BART Unveils Mascot-Covered Car As It Tests New Revenue Opportunities

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Still facing a financial deficit and the closure of several stations across the Bay Area, BART officials are pilot testing a potential way to make more revenue: wrapped train cars.

BART officials unveiled its pilot test Monday with a bright blue train car covered in playful photos of the agency's mascot, BARTy.

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"The eye-catching car is expected to spark smiles, waves, and plenty of photos as it rolls into stations," BART officials said in a statement. "But beyond its playful appearance, the train is part of an ongoing effort to explore new and creative revenue opportunities for BART."

BART previously sold train wraps on its retired fleet of cars, replacing it with the "Fleet of the Future "cars.

The latter, BART officials say, has a different exterior finish. Testing out the first wrapped car will let officials see how the wrap material performs in real-world conditions before deciding to offer the option to advertisers.

"Wrapping a train car is a detailed, hands-on process that requires precision and coordination with our maintenance schedules," said Catherine Westphall, Manager of BART’s Advertising Franchise Program. "This pilot helps us understand how the material performs on our Fleet of the Future cars and what it would take to scale this as a revenue program without impacting service."

BART is still facing a financial deficit of $350 to 400 million that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work. Officials previously said passenger fares and parking fees made up nearly 70% of the cost to run BART services.

Today, the agency is relying on emergency funds that are expected to run out by the end of the year.

Fares and parking fees will keep increasing each year to help offset BART's current deficit. This year's fee increases are expected to raise an extra $15.6 million, which would still only tackle a fraction of the deficit.

Transition leaders are now looking to a new proposed funding measure that is part of a broader set of cost-cutting measures under consideration.

The alternative emergency "doomsday plan" could mean the closure of 10 stations across the Bay Area, impacting service along the Yellow, Blue and Orange lines starting in 2027.

The potential closures would represent about 20 percent of the system’s stations and affect roughly 12 percent of current ridership. Officials say the measures would only take effect if the funding measure fails, but warn that without new revenue, the agency faces a severe structural deficit.