Bart FUNK (better, coffee)

[jeffredo]

I'm going to start bringing a newspaper on BART not to read, but to place over the seat.

[rascal-c]

I never understood why BART has cloth seats and carpeting. Talk about a germ farm. What were they thinking? I understand the comfort factor, but commuter rails in other cities use cushioned vinyl seats - comfortable, yet easier to clean and less of a germ magnet.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by rascal-c

I never understood why BART has cloth seats and carpeting. Talk about a germ farm. What were they thinking? I understand the comfort factor, but commuter rails in other cities use cushioned vinyl seats - comfortable, yet easier to clean and less of a germ magnet.

They wanted to be "different" and "upscale." It was one of their key marketing messages at launch.

[mayorhaggar]

At some point along the way the cars went from different and upscale to hobo living room. Overall I love BART but the gross-ass seats and carpeting really give people the wrong image of the city when they are visiting, and it wears down on the regular riders. Also their stations need better lighting and some pressure washing on the ceilings.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

At some point along the way the cars went from different and upscale to hobo living room. Overall I love BART but the gross-ass seats and carpeting really give people the wrong image of the city when they are visiting, and it wears down on the regular riders. Also their stations need better lighting and some pressure washing on the ceilings.

Isn't BART one of the (if not the) most profitable transit agencies in the Bay area? You'd think they'd be able to afford to upgrade these types of amenities rather easily (?).

I've also heard they might be getting new cars soon, but this was years ago I read about it, and it doesn't look like much has changed in that regard.

Maybe they just want to get the absolute most out of their current cars/seats before being forced to change...I wonder if this report might help speed things along.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by HockeyMac18

Isn't BART one of the (if not the) most profitable transit agencies in the Bay area? .

There is no such thing as a "profitable" transit agency. They are all subsidized.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by sav858

There is no such thing as a "profitable" transit agency. They are all subsidized.

Highways aren't profitable either, not sure if it is relevant. But they do have one of the highest farebox recovery rates in the bay area. It is 55% meaning that, the fare covers 55% of the cost. (I think this is a 2010 #: BART board member urges agency to consider unlimited monthly pass : Bay Area Transit)

Only a few agencies in Asia and London are completely funded by fares.

Farebox recovery ratio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by sav858

There is no such thing as a "profitable" transit agency. They are all subsidized.

Right; perhaps "profitable" was the wrong word...the point I was trying to make was just that BART seems to do the best at recovering costs compared to other transit agencies. And because of that, I was thinking they might be able to easily afford upgrades somewhat soon.

The seats and carpeted seats really do look bad and can make the experience a bit less enjoyable to ride.

I don't want to turn this into a "roads vs public transit" discussion since that isn't what this thread is about, so let's please not get into that based on my usage of the word "profitable"...

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by jade408

Highways aren't profitable either, not sure if it is relevant. But they do have one of the highest farebox recovery rates in the bay area. It is 55% meaning that, the fare covers 55% of the cost. (I think this is a 2010 #: BART board member urges agency to consider unlimited monthly pass : Bay Area Transit)

Only a few agencies in Asia and London are completely funded by fares.

Farebox recovery ratio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This was what I was getting at.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by jade408

Highways aren't profitable either, not sure if it is relevant. But they do have one of the highest farebox recovery rates in the bay area. It is 55% meaning that, the fare covers 55% of the cost. (I think this is a 2010 #: BART board member urges agency to consider unlimited monthly pass : Bay Area Transit)

Only a few agencies in Asia and London are completely funded by fares.

Farebox recovery ratio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I never claimed they were. But that is a fairly impressive recovery ratio although it should be high given the cost of BART fares, which are on the pricey side imo.