15 Dec BART Riders to Pay More in 2026 as Fares, Ridership Rise With Inflation

BART Richmond fare gates. (Danielle Parenteau-Decker / The CC Pulse)

By Bay City News

BART will raise fares by 6.2% on New Year’s Day, citing inflation and long-term financial pressures, even as ridership continues to climb across much of the transit system, the transit agency said.

The fare increase will lift the average ride by 30 cents, from $4.88 to $5.18, based on inflation recorded in 2023 and 2024. A short trip like Downtown Berkeley to 19th Street/Oakland station will rise by 15 cents, while longer journeys — including the 45-mile Antioch-to-Montgomery Street trip — will cost 55 cents more.

BART expects the increase to generate $15.6 million in 2026. Parking prices will also change on Jan. 1, though details were not specified.

RIDERSHIP SHOWS STEADY GAINS

The fare hike comes as ridership shows steady improvement. In November, the transit agency recorded an 11.6% rise in overall ridership from a year earlier, with riders taking more than 4.4 million trips, BART said. Growth was especially strong at many stations, including Downtown Berkeley station, where exits climbed nearly 20%, and 19th Street/Oakland and 12th Street/Oakland City Center stations, both of which saw increases of more than 20%. West Oakland and Embarcadero stations also posted gains of 24% and 17%, respectively.

Weekend and off-peak travel continue to drive the rebound. Saturday ridership jumped 19% in November compared with last year, while Sunday ridership rose 16%. Travel to San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport around Thanksgiving increased 12%, BART said.

Transit officials said the gains reflect changing travel patterns, wider adoption of new fare programs, and improvements to safety and cleanliness. Crime on the system is down 45% as of October, according to BART, and customer satisfaction reached 88% in 2025.

New fare tools are also reshaping how riders pay, according to the transit agency. Tap and Ride, which allows riders to use contactless bank cards or mobile wallets at fare gates, accounted for 11% of all trips in November. Usage of Clipper BayPass surged 173% from a year earlier, while participation in the Clipper START low-income discount program increased 37%.

BUDGET DEFICIT

Despite the momentum, BART says ridership would need to more than double to close its budget gap through fares alone. The transit agency still projects a deficit of around $375 million, highlighting what its officials describe as an outdated funding model that relies heavily on passenger fares in an era of remote and hybrid work.

The transit agency’s most recent forecast projects only a 4% ridership increase in 2026, underscoring the limits of fare revenue as a solution.

“As we ask the region for greater investments and support for BART while also making internal cuts to reduce costs, we also must ask our riders to contribute more towards their trips,” BART Board President Mark Foley said in a statement released Friday.

BART has balanced its 2026 budget with $35 million in ongoing cuts and plans $108 million in additional savings and deferrals in 2027, including shorter trains to reduce energy costs, a hiring freeze, targeted operating cuts, renegotiated retiree health care costs, and long-term energy contracts.

Fare calculators and trip-planning tools have been updated to reflect 2026 prices, according to BART.

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