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    1. Technology
    2. Fare Collection
    3. Mobile Applications

    BART’s contactless parking payment now available systemwide

    June 30, 2020
    The payment feature marks a milestone in BART’s efforts to modernize BART’s parking payment and enforcement systems and addresses longstanding wishes from riders throughout the system.
    Related To: Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
    BART
    Bart 5efb6f0714db9

    The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is expanding its contactless parking payment to all stations that offer parking as part of the agency’s 15-step plan to welcome back riders.

    With the feature, riders can park at any station and pay for their parking stall on their phones through the official BART app, allowing them to avoid touching payment machines.

    The payment feature marks a milestone in BART’s efforts to modernize BART’s parking payment and enforcement systems and addresses longstanding wishes from riders throughout the system.

    “Part of our 15-step Welcome Back plan in this era of COVID-19 is to protect our riders by reducing the number of touchpoints they encounter,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “The parking payment by app feature helps us fulfill that commitment while modernizing the rider experience as customers continue to return to the system.”

    The agency’s most significant parking payment modernization effort to date initially launched in February 2019 with the Early Bird Express parking feature of the app. In March 2020, a five-station pilot program was implemented at Antioch, West Oakland, Hayward, South San Francisco and El Cerrito Del Norte stations.

    Paying for parking is easier than ever

    The new daily fee parking payment feature allows riders to pay through their credit card, debit card, Venmo or PayPal account. Riders can choose paying individually for each parking transaction or creating a wallet which will deduct parking fees from the balance. A convenience fee may be applied later for individual parking transactions so riders are encouraged to create a wallet which will automatically load $25 each time the balance drops below $5.

    To use the new daily fee parking payment feature, riders will need to download the latest version of the official BART app, create a profile, enter a Clipper card number and a parking payment method (credit card, debit card, Venmo or PayPal account). After parking, riders will need to pay for their daily fee parking before they tag into the station with the Clipper card registered with the official BART app profile.

    Previously, daily fee parkers had to memorize their stall number, wait in line and pay with cash or use the same paper ticket they entered with or BART’s EZ rider program. These options remain available. EZ rider customers can easily close their accounts to begin using the official BART app parking payment feature.

    All parking permits payments will continue to be sold online through Select-a-Spot and are not yet offered through the official BART app.  

    Carpool program expands

    The app has offered other parking payment options prior to the daily fee parking payment, including parking payment for Early Bird Express riders and carpoolers at select stations. BART’s carpool program is now available at all stations with permit parking. Accessible through the official BART app, the carpool program allows carpoolers to park in the permit sections of BART parking lots, which fill later and have greater availability.