As tens of thousands of baseball fans surge into San Francisco’s China Basin to watch Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, BART is stepping up its game by running longer trains and allowing employees to sport a bit of black and orange.
BART is urging fans and commuters alike to opt for public transportation today and Thursday to avoid clogged bridges and highways and high parking fees.
Longer trains will run on all lines before and after the games, which are both scheduled to begin at 4:57 p.m. Special event trains will also be kept on standby in the event that additional capacity is needed, according to BART.
To avoid waiting in lines at ticket machines after the games, BART recommends buying roundtrip tickets or eschewing tickets altogether by switching to the all-in-one Clipper transit card.
It’s not just the trains that will be different in BART stations this week: In contrast to its usual uniform policy, BART is allowing employees to don Giants baseball caps.
Station agents at downtown San Francisco stops will also be getting into the spirit of the game by pasting up Giants-themed decorations.
If seeing is believing, fans can also expect to see and hear a variety of “Go Giants” slogans mixed into signage and platform announcements.
BART said in a statement that the game changers are meant to make riding public transportation “a little more fun for all (those) riding trains, not only those lucky enough to be going to the games.”
Patricia Decker, Bay City News
