BART recorded its highest average weekday ridership since the pandemic began in October, carrying nearly 200,000 riders on weekdays, a 10.7 percent increase over October 2024. Overall, more than 5.3 million trips were logged during the month. Oct. 18 was the busiest Saturday since pre-COVID times at 150,000 trips.
Though signs point to recovery, BART still faces a $375 million budget shortfall and projects only a 4 percent ridership increase in 2026.
Tap-and-Ride payments (contactless bank cards) reached nearly 10 percent of all trips and jumped 23 percent from September, making the system the second-most popular payment method after Clipper Adult.
“BART’s gradual recovery is closely tied to work-from-home trends in the region,” the transit agency said. “While more riders are returning to the system, they are generally taking fewer trips due to remote and hybrid work schedules.”
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