BART has completed installing new fare gates at all 4 stations in San Francisco downtown

SAN FRANCISCO — The project to install state-of-the-art New Generation Fare Gates at BART has been completed at all four of its downtown San Francisco stations. BART was confident that the new fare gates would bring in more security and safety for both the riders and employees.

The completion of new fare gate installation at all San Francisco downtown stations was immediately before the NBA All-Star Game events starting on February 14 and the Lunar New Year Parade on February 15. It was estimated that both events would significantly boost the ridership on BART.

There are 8 stations in San Francisco among all 50 stations on BART's entire system. Four stations are located in San Francisco downtown, Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, and Civic Center stations.

“We’re excited to welcome visitors to BART in downtown San Francisco with these new fare gates that are helping to transform the rider experience,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers, who held a press conference at the Embarcadero Station on February 12 to announce updates of the Next Generation Fare Gates project.

“These gates are already proving to be an effective deterrent against fare evasion. The gates are not only boosting safety but they’re expanding access for people in wheelchairs and those who bring bikes or strollers to our system,” Powers added.

The new gates were designed with new technology innovations to meet the needs of all riders. According to BART, the new gates feature clear swing barriers with a one-of-a-kind door locking mechanism to deter fare evasion.

The gates include advanced 3D sensors that can detect if someone is in a wheelchair or has a bike, stroller, or luggage with them, allowing for more time before the swing barrier closes.

For the riders with disabilities who are visually impaired, the new gates also feature LED lighting on the swing barriers and pathway through the gate.

As of February 12, BART has completely installed new gates at 18 of its 50 stations. The first installation was at the West Oakland Station that was a pilot of the fare gate project.

The formal installation began at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland in August 2024. First station in San Francisco to be completed with new gates was Civic Center Station behind Fruitvale Station also in August 2024. The 24th Street/Mission Station in San Francisco was completed in September 2024. The San Francisco International Airport Station was completed with new fare gates in October 2024.

It is expected that full deployment of New Generation Fare Gates systemwide will be completed by the end of 2025.

BART has over 700 fare gates across all stations. Previous fare gates before introducing the New Generation Fare Gates have been in place for over 20 years.

Each state-of-the-art fare gate allows upwards of 40 people per minute to pass and includes a mechanical lock to make it difficult to push open the barrier doors without paying.

For the BART employees and police officers, BART said the secure fare gates would help self-enforce fare payment, reducing potentially negative confrontation between would-be fare evaders and police officers/employees.

In the upcoming future, the new gates will be compatible with the next generation of Clipper which will accept open payment with the ability to pay for BART by tapping a credit or debit card or a phone/watch with Apple Pay or Google Pay at the gate.

The entire $90 million new fare gate project has been partially funded by local jurisdictions with $44 million, state with $17 million and federal with $16 million. BART continues to secure full funding.