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BART Considers Using Buses For Late Night Service

OAKLAND (KCBS) - Bay Area Rapid Transit may start running late night buses on Friday and Saturday in order to extend the hours of its weekend service.

A proposal to run trains an hour later on weekend nights ran into resistance from regular Saturday and Sunday morning riders, since that would also entail starting the first train of the day one hour later.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

BART's maintenance schedule requires six hours of downtime, leading the transit agency's board of directors to consider getting into the bus business.

"We could brand these buses to make it look like a BART train and go directly to BART stations," said Bob Franklin, president of the BART board of directors.

The idea, raised when the board met Thursday, prompted some discussion about safety at certain stations during the wee hours. But board member Robert Rayburn pointed to the fully integrated rail and bus system in Vancouver as a successful example of around the clock service.

It also got a warm embrace from advocates for riders with disabilities who said the time for late night service has come.

"It's very exciting that this project is being considered," said Chris Mullen, who has taught the disabled how to get around on public transit.

Besides, he said, everyone is tired of missing fun to catch that last train shortly after midnight.

"If I had a dollar for every song I missed at the end of a concert in San Francisco, or a last call drink, I'd probably be a rich man."

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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