The Richmond BART Station now has a newly designed accessible fare gate prototype to test BART’s next generation of fare gates.
The new design is the result of months of innovation by BART staff that has reduced the cost estimate for replacing fare gates across the system from $150 to $90 million, a 40% savings.
The prototype gate includes two 5-feet high swing style barriers that discourages users from pushing through, jumping over, or maneuvering under the gates.
BART staff will present to the Board of Directors on June 11th the new $90 million cost estimate for fare gate replacement as well as a potential framework of a funding plan and timeline.
90 million? Surely it would be more cost effective to just hire someone to punch tickets. It would help give people jobs as well.
You need to stop talking common sense.
I agree!
Why didn’t I think of that. Genius!!! Oh, but then the overtime and let their buddies in for free. Corruption bound.
Punch tickets manually? 😂🤪😂🤪
No, because the employees would get assaulted on a daily basis and that cost of taking care of that would be much higher overtime.
Am I missing something, “result of months of innovation”, they say this new system prevents pushing through, jumping over or going under . . . . . BUT,
What stops a paying person and a nonpaying person directly behind, once gates have opened, from holding open plastic sheets (doors) allowing others to just walk thru without paying ? ? ?
Looks like its wider compared to the current …
Would that allow more than one person to slip thru when open??
This is an ADA faregate designed wide enough for wheelchair accessibility.
“highest on fare evasion deterrence”? They’re setting the bar pretty high, but if I gambled, my money would be on the evaders.
The fare evaders will eventually figure out a way to sneak through! They always do….they will NEVER actually pay to ride BART! So sad!!
Really wish all the riders were people of honesty and integrity!
Hope they placed cameras there to record all the ways fare evaders evade the new gates. 5 feet isn’t a high enough deterrent.
Have an armed guard at each gate and enforce the rules on everyone. When BART conducted their sweeps of trains to identify fare evaders by far the largest percentage of fare evaders was/is from a certain demographic. At which point those groups called out started claiming that the data was manipulated. It wasn’t.
You want to pay armed guards to man every BART station, so you’re saying more BART police then, right? BART cops fresh out of the academy are ~$80k/yr MINIMUM salary, upwards $200K total compensation…and you want how many at each station just manning gates? And then what happens the first time a video gets posted of this “armed guard” having to use force to detain a fare jumper who may happen to be of a certain demographic? “Ohhhh, why are they using force on someone who’s only crime is he can’t afford the fare!!!?”
@Carpe – They’ve been losing $25 million+ a year in fare evasion. That should buy a lot of officers and make the system safer while keeping the undesirables out.
yay and they will come with fare hikes
as bart board will no doubt thank themselves again with bonuses
union run transit is why this state is bankrupt
well supposedly bankrupt
Glazier ran on the promise that he would see to it that BART unions were never again able to hang up the commuters the way they did during their strike a few years ago. I haven’t heard a peep from him about it since he was elected. Promise them anything but give the the same old BS.
BART has had a fare evasion problem for
almost 50 years. After “months of innovation”
they think they have it solved. What was the
hurry!
With the amount of taxpayers money it’s getting it should be free.
AGREE!!!
Why test it out in Richmond?
Random choice. It could have been anywhere. Fare evasions happens at every station.
Here’s a thought, announce an award of eighty thousand dollar prize for best design / prototype. Sit back and wait.
Does this method work ?
X Prize Foundation, Oil Cleanup Challenge in July 2010
https://earthsky.org/earth/two-companies-win-awards-for-the-x-prize-oil-cleanup-challenge
Did I miss the part where these slam shut instantly after a paying customer goes through, thereby preventing fare “evader” from following? Instead of wasting millions $$ on this, and all the time/money trying to catch/cite/charge/prosecute/jail fare jumpers, seriously just make it the honor system. Honest people with a sense of decency and integrity will still pay, and resources won’t be wasted on the jumpers.
And let’s be honest, at nearly 50% we know who comprises the overwhelming percentage of fare evaders, although that particular group is only 12% of ridership. Well prior to these riots, the usual leftist types were already saying it’s (you guessed it) RACIST! to enforce the fares on POC…so now, in THIS environment? Total waste to go after them…it’s like the security cameras THE TAXPAYERS paid for, but then we can’t see the footage of “certain” people committing violent crimes because, as BART stated, it could lead to “racial insensitivity.” So it’s pointless…with the bureaucracy, overly-generous salaries, unsustainable pensions, disgusting/dangerous trains & stations, BART is already a tax money put colossal fail, so just wasting even more money on these “preventive” measures that will have little effect is just dumb.
BART makes it look like they are “trying” to solve the problems, but when it comes right down to it, it’s just too easy for them to go to the voters and pass another big, stinking bond measure and soak the taxpayers. Voters have to stop giving them money. They treat it like Monopoly money.
The one on the right looks like is for wheelchair, bike, etc. access. That one looks flimsy to me. The one on the left is for regular access.
I will be a billboard for stickers and graffiti. Yea why start in Richmond ?
Instead of Orinda
After designing and building up first version of a new industrial process control console, you first have “experienced” users try it out. If they can’t screw it up you move on to least logical thinkers in the group for next round of testing. Making changes as they uncover flaws or show you something you didn’t plan for in your original design. When they can’t screw it up
it’s ready to install.
Design and problem solving, gives you a sense of accomplishment at end of the day or project.
bart is going to a location where non paying “patrons” may well show them flaws in their, well thought out logical design. In other words, those “patrons” may proceed to embarrass the cr*p out of them.
Am curious type of sensors are being used to determine process of a person transiting the gate.
Use the old turnstile type that is 10 feet tall with bars all the way up and locks once you go thru. It’s not new or modern but it will work. With cyclone fences between turnstiles. Ugly but will do the job and cost effective..
I agree! They should be using those super tall gates with the bars!
Maybe two sets of plastic doors. One opens and lets them in, then once the first door closes, the second set of doors open. Would be slower for people rushing to trains, but think of all the money BART would be saving.
and if they add a second set of doors they can add another 90 million to the price tag!
I appreciate the effort, but it’s form over function. That nice clear plastic will be shattered and/or covered in scratched and burned graffiti by month end. I know they were trying to avoid an institutional look with steel bars, but quite frankly a good number of BART fare evaders are probably rather accustomed to that.
Fare evaders will always find a way. Here is this video as proof
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhqlh_Q3IFE
They make fences electrified to give a little shock to animals to keep them in their pens so why not do the same for the fare gates. Fare evaders get a little shock when they try to go thru.
@Anon… Obviously you’ve never had a “little shock” from a fence, not a bad idea though, it would make for an entertaining video. I think laser guided water cannons would work and then maybe the “little shock”.
The BART Board is made up of activists. They have no interest in stopping fare evaders.
Yet another joke by BART and their directors. I agree the changes should be free to the tax payers and riders. Until such time as law and order is brought back to California this will not deter the slime which breaks every law imaginable because there are no consequences, expect to us the law abiding tax payers and law followers.
Just about everything in California and the US is to provide for the liberals and the socialists. I love California but this is getting crazy at this point. Stop raping the tax payers.
Yet again BART and their band of over paid directors want to do a money grab of us tax payers who obey the law but get the shaft once again.
BART has taken enough money and misused it over so many years I do not have enough toes or fingers to count them on, Stop asking for more money and use what it is in the budget just like the rest of us do.
BART is filthy and only caters to the homeless and the band of liberal and socialists who seem to get your attention, when we can not. Then when they break the law the DA’s office say to the media that those people deserve so much more-even though they do not want to work and always have their hand out to those that do work and unfortunately are forced to support their antics. They are never punished. So all you liberals and socialists, when crime finally hits you and your family I hope the police and law enforcement loose your addresses and phone numbers. See how you like it then.
NO to anymore funding to these services that keep grabbing the dollars of hard working Californians. You will be sorely sorry when we all have left California and you are left with Pelosi, Newsom, Breed and Libby S. They will have run out of our money and sure as shootin’ the Democratic liberals won’t give up their salaries or benefits to help the less fortunate that they have babied for years to get votes.
@ Sam Malone – Very true. Many of us life-long Californians are considering moving out of the State. The Libs are doing everything they can to drive this place into the ground. For me, San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world – and I’ve traveled all over the world. But the Liberal Dems have completely destroyed San Francisco, and it’s just going to get worse. I can’t imagine going there now, or anytime in the future. So sad. But you’re right, once those of us that can leave are gone — the Dems will be left with homeless drug addicts, illegals and welfare recipients. That may be the Dem’s idea of a perfect society – but it’s not mine.
I still say that the solution I offered here last year consisting a tunnel made from 3-4 sheets of plywood would do the job equally well with the existing gates and would cost less, albeit less pretty. Well, maybe they could paint it.
De-Fund BART!