New Figures Show BART Ridership on the Rise and Where People Travel

If you're looking for a BART station that's relatively empty, stay right here in Castro Valley.

If you prefer the energy of a crowd, head to the transit agency's stations in San Leandro.

If you want to be sure of finding a seat, drive over to the Dublin/Pleasanton station.

Those are some of the insights that can be drawn from the latest figures released by BART on its ridership.

Ridership up 4 percent this year

The report shows the average weekday ridership in February was 346,000 people. That's up 4 percent from a year ago.

BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the improving economy was the No. 1 reason for the increase, although the rising price of gasoline is also a factor.

Not surprisingly, the busiest stations are in San Francisco. The Embarcadero and Montgomery stops both have more than 30,000 people entering and more than 30,000 people exiting on an average weekday.

Berkeley and Oakland are also busy. The downtown Berkeley station has more than 11,000 people entering and 11,000 exiting on a given day. The 12th Street station in Oakland sees more than 12,000 people coming and 12,000 going.

The busiest station outside Oakland on the I-580 corridor is the Dublin/Pleasanton station. On an average workday, that station will see more than 7,400 people entering and 7,400 riders exiting.

Castro Valley's ridership is 4 percent the size of San Francisco's

By contrast, Castro Valley averages just 2,400 people entering and another 2,400 departing on weekdays. That's about 4 percent of the number riders coming and going in San Francisco, and about one-fifth as many in Oakland and Berkeley.

Johnson said there are a number of reasons for the high ridership. One is the station is in the middle of a population center. It also rests along a busy freeway where drivers face a long commute.

"It's capturing a lot of people who don't want to sit in traffic, burning gas," said Johnson.

Easier to get a seat at end of the line

He also noted the Dublin/Pleasanton station is the end of one of the BART lines. That means people can usually get a seat on a train. There is also sufficient parking there.

It's similar to the Bay Point station in eastern Contra Costa County that gets 12,000 patrons walking through its gates on an average weekday morning.

Stations in residential areas attract a lot of walkers

Another busy area is San Leandro. Its downtown station and the station near Bayfair Mall each get more than 5,000 people entering and another 5,000 people exiting on an average weekday.

Johnson said those stations are both near neighborhoods where people can walk to the platforms.

"It's very walkable. It's a lot like Rockridge, which also gets a lot of traffic," he said.

The Walnut Creek BART station has similar numbers. That station with a decent size parking garage receives almost 6,000 riders who enter and another 6,000 who exit on weekdays.

Intersecting freeways are magnets for more riders

Johnson said that station benefits from being at the intersection of Interstate 680 and Highway 24.

The Union City stop isn't quite as busy. That station gets about 3,800 people entering and another 3,800 exiting on weekdays. The nearby Fremont station receives about 7,300 people each way.

Those numbers could even drop with the opening last month of the West Dublin/Pleasanton station.

So where are all these people going?

Not surprising, most riders are headed to the major job centers of San Francisco and Oakland, but there are some interesting trends among all the stations.

Of the 2,400 Castro Valley riders, about 1,500 travel to San Francisco. Another 400 go to Oakland and only about 50 take the train to Berkeley.

Of the 7,400 people who enter the Dublin/Pleasanton station, about 4,700 of them exit at one of the San Francisco BART stations. Another 1,200 get off somewhere in Oakland.

About 150 people ride from Dublin to Castro Valley

Another 400 Dublin riders take the train to San Leandro while 150 or so ride all the way to Berkeley. A similiar number make the short trip to Castro Valley.

Of the 10,000 patrons who get on San Leandro trains, nearly 4,000 ride to a San Francisco station. Another 2,400 depart at an Oakland station.

About 500 San Leandro customers ride to Fremont while 300 or so go to Berkeley. About 100 ride between the city's two stations, most probably going to and from the Bayfair shopping center.

Walnut Creek patrons are more evenly distributed along the lines. Of the 6,000 riders there, about 1,100 head to San Francisco. Another 900 end up in Oakland.

About 300 Walnut Creek customers go to Concord while another 130 or so switch trains and get off in Berkeley.

Union City riders are also dispersed over the BART system. Of the 3,800 riders there, about 1,700 exit in San Francisco. More than 500 depart in Oakland.

About 200 Union City patrons ride to each of the stations in San Leandro, Hayward and Fremont. Another 150 trek to Berkeley.

An average of 10 ride to Rockridge. That's the same number of people who enter at Union City, ride the trains and then return to that station to exit.