Fares keep climbing, delays are routine, and safety concerns dominate the Richmond BART station conversation. At what point does driving to the East Bay or San Francisco finally make more sense?
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Add your commentMy mom rode BART to her cleaning job in Walnut Creek for eleven years. Never owned a car. For her there was no debate — it was BART or nothing. People on this forum talking about just driving like everyone has that choice need to check themselves. Transit being reliable isn't a lifestyle preference for a lot of Richmond families, it's the whole ballgame.
Born and raised in Richmond. I've been riding BART since the Civic Center station smelled like a library instead of a porta-potty. The fare hikes alone I could stomach if the trains actually showed up. Last Tuesday I waited 34 minutes for a train that the app said was 8 minutes away. By the time I got to Embarcadero I was 45 minutes late to a client meeting. No refund, no apology, nothing. At what point does BART leadership actually face consequences for this?
That's actually backwards. The NYC subway is a flat $2.90 regardless of distance. A round trip from Richmond to Embarcadero runs over $15. BART is one of the most expensive per-mile rail fares in the entire country. Please look this up before defending the pricing model.
Anyone else remember when the Richmond station parking lot wasn't a stress test? I parked there every weekday for six years starting in 2009. Now I drive to El Cerrito Del Norte just to feel safer leaving my car. We literally abandoned our own station. That should embarrass everyone responsible for this system.
Hot take: BART was never really designed with Richmond commuters in mind. The Richmond line has always been the redheaded stepchild of the system. Fewer express options, older rolling stock on our corridor more often than not, and a station that the district seemed content to let decline for decades. The fare increases just make that neglect sting harder.
lol overpriced headache is generous. try standing on that platform at 9pm wondering if the person eyeing your laptop bag is about to make a move while also watching the departure board flip from 3 min to 7 min to DELAYED for the fourth time that week. I work in tech, I can afford an Uber, and i still choose BART because I believe in public transit. But my patience has a limit and im almost there
Genuine question for the people saying drive instead: where exactly are you parking in SF for under $30 a day? I'll wait.
driving to SF from Richmond is literally insane talk. have you seen the bay bridge at 8am? you'd spend more on gas, tolls, and parking than a monthly BART pass and arrive angrier. BART is frustrating but it's still the least bad option for most of us
Worth it? Sure, technically. Good? No. Safe enough? Debatable. On time? Lmao. Affordable? Increasingly no. There's your answer in four sentences. BART gets a D-minus from me and I'm grading on a Bay Area curve.
Moved here from Austin eight months ago for a job in the Financial District. Everyone told me BART would be great. Ha. I've started carpooling with a coworker from El Cerrito three days a week and honestly? Cheaper, faster, and I don't have to grip my bag the whole time. Richmond station in the evening is genuinely not okay.
Ok but can someone correct me here — I'm pretty sure BART fares are actually lower than almost every comparable transit system in the country? Like New York subway is way more expensive and also a disaster. So why does everyone act like Richmond is uniquely getting ripped off?
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