New Look for
BART Heralds Sweet Summer Deal for Commuters
It’s not an illusion. BART really does look
different this summer. For the first time ever, BART cars
are sporting something other than the traditional silver
brushed-aluminum with blue trim. Seven cars, deployed
primarily on the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Dublin/Pleasanton
lines, are venturing out in a playful wrap that makes a bold
statement: “Spare the Air.”
The new look calls attention to a
groundbreaking deal—forged through a landmark partnership
between BART, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC),
and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District—that allows
travelers to ride BART free during the mornings of the first
five weekdays declared Spare the Air days by the Air
District. BART will open its fare gates to all passengers
who arrive before 9 a.m., and then collect fares as usual
for rides begun after 9 a.m. The estimated $2 million cost
of the free ride program will be paid by MTC, using federal
transportation dollars allocated to the Bay Area.
Though the promotion went into effect June
21, air pollution levels so far this summer have remained
well below the Spare the Air threshold. “Air quality in the
Bay Area has improved tremendously over the past 40 years,”
said Air District Board Chair, MTC Commissioner and Alameda
County Supervisor Scott Haggerty. “MTC, BART and the Air
District are committed to keeping it healthy.”
The three agencies are keen to test whether free rides are
an effective inducement for Bay Area commuters to choose
transit over solo driving. They aim not only to reduce Bay
Area smog but also to protect billions of federal dollars
slated for highway and transit investments during the years
ahead. The federal government could, for air quality
reasons, withhold or even cancel funding for Bay Area
transportation projects. That’s money MTC and other regional
transportation agencies are counting on to fund a wide range
of transit and highway projects that will improve travelers’
mobility.
“The Air District declares a Spare the Air day when it
expects air pollution to reach unhealthy concentrations,
which typically occur on hot, windless days,” explained
Haggerty. Spare the Air advisories are issued the afternoon
before a Spare the Air day and usually receive wide notice
on television and radio, and in the newspapers on the
morning of a Spare the Air day. The public can get advance
notification of Spare the Air days by registering for Air
Alerts at www.sparetheair.org. The Spare the Air season—and
the free rides on BART promotion—end October 15.