BART to see Fare Hikes through 2020

BART’s Board of Director’s renewed the inflation-based fare increase measure through 2020. This move by the board means that on January 1, 2014 BART users fares will increase 5%. In 2016, 2018 and 2020 the increase will be 4%. The new plan also allows for an increase in parking fees if BART should think it necessary. With the new measure BART stations are now allowed to increase parking by 50 cents twice a year with a maximum daily limit of $3 (West Oakland being an exception). The parking and fare increases are expected to net around $410 million between 2013-2020.

The parking increases were of particular concern for those BART representatives from areas with few other public transport options. In these areas BART riders commute to the station and park there at a rate much higher than in areas with more public transportation options. These representatives were worried that any parking increases would disproportionately affect their constituents. In order to remedy these complaints, the proposal was amended to stipulate that parking increases would go toward access improvements in the more remote stations.

The fare and parking hikes are considered necessary because although BART has come out of the past two years with surpluses, they have many long-term operational projects that experts anticipate  will create a shortfall for this coming fiscal year. The additional $410 million in revenue would go towards those projects in an attempt to offset the $10 billion shortfall.