BART set to increase fares by 5.5 percent in the new year

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will be rolling out a fare increase Jan. 1, 2025, to keep pace with inflation. These fare increases will help the agency to pay for continued operations and to work toward restoring financial stability. BART's current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations.  

Fares will increase 5.5 percent on New Year’s Day. The increase is tied to the rate of inflation minus a half-percentage point. It’s the second such increase – the first took effect Jan. 1, 2024. 

The average fare will increase 25 cents, from $4.47 to $4.72. BART's fare calculator and trip planner have been updated with the new fares for trips with the date 1/1/25 and beyond. Riders can learn how the increase will affect their travels by entering a 2025 date for their trip. 

“We understand that price increases are never welcome, but BART fares remain a vital source of funds even with ridership lower than they were before the pandemic,” said BART Board Vice President Mark Foley. “My board colleagues and I voted in June 2023 to spread necessary fare increases over two years rather than catching up all at once. At the same time, we voted to increase the Clipper START means-based discount from 20 percent to 50 percent to help those most in need.” 

The fare increase is expected to raise about $14 million per year for operations. Combined with the previous year’s fare adjustment, BART will use this $30 million per year to fund train service, enhanced cleaning, additional police and unarmed safety staff presence and capital projects such as the Next Generation Fare Gates project.  

Outdated funding model 

BART's current funding model relies on passenger fares to pay for operations. Even with the fare increase, BART says it is facing a $35 million operating deficit in fiscal year2026 and $385 million in fiscal year 2027. Since BART’s outdated model of relying on passenger fares to pay most operating costs is no longer feasible because of remote work, the agency notes it must modernize its funding sources to better match other transit systems throughout the country that receive larger amounts of public funding. BART needs a more reliable long-term source of operating funding and continues to advocate at the federal, state and regional levels for the permanent funding needed to sustainably provide the quality transit service the Bay Area needs.   

Addressing BART’s ongoing financial crisis will take a variety of solutions including securing new revenue and continuing to find internal cost savings. BART costs have grown at a rate lower than inflation. The agency says it implemented a service schedule that better matches ridership and we are running shorter trains, reducing traction power consumption and maintenance costs.

Discounts available for those who are eligible 

The regional Clipper START program offers affordable transit services for low-income riders. The program is for adult riders with a household income of 200 percent of the federal poverty level or less. Administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, program participants receive a personalized Clipper card that cuts half the cost of fares on more than 20 transit systems.