BART - San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District

04/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/21/2026 10:36

Look out for a special BARTy train car roving the BART system

Starting Monday, April 20, look to the BART tracks. You might spot something never seen before in the Bay Area: a bright blue train car covered in dancing BARTy mascots.

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

The BARTy design is being used to test wrapping Fleet of the Future cars in paid advertisements as a potential new revenue source as BART addresses a significant fiscal cliff. At the same time, BART continues to implement cost-cutting measures that have already reduced expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars.

"This is a fun and creative way to connect with riders while exploring a new source of revenue," said Dave Martindale, Director of BART Marketing and Research. "If this pilot proves successful, train wraps could become a unique platform for advertisers and help support the transit service our riders rely on."

BART previously sold train car wraps for its now-retired legacy fleet. This pilot will help determine how the new Fleet of the Future cars, which have a different exterior finish, perform with wrap materials, including durability, appearance, and maintenance over time in real-world conditions.

Following the test, staff will evaluate whether selling train car wraps is a viable long-term option for 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."

In the meantime, keep an eye out for the BARTy car as it roves across the system over the next few months. If you spot it out in the wild, snap a photo and tag BART on social media:

BART - San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District published this content on April 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 21, 2026 at 16:37 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]