Nobody feels comfortable taking BART anymore

A recent research survey highlights what SJ residents know very well: 83% of riders feel unsafe using BART. Just as (un)surprising? They'd take the Bay's transportation system more regularly if rule-breakers were expunged, and if police/transit officers were on board. The Globe's breakdown here.

According to a new Bay Area Council/EMC Research poll released this week, only 17% of people in the Bay Area who ride Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) feel safe, with 45% of residents saying that they don’t take BART because they don’t feel safe when riding it.

The survey, which was conducted last month, specifically found that the top responses to the question “What is the main thing that keeps you from riding BART more often than you are now, if anything?” were 22% citing Safety concerns/Dangerous/Lack of security/Fear, followed by 16% saying No need/No commute/Retired/Don’t go to SF. Overall, 45% cited a safety issue of some sort.

This was followed by a whopping 78% of respondents saying they would ride more if it was significantly cleaner and safer to ride, with 83% of respondents wanting BART to remove people from the system when they break the rules, such as fare jumpers, those who drink or take drugs, and the homeless who stay on trains. Bay area residents also want more police on trains, with 73% saying they want more, and 72% saying that they feel safer when a BART officer is on board.

This article originally appeared in the California Globe. Read the whole thing here.

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