BART ridership down 50% on Friday
BART station
OAKLAND, Calif. - BART ridership continues to plummet amid concerns about COVID-19, the transit agency said Saturday.
On Friday, ridership was 184,605 -- a 50 percent drop compared to 375,170 on an average Friday last month, BART officials said.
Over the past two weeks, BART has seen a dramatic decline in riders, starting with a 5 percent drop on March 2.
On Thursday, a 45 percent drop in ridership was tallied, with 231,820 riders compared to 417,531 on an average Thursday in February.
No coronavirus cases have been confirmed on BART thus far. BART has increased sanitation standards on all of its trains and stations.
On Friday, General Manager Bob Powers filmed a video showcasing a prototype of a personal hand strap that the agency is considering.
Riders could take the straps home and clean before use. The video is available, as well as a poll that's open through Sunday morning on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SFBART
BART is running regular service this weekend, with single-tracking Saturday after 11:30 p.m. for the yellow line due to work in the Berkeley Hills Tunnel.
On Sunday, there will be single-tracking between Embarcadero-24 Mission for cable replacement work and delays of 10 to 15 minutes are expected between Embarcadero- 24 Mission for most of the day. The Blue Line will turn back at Montgomery.