BART - San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
09/06/2024 | Press release | Archived content
Role in the Region: BART lowers the cost of living in the Bay Area
Figure 2.1 shows that the cost of taking BART is lower than driving for many common trip types. Households within a half-mile of a BART station have, on average, 30 percent fewer vehicles than households beyond a half-mile from a BART station. Annually, these households drive 16 percent fewer miles, which translates to lower transportation costs.
What BART Riders Say…
"I'd have much less money and a lot more stress due to needing a car to get around. I also would love San Francisco less if it didn't have BART. It's too important to the vitality of this city.
- Rider based in San Francisco
BART connects workers to jobs
Within San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties, census tracts within a half-mile of a BART station have a 13 percent higher average job access score, which considers the number, overall mix, and types of jobs. People who live in census tracts within a half-mile of a BART station commute, on average, 16 percent fewer minutes than people who live further away.
BART Yellow and Orange lines serve a high proportion of people without a college degree. A clear example of the access and benefit that BART provides is seen in the cities of Antioch and Pittsburg, which are both lower-income and more diverse than the Bay Area as a whole. Residents of these cities can use BART to reach jobs in larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland in an affordable and timely manner.
What BART Riders Say…
"I don't think my family and I could remain in the Bay Area without BART."
Peter Woods, Brentwood, CA
With some 794,000 jobs (21% of the region's total) within a 15-minute walk of a BART station, BART helps people access a large pool of economic opportunities across the Bay Area. By linking people to jobs, BART helps put money in people's pockets, which increases their ability to thrive in the expensive region.
Rider story: Kassandra