BART strike: What are my commute options?
BART will offer free parking and limited charter bus service to the thousands of commuters affected by Monday’s worker strike.
Bay Area Rail Transit workers began forming picket lines early Monday morning after the last trains were put to bed. Union workers and BART management could not come to an agreement late Sunday. Contracts expired at midnight.
More than 5,000 city of Oakland and BART employees are expected to strike throughout the day.
“BART management threw in the towel tonight and pushed away from the bargaining table hours before the expiration of union contracts,” SEIU Local 1021 said in a statement.
BART carries 400,000 passengers each weekday, and transit officials urged commuters to find alternate ways to get around Monday.
BART parking lots will be open and free of charge, the communications office said in a statement. BART will refund the cost of parking permits for the days without service.
BART also has secured 58 buses that can provide “free but very limited” charter service at four stations: El Cerrito del Norte, Walnut Creek, Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont.
“Passengers will receive a round trip ticket on a first come, first serve basis in the morning at these four stations only,” the statement said. “All buses will feed into West Oakland station and passengers will transfer to a bus headed for the city.”
Buses for afternoon return trips to the East Bay will board on Howard Street between Fremont and Beale streets.
The buses will run from 5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., the statement said.
Riders also will be able to access other modes of transportation at joint use stations, BART officials said. Passengers can access Muni at four downtown San Francisco stations, Caltrain at Millbrae station, and Amtrak at Richmond station.
Officials are encouraging passengers visit alert.511.org for alternative transit and ride-sharing options.
“We have a long way to go, but we can’t get any closer if we aren’t at the table,” BART spokesman Rick Rice said in a statement released late Sunday. “We reached tentative agreements on 11 items today, and we should use that momentum to reach a deal. Walking away doesn’t do any good.”
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