BART Reports Slight Dip In Ridership
OAKLAND (KCBS) – BART is reporting a slight dip in ridership. Over the summer, ridership was down half a percent, or about 2,100 riders a day.
It's the weekends where they really saw a drop off, 4.3 percent on Saturdays and over 6 percent on Sundays.
Linda, who rides into San Francisco from Concord, told KCBS that she is skeptical of the lower numbers. She rides on one of the earliest trains, because it's the only way she can get a seat.
"I backtrack and it's getting worse and worse. It is busier at earlier times. I can leave in the middle of the day, and still no seating," Linda said.
And that's what BART operations manager Paul Oversier says is to blame, they've simply topped out and people are turning away. Oversier hopes the new train cars will change their minds.
"All the trains going into San Francisco fairly soon will be 10-car trains. It means that we will have new cars that will have a higher carrying capacity and more comfortable capacity," Oversier told KCBS.
The reason this dip is important is because that's where the revenue comes from. Fewer riders means less money for operating expenses and belt tightening.
