SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The nation's gasoline prices hitting $4 coupled with crippling traffic congestion, spells good news for mass transit. The rapid trains connecting San Francisco with its airport and suburbia, have shown a sharp jump in riders.
For the first time, since the Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency (BART) made an extension to San Francisco Airport (SFO) ridership reached monthly average of 10,000 riders per week. This figure represents a 65 percent jump in passengers since the services' first full month of operation in 2003, according to agency officials on Wednesday.
"There are many factors behind the impressive surge in ridership but two of the most interesting ones are our unique and innovative marketing efforts as well as the weak U.S. dollar," BART Board President Gail Murray said.
Last month only, the number of customers using the SFO Station averaged 10,700 per weekday in May, which is 65 percent higher than during July 2003—the first full month after it and three other stations on the airport extension opened to paying passengers.
"Riding BART is already a bargain for us Americans, but for Europeans, our world-class train-to-plane connection proves to be an even greater value for their money," Murray said.
In comparison, taking a cab from the airport to downtown San Francisco, a passenger will have to fork over $35 to $45 and the shuttle will take for the same distance $11 to $22. But, the city's rapid trains only cost $5.35.
"A large percentage of our SFO riders are from Europe where the Euro is strong against the American dollar, which means Europeans can get a whole lot more for their Euros when visiting the United States," Murray said.
Several years ago, the BART Marketing Department seized upon this opportunity and BART is now the only American transit agency reaching out to Europeans by offering them BART tickets through Travelocity.com, Expedia.com and Orbitz.com when they book their travel online.
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