SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Bay Area Rapid Transit District on Tuesday said it has seen a dramatic drop in the number of fare evaders since completing the installation of new fare gates one year ago. BART officials estimated that the transit agency would see an additional $10 million in revenue as a result of the new gates going in. They also claim that since the gates were installed, there has been a systemwide drop in crime -- from about 11 crimes per 1 million passengers in early 2025, to four crimes per million now. BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said that historically, most of the people they have arrested on BART for various crimes also tend to be fare evaders. By reducing the number of fare evaders, it is believed to have made BART safer. “Serious crimes are down in the system since the installation of these fare gates has made it much more difficult for people to fare evade,” Franklin said. “People are riding, they're using their Clipper cards, and we're seeing fewer crimes in the system. We're seeing a safer, cleaner, more reliable BART due to these fare gates.” Woman seriously injured in Tenderloin dog attack Tuesday morning Bob Powers, BART’s CEO, said that since the new gates were installed, the agency has also seen reduced maintenance costs, improved train on-time performance and an increase in rider satisfaction. Looking ahead, BART said it is working on upgrades to the fare gates to improve their reliability and make them last longer. ...read more read less