BART Riders Encounter Less Grime, Gunk and Goo On Trains
OAKLAND (KCBS) - For the first time in a long time, Bay Area Rapid Transit passengers have given the transit system fairly high marks for cleanliness on trains.
Asked to rate the train on a scale of 1 (filthy) to 4 (spotless) while they are on board, the responses from riders in a recent survey averaged 2.72, just a hair above BART's goal of 2.7.
KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost attributed the noticeable drop in the "ick" factor to improvements that have also made the trains a little less cushy.
"We've been putting in new vinyl seats. We've been ripping out those nasty carpets and putting in hard floors," she said. So far BART has transformed about one-third of the cars into lower maintenance environments.
Passengers agreed the new seats and floors had made the filth less palpable, even if there was still plenty to clean throughout the system.
Trost said record ridership, and the record revenue that goes along with it, mean BART finally had the budget to reach its cleanliness goals. She said 2.72 was the highest rating BART has gotten since it started polling passengers about cleanliness 15 years ago.
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