Riders Give BART Surprisingly Good Grades Despite Problems
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- In the face of constant breakdowns, frequent delays and crowded commutes, many BART riders still gave the transit system fairly high marks in a recent exclusive poll sponsored by KPIX 5.
BART is working to get back on track with rider confidence.
The transit agency is still doing damage control after an electrical problem caused a major meltdown on the Pittsburg-Bay Point line, forcing riders to take shuttle trains or bus bridges between North Concord and the Pittsburg stations.
The SurveyUSA News Poll asked 750 adults in the Bay Area about their opinions regarding BART service ahead of a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond issue that may appear on the November ballot.
BART riders seem forgiving.
As far as the overall quality of BART service, 9 percent of respondents rated the transit system as "Excellent" while 37 percent rated it as "Good." An additional 36 percent rated BART service as "Fair," with only 16 percent responding that service was "Poor."
When asked how reliable the system is, eight percent of participants said service was excellent and 44 percent said it was good. 34 percent said it was fair. Only 12 percent called it poor.
When asked if they would be willing to support a bond measure that would help repair and maintain BART infrastructure, 50 percent of participants replied that they would versus 35 percent who said they would oppose the measure.
The bond would include $400 million to upgrade its control system so the transit agency can run more trains per hour.
BART officials said they plan to vote later this year to see if it will be on the November ballot.
