Several years later after many blog posts about accurate fare information, I am still unhappy about the booklets that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has produced, particularly why the transit agency has failed to publish a fare table via paper for seniors and disabled.
The only time that I am excited is just riding, enjoying the view, thanking operators and station agents, and getting new trains - that part deserves an "A" grade. But the problem is centered on BART itself, especially on the fare table for seniors and disabled using both a series of paper booklets.
I decided to conduct a comprehensive test. The test consisted of every available guide booklet, the online resource, and in particular, the ability to calculate fares for both senior/disabled. Specifically, fare information that is on the desktop MUST be available on the mobile site, as well as reflected in a separate fare table - much like how other Bay Area transit agencies are structured.
THE SPECIFICS ARE EXPLICIT. Fare information in any of BART's booklets MUST also have a separate fare table for seniors/disabled. In both paper AND online, the information that I am specifically looking for is ONLY the fare table for seniors/disabled, not information about Clipper card use AND BART red/green tickets. While BART's 62.5% discount is great information for seniors/disabled, that discount MUST be reflected in ALL platforms - online, on the go, AND on paper booklets that ACTUALLY shows PROOF of a fare table.
THE RESULT:
Online, I found out that BART only showed a discounted fare on just the desktop/laptop - not on mobile.
And among the booklets that I reviewed, none of the books had shown a separate fare table for seniors/disabled, just showing information about the Senior/RTC Clipper card, a $9 purchase for a single $24 ticket (red or green) that is obtainable at certain stations for seniors/disabled, which is NOT the thing that I was looking for despite that the information is as close as I can get.
Therefore, for the two portions mentioned in this blog, BART receives an "F" grade. And until these specifics are corrected, I will continue to write up blogs on BART, as well as make any inquiries both in person and via e-mail until then.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
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