BART says it can't provide the function

July 13, 2001

By Sean Holstege
Staff Writer

OAKLAND -- Round-the-clock train service is not in focus in BART's crystal ball, but on Thursday the transit agency's Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the notion of all-night bus service.

BART says it cannot provide 24-hour train service because it needs a few hours a night to maintain its tracks.

Routes mirror BART

So advocates for the working poor and for transit expansion want BART -- or some other transit agency -- to provide bus service that mirrors BART's routes, convenience and quality.

The latest push is based not just on the lingering questions about train service stopping before the bars and clubs close or about getting late-night workers home from evening city jobs. Late next year, BART is expected to begin direct service to San Francisco International Airport, a major 24-hour employer with numerous flights arriving and departing outside of BART's operating hours.

Also, Caltrans has begun retrofitting the western approach to the Bay Bridge, a complicated project that will involve significant overnight freeway closures for much of the next eight years.

Symbolic action

BART's action Thursday was largely symbolic. The board supported the concept of all-night service without committing to providing it or paying for it.

As it is, San Francisco's MUNI and the East Bay's AC Transit already provide 24-hour bus service and the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission is studying ways to enhance late-night transit.