some passengers have questioned the fare increase since a percentage of riders have been passing through the fare gates without paying. Since the pandemic began, the number of fare evaders has significantly increased. BART said it’s planning to install new fare gates, starting in 2024, that are better at deterring fare gate jumping.