San Francisco Area Transit System Taps Riders to Make Subway Safer
As it grapples with low ridership and increased crime, Bay Area Rapid Transit is addressing sexual assault with cards that passengers can use to ask for assistance, or provide it.
Wallet-sized cards distributed by BART allow riders to signal they need help — or offer help to others.
Photographer: Amy Osborne/BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit is taking new steps to combat sexual harassment on its system as transit operators across the country grapple with low ridership and perceptions of diminished safety.
BART, which operates trains across five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, launched a public awareness campaign called “Not One More Girl” in 2021. The agency worked with local youth of color to develop colorful posters and incident reporting tools to address gender-based violence on its trains. Now in the second phase of the campaign, BART is offering wallet-size cards that riders can use to signal that they need help — or that they are are available to help someone else.