San Francisco

BART Looks to Solve its Homeless Problem, Hoping to Boost Ridership

Complaints about homeless people at BART stations are contributing to a decline in ridership as are concerns about crowded trains and unreliable service, a reports says.

In excess of 400,000 people ride BART during the week, that number is down 3 percent in comparison to last year, according to the SF Gate. Criticism aimed at the overall atmosphere at the agency's stations and on its trains is causing the slump.  

Homeless people take shelter at BART stations, especially the ones in downtown San Francisco, which is a major concern for commuters. 

Agency leaders have been spurred into action and are not working with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and homeless outreach group to address these problems, the SF Gate reports.

Toward that end, BART plans to have more workers cleaning stations, get homeless people to shelters and create higher barriers to dissuade fare evaders. A number of community officers will also patrol BART stations.  

This collaborative strategy is in inception phase. BART officials hope to include the proposed fixes in their upcoming budget for the next fiscal year, the SF Gate said.

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