They're 'a symbol of the new BART.' Do new fare gates make riders feel safer?

By Rachel Swan | San Francisco Chronicle (TNS)

Frequent BART riders may have noticed a strange phenomenon in recent months: The sudden rise of a carefree commuter who boards the train, whips out a laptop and proceeds to work.

This type of behavior would have seemed brazen in 2019, when trains were oppressively crowded and riders sensed their vulnerability to theft and other forms of disorder. Now BART appears to be course-correcting. Passengers have indicated, in their anecdotes and visual cues, that they feel safer — a positive sign to officials who are desperate to lure people back to transit.

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Some attribute the vibe to one advancement in particular: The “Next Generation” Plexiglass fare gates.

“They are a symbol of the new BART,” General Manager Bob Powers said, characterizing the gates as a utility and a statement of the rail system’s values.

Determined to stave off a fiscal crisis, leaders at BART are emphasizing public safety, technological sophistication, and the belief they could solve many problems by “hardening” the system against trespassers who use illicit substances or cause disturbances on trains. They want to send a message that only paying riders are welcome.

The $90 million fare gate project is key to that strategy. So will it help revive a pandemic-scarred transit system that serves 200,000 trips on its busiest weekdays?

“Unequivocally,” Powers said.

To date, crews have installed Next Generation gates at 27 stations, with plans to finish all 50 by the end of the year. The 7-foot vertical panels have changed the visceral experience of BART’s entryways, making them more redolent of an airport security line — or of walking through the saloon doors in a space western. Skeptics describe the aesthetic as “fortress” architecture. Powers favors the term “cutting edge.”

Either way, the panels are a far cry from the orange wedge gates that defined BART forever, and that just about anyone could breach. People who hopped over or squeezed through those wedges cost BART an estimated $25 million annually. They also created a perception of chaos.

Officials at BART were so vexed by the problem that they spent years chasing the perfect barrier, testing double-decker and shark-fin models, and even considering the “Iron Maiden,” with prison-style bars that fit together like interlocking teeth.

Then in 2023, BART’s board approved a contract for the Next Generation gates, and within months a prototype cropped up at West Oakland Station. Now the fare gates are nearly ubiquitous, and highly effective, according to Powers.

“Anecdotally,” he said, “I know these gates have reduced the volume of troubled souls who get into the system.”

Rigged with cameras and sensors to monitor movement, the panels flip open only when a rider taps in, then swing shut after the person passes through. They aren’t impervious to cheating: A Chronicle reporter exiting at Powell Station on a recent morning was trailed closely by two freeloaders — a trick known as “piggybacking.”

But over time, engineers have fine-tuned the sensors. That much was clear when the reporter’s two children tried to piggyback at El Cerrito Plaza Station, triggering an alarm.

A recent customer satisfaction survey suggests the security features are working. Roughly 17% of riders interviewed said they had observed someone enter or exit a station without paying, a drop of one-third from the same period last year. Crime on the rail system fell 17% in 2024, a drop Powers attributes to the sturdier barriers.

Riders said they have noticed a transformation.

“I didn’t observe any fare evasion today,” said Katelyn Sweeney, who was waiting on the platform at 12th Street Station in Oakland. She added that she hadn’t paid much attention to the gates, either, “which is maybe the goal.”

Dino Ger, who was checking his smart phone in the paid area of Powell Station, said he favors the aesthetic and protective nature of the paneled gates, though he still occasionally sees people sneak in.

As Ger stood by, the panels swooshed open and a kid with a skateboard walked in. Scowling, the kid criticized the Next Generation gates, saying he would have preferred to get in free.

Others expressed doubt that the shield-like infrastructure makes a difference.

“I guess if fewer people are jumping, that’s the point,” said Adeeb Nasir as he exited at Powell. Nonetheless, Nasir added, “I really never felt unsafe to begin with.”

At El Cerrito Del Norte Station, crews in hard hats were installing new gates at the south entrance last week. Rider Heidi Swillinger stood at the north side, pleased to see the construction underway.

“People who cheat BART are potentially cheating others of a great transportation system,” Swillinger said, raking her eyes over the north entrance, where the orange wedge turnstiles were still in place.

Fare evaders were cavalierly vaulting over them, perhaps for the last time. The Del Norte gates are set to be finished this week.

Reach Rachel Swan: [email protected]

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