03 Mar New BART Fare Gate Chimes Will Help With Accessibility

The fare gates at all BART stations, like this one in Richmond, as of Monday play new sounds after riders tap their card to help blind and low-vision passengers. (Danielle Parenteau-Decker / The CC Pulse)

By Andres Jimenez Larios
Bay City News

On Monday, BART updated the fare gates at all of the agency’s train stations in the Bay Area with a new chime that will help riders who rely on auditory cues to navigate during their trips.

The new tone will sound when a rider holds their fare media — such as their Clipper Card or bank card — for an additional second after a gate opens and is intended to be more audible over other background noises.

The agency said the change was made to phase out outdated technology and improve the experience for blind and low-vision travelers. People should listen for an “ascending chime” when entering and a “descending chime” when exiting a station.

BART’s Director of Customer Access and Accessibility Ryan Greene-Roesel is a musician and developed the new chimes on her piano.  The agency said its sound engineers then put the chords into a digital program that let the team generate various iterations before a final selection was made.

“We hope customers and station staff enjoy the new tones as we continue to work hard to improve the BART experience for all of our riders,” Greene-Roesel said.

For more info on accessibility at BART, visit bart.gov/accessibility.

Copyright © 2026 Bay City News, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.