BART achieves highest quarterly Passenger On-Time Performance since early 2014

BART's latest quarterly performance analysis finds BART achieved its highest quarterly Passenger On-Time Performance (94.4%) since early 2014, a significant milestone reflecting broad-based improvements across the system for several key indicators, including reliability, safety, and cleanliness. The report also shows March 2026 recorded the highest monthly Passenger On-Time Performance since August 2013. This metric measures the percentage of riders who reach their destination within a short time threshold of their expected arrival.

The Quarterly Performance Report (QPR) for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026 (January 1 to March 31, 2026) underlines BART's tremendous improvements in service reliability, with March 2026 a standout month for overall performance. The month recorded BART's lowest monthly delay count since late 2018 as well as the fewest train delays for any March since 2014, excluding the pandemic years when service was reduced (2020-2022).

These gains come as ridership grew 15% year-over-year to 14.6 million trips this past quarter, demonstrating BART's ongoing efforts are increasing rider confidence and strengthening the system financially.

BART's QPRs are posted quarterly and track a number of performance indicators, such as operational metrics, passenger environment indicators, customer feedback, and crime. 2023 is used frequently for comparison in this article as BART's Safe and Clean Plan was enacted that year. The substantial improvements over the past three years are testament to its effectiveness.

Graph demonstrating the significant decline in train delays for March 2026.

Customer On-Time Performance and Satisfaction

Customer On-Time Performance for FY26 Q3 was 94.4%. For comparison, in the third quarter of FY23, Customer On-Time performance was 81.2%.

Customer Satisfaction increased to 90% in FY26 Q3. In FY23 Q3, that metric was 70%. Customer complaints for FY26 Q3 dropped by nearly 26% from the previous quarter.

Station and train experience

BART's emphasis on enhancing system cleanliness and the overall customer experience is paying dividends. Passengers scored the experience onboard trains and inside stations 4.2 and 4.1 respectively (out of 5), the highest scores since BART updated its scoring metrics and scale in FY23 Q2.

BART's new trains continue to be a major contributor to on-time performance and onboard experience. The new trains were designed to be easier and faster to clean and experience mechanical failures at a fraction of the rate of the retired legacy fleet, reducing disruptions and improving service consistency. Maintenance is more efficient and reliable on the new trains as well due to predictive diagnostics and standardized parts that are easier to procure than those of the five-decades-old legacy fleet. The legacy fleet was removed from the base schedule in September 2023.

Safety

Crime on BART dropped 42% in the past quarter over the previous year. Electronic robberies were down 90% in the past quarter, electronic thefts 68%, and auto burglaries 47%. Average response time to Priority-one incidents was just over 5 minutes, one of the fastest response times in the nation.

A decrease in crime leads to fewer delays due to police- and security-related incidents, which dropped to 955, compared to nearly 3,000 in 2023.

These improvements are testament to the hard work of BART PD and the effectiveness of BART's investment in initiatives and infrastructure that both increase safety and enhance the customer experience, including doubling the visible police presence on trains and in stations in 2023.

Sexual harassment on BART has also declined considerably. The percentage of riders who said they had experienced sexual harassment, a BART Code of Conduct violation, dropped by more than half - from 8% between October and December 2023 to 3.9% in January through March 2026. The timeline of the decline correlates with the installation of BART's new fare gates.

Fare evasion

Fare evasion has dramatically decreased in the system. The percentage of riders who said they witnessed fare evasion was 10% in the last quarter, compared to a high of 25% in Fiscal Year 2024.

This drop follows the installation of 715 new fare gates systemwide, which have tall swing barriers that make it difficult for people to push through, hurdle over, or maneuver under. Early indications are that gates are responsible for revenue growing by about $10 million annually through reduced fare evasion. As the chart below shows, there was a 961-hour reduction in corrective maintenance hours (vandalism, graffiti, large clean-ups, broken things) in the six months post-installation.

Weather

BART has also seen major progress reducing weather-related delays - previously one of the biggest sources of delayed trains - thanks to smart engineering fixes.

By updating train car braking profile software and making slight changes to train speeds at some locations, BART no longer needs to run trains at reduced speeds when it rains, save for a few select locations near the ends of lines. As you can see in the below chart, weather-related slowdowns spiked during previous rainy seasons, but continue to decline with the updated software now in place.

Graph showing total delayed trains and causes. Dashed yellow line represents weather-related delays.

Conclusion

These improvements are supporting rider confidence and strengthening the system financially.

"These big things aren't just statistics; they are the foundation of our ridership recovery," said BART Manager of Operations Reliability Ryan Rod, who analyzes and develops BART's Quarterly Performance Reports and on-time performance data. "Because our riders are seeing a system that is cleaner, safer, and on time, they are coming back, proving that when we deliver on our promises, the region responds."

At the same time, BART is investing in trackside upgrades, track replacement, and modern train control technology to make the system even more resilient. Future improvements, like the currently underway Communications-Based Train Control project, will contribute further reductions to the customer impact of disruptions, even when incidents occur.

Despite record post-pandemic ridership, fare revenue still falls short of what is needed to sustain BART operations. Even with continued growth, ridership alone is not enough to close the funding gap, and a new funding source is needed.

BART faces a structural deficit of $350M to $400M, driven by long-term shifts in commute patterns, including remote and hybrid work. BART balanced the FY26 budget with $35M in ongoing cuts and cost controls. The FY27 deficit is $376M. BART is taking a number of actions to reduce the shortfall, including more expense reductions, but will need help to completely close the gap. More on BART's financial deficit here.