[URBAN NOTE] The National Post on the grim nature of San Francisco transit

[rfmcdonald]

The National Post's Victor Ferreira describes how San Francisco is doing a terrible job of trying to meet its mass transit needs.

Public transit riders in the San Francisco Bay Area often find subways so congested that they take trains in the opposite direction so when they get off and swing around, they’ll have a seat to beat the horde of people travelling during rush hour.

Ridership is surging, Bay Area Rapid Transit spokeswoman Alicia Trost said, to the point where the transit organization has begun bribing riders with cash to avoid taking the subway during rush hour.

“The number of riders we’re having right now…it’s like when the (San Francisco) Giants win and there’s a World Series parade.”

To combat an average of 430,000 weekday trips and a 30 per cent increase in ridership since 2010, BART has introduced a points-based perks system which offers its riders cash payouts if they avoid the daily 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. rush hour.

During a six-month trial, riders will be given one point per mile travelled on the subway. They need to travel 1,000 miles to earn US$1. Trips one hour before the rush hour and one hour after earn riders between three and six points per mile. The more commuters ride, the more they can advance through different rewards categories and begin to earn more points. Fares are paid with electronic payment cards and points are also tracked using the technology. At the end of the month, the points can be cashed out or gambled in a “Spin to Win” game with prizes of up to US$100.