Of the 44 BART stations, four stand out in crime statistics. Powell and Bay Fair rank as the worst stations for crime. And San Francisco International Airport and Glen Park are the safest stations.
Powell, the third-busiest station in the system, sees a lively mixture of tourists, shoppers, vagrants and street musicians.
Like BART’s other three stations beneath San Francisco’s Market Street, Powell is also a Muni Metro subway station, which adds to its hectic nature. Unlike Embarcadero and Montgomery stations, which are thick with office workers during commute hours, or Civic Center, bulging with bureaucrats working government schedules, Powell stays busy all day.
Powell records a lot of assault and battery incidents and thefts. It ranks high in felony and misdemeanor arrests and in citations issued. Many of those are for what BART calls “quality of life” crimes — like public urination, vagrancy and disturbing the peace.
It is home to a police substation that includes a holding cell, and it’s where BART launched a controversial plan this summer that prevents people from sleeping, lying or sitting with their legs extended. BART says police are enforcing a building code requirement to keep station access clear, but homeless advocates say they’re illegally rousting homeless people.
Bay Fair
Bay Fair Station sits in southern San Leandro and is adjacent to Bayfair Center, one of the Bay Area’s first shopping malls. The station, one of BART’s standard elevated platform designs, manages nonetheless to look drearier than most.
With the mall, the BART station, parking lots, an AC Transit bus hub and roads connecting them all, Bay Fair sits in the midst of concrete suburbia. A wall of thick, tall iron bars stands guard around the entrance to the station, giving it a somewhat intimidating look. A dirty shade of aqua paint that covers the bars and some of the walls of the station is peeling. Signs warning against loitering, begging, soliciting and open containers are tagged with graffiti.
The station houses a BART police substation. Crime statistics show that Bay Fair has a high number of robberies and thefts.
Yet passengers and people who work at the station said they feel safe. Homaywn Kohgaday, who has run a snack trailer outside the station for 10 years, said he’s never been robbed. He said he occasionally has to fend off overly aggressive panhandlers and watch out for pilfering in the morning and evening.
“It’s safe,” he said. “Sometimes people do something but not very often.”
Glen Park
Glen Park Station sits at the center of the leafy San Francisco neighborhood of the same name, with cafes, shops and bars just steps away from the fare gates.
The station sports an unusual design with a small entry plaza, a compact street-level concourse with a marble mural and a glass ceiling and long stairways and escalators to the subterranean train platforms.
On the station’s side is a small 52-space parking lot, the only BART parking in San Francisco. The diminutive size of the lot ensures that the number of parking-related crimes such as stolen vehicles and parking citations is low.
Overall crime is also low. BART police recorded two violent crimes at Glen Park in the 10-month periods in 2013 and 2014, including a rape in 2013, a robbery in 2014 and an assault or battery each year.
SFO
Much like Glen Park, the SFO station fits into its surroundings. But airports aren’t exactly neighborhoods. They’re clean, sterile, safe and closely controlled.
The station has three tracks and platforms, but only two are used. There’s a steady flow of passengers on and off trains, which sit at the station for several minutes while drivers get out of one end of the train and walk to the other.
As far as crime goes, not much happens at the SFO station. Just two violent crimes were reported in 2014 and the fewest thefts in the system — three. That’s to be expected since BART Police, the San Francisco Police Department and Transportation Security Agency keep an eye on the station.
— Michael Cabanatuan
FAQs
The safest BART stations were Pittsburg and West Dublin, which had no reported thefts in 2019, Millbrae, with one, and North Concord and South San Francisco, which each had two. BART police made arrests in 67 of the robbery and theft cases involving electronics last year.
How safe is the BART system? ›
All BART cars have virus-trapping MERV-14 air filters and air in cars is replaced and filtered every 70 seconds. The EPA indicates a filter rating of MERV-13 or higher will filter out virus particles like coronavirus.
What state has the worst crime rate? ›
Alaska. The most dangerous state in the USA is Alaska, as it has the highest combined violent and property crime rate out of any state. Out of a population of 736,081, Alaska's crime rate was 32.14 per 1,000 people in 2022, making it the state with the highest crime rate.
Do BART parking lots have cameras? ›
Use of the ALPR system and associated cameras will take place 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year within all San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District parking properties and parking properties owned and operated by BART.
Is Embarcadero BART station safe? ›
say Powell, Montgomery or Embarcadero... you'll have NO problem. It's totally safe. If you want to minimize time spent outside the turnstyles (where problems are more likely to lurk), purchase a BART ticket with sufficient funds to travel to the airport earlier in the day.
Is it safe to park at BART stations? ›
Vehicles parked in a BART lot have less than a 1 percent chance of being burglarized or stolen, but that's little solace for the hundreds of riders whose autos are ripped off every year.
What city has most murders? ›
CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Chicago had the highest number of homicides in the United States in 2022, according to a new report. Chicago had 697 total homicides in 2022, higher than Philadelphia (516), New York City (438), Houston (435), and Los Angeles (382).
What state has the highest murders? ›
In 2020, the states with the highest murder rates stayed roughly the same after making this change: Mississippi in first, then Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia.
What's the deadliest state in America? ›
Introduction
| # | State | Number of Homicides |
|---|
| 1 | California | 3,498 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,993 |
| 3 | Florida | 2,087 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 1,192 |
47 more rowsA: Yes. BART Police Officers are fully sworn Peace Officers that have the same powers of arrest as city Police Officers and county Sheriff's Deputies.
It's totally safe. If you want to minimize time spent outside the turnstyles (where problems are more likely to lurk), purchase a BART ticket with sufficient funds to travel to the airport earlier in the day. Then, just go straight through the turn-styles.
Can you text Bart police? ›
BART Police Dispatch Center:
7000 For non-emergency please text BART PD at 510.200. 0992.
When should you avoid BART? ›
Tip 1: During the week, avoid 7–10 AM and 4–7 PM. Perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority of BART rides happen between Monday and Friday. A regular weekday sees about 424.3K rides, which is about 2.5x what a regular weekend day would see.
Is BART safe at night 2023? ›
Yes, it is safe in most areas.
Why can't you eat on BART? ›
NO EATING/DRINKING KEEPS BART CLEANER
BART has a no eating or drinking policy in the "Paid Areas" in an effort to keep the trains and stations as clean as possible.
Is Nob Hill safe? ›
After moving to Nob Hill, you'll love living in one of the safest neighborhoods in San Francisco. In fact, the biggest risk you'll probably face is the chance of tripping and getting hurt walking up and down the steep hill!
What is the most used BART station? ›
During peak commute hours, nearly 25,000 people ride through the Transbay Tube into Downtown San Francisco. BART's Pittsburg/Bay Point (yellow) line carries the largest number of people. The busiest stations in the BART system are Embarcadero and Montgomery.
Is it safe to walk Embarcadero? ›
A Beautiful But Dangerous Place for Pedestrians
But if you walk on the Embarcadero, it's no surprise that much of the street is part of the city's high-injury network. Traffic collisions are frequent, and the sidewalk space itself is often chaotic and dangerous.
Is BART safe at 6 am? ›
Yes safe as it will be full of commuters.
Is Antioch BART station safe? ›
Very safe and convenient. Antioch is an origin station, and you can pick your car.
BART itself is safer than most local bus systems, and the portion of BART between the airport and San Francisco is especially safe. At the weeknight hours you'll be riding, most folks will be airport passengers or workers.
What is the deadliest city in the United States? ›
Most Dangerous Cities in the US
| Rank | City | State |
|---|
| 1 | Memphis | Tennessee |
| 2 | Detroit | Michigan |
| 3 | Little Rock | Arkansas |
| 4 | Pueblo | Colorado |
64 more rowsIntroduction
| # | Country | Murder Rate |
|---|
| 1 | Jamaica | 44.95 per 100k |
| 2 | Honduras | 36.33 per 100k |
| 3 | South Africa | 33.46 per 100k |
| 4 | Mexico | 28.37 per 100k |
73 more rowsMemphis, Tennessee
The most dangerous city in the USA is Memphis, Tennessee. With a population of 628,127, Memphis has a crime rate that is 237% higher than the national average. Memphis has 7,913 crimes per 100,000 people, with an exceptionally high violent crime rate.
What state has the most unsolved murders? ›
To answer those questions, there are currently more than 200,000 unsolved homicides in the United States, and that number rises by around 6,000 every year. As for which US state has the most unsolved murders, as expected due to it's massive population, California has the most unsolved murders.
What town in the US has the most murders? ›
St. Louis, Missouri has the highest murder rate of any US city of 69.4 murders per 100,000 people.
...
Cities with Most Murders 2023.
| Rank | 1 |
|---|
| City | St. Louis |
|---|
| State | Missouri |
|---|
| Murder Rate | 69.40 |
|---|
| 2023 Population | 279,390 |
|---|
18 more columnsBelow is the law office's ranking of the top 10 states with the highest rates of violent crime for 2020:
- Alaska.
- New Mexico.
- Tennessee.
- Arkansas.
- Louisiana.
- Missouri.
- South Carolina.
- South Dakota.
Introduction
| # | State | Number of Crimes |
|---|
| 1 | Texas | 1,165,614 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 460,221 |
| 3 | Tennessee | 409,541 |
| 4 | Ohio | 407,034 |
42 more rowsThe World Population Review's latest report has placed Venezuela in the first place with the highest crime rates recorded in 2023, followed by Papa New Guinea, South Africa, Afghanistan and Honduras.
Do BART Police carry guns? ›
Officers are usually armed with either a SIG Sauer P320 or a Glock pistol for the sidearm.
Under the policy, people convicted of the following felonies would be precluded from ever working for BART: terrorism, murder, treason, espionage, rape, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, carjacking, manufacture, sale or possession of explosives, placement or possession of a destructive device on ...
What happens if you don't tap out of BART? ›
If you ride BART but lack enough stored fare to exit the station, the fare gate will read “UNDERPAID: GO TO ADDFARE.” Addfare machines are located inside the paid area. Some stations have machines that are cash only, while other stations offer add value machines that accept credit cards.
Do they ever clean the BART? ›
We clean cars multiple times a day. Each line has a designated location where a member of our clean-up crew walks the length of the train to pick up trash and spot clean as necessary. Then a deeper cleaning occurs at night.
Does BART clean their trains? ›
Since January 2022, BART hired more than 100+ station and rail car cleaners.
Can you smoke on BART? ›
A person is prohibited from committing the following acts on a BART vehicle, BART facility, or BART properry unless otherwise specified in this Section: I. Smoke or expel the residue of any tobacco product including chewing tobacco.
Do the cameras on BART work? ›
BART has a robust video surveillance network. It includes working cameras on board all trains, in every station, and elsewhere throughout BART.
How do I report a crime on BART? ›
Report a crime or suspicious activity on BART
- If you have cell phone coverage, call BART Police at 510-464-7000 or toll-free at 877.679. ...
- Use the BART Watch App, a free mobile app for both iOS and Android that allows you to quickly and discreetly report criminal or suspicious activity directly to BART Police.
With an average of 146,500 weekday passengers as of the fourth quarter of 2022 and 41,286,400 annual passengers in 2022, BART is the fifth-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the United States. BART is operated by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District which formed in 1957.
Is Civic Center Bart station safe? ›
Is the walk from Civic Center BART to Mission Street and 7th safe? Yes it's safe, especially for San Francisco - a poorly run city. Here's the SFPD crime map for the most recent week. Not much crime.
Is it safe to take the BART at night? ›
It's totally safe. If you want to minimize time spent outside the turnstyles (where problems are more likely to lurk), purchase a BART ticket with sufficient funds to travel to the airport earlier in the day. Then, just go straight through the turn-styles.
Like most large cities around the world, San Francisco does experience its share of crime. However, the violent crime rate is lower than in other popular tourist destinations like New Orleans, New York City, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC. It's certainly lower than other cities in California, particularly Los Angeles.
Is Walnut Creek BART station safe? ›
Yes, it is quite safe. You should be just fine. It's very safe. In fact, I catch this line from Embarcadero to Walnut Creek each time I visit my brother and his family on the weekends, often catching the return train much later than 7PM.
Is BART safe after 9pm? ›
1. Re: Is the BART transit safe after 10 PM ? Yes, BARt is safe- more concerned about the Civic Center area.
What is the longest line on the BART? ›
The BART has BART lines operating across San Francisco - San Jose, CA including: Bay Point, Oakland, Hayward, Berkeley. The longest line from the BART is: YELLOW. This BART line starts from Antioch Station (Antioch) and ends at Millbrae (Millbrae). It covers over 94 km and has 28 stops.
Is BART heavy or light rail? ›
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is a heavy-rail public transit system that connects the San Francisco Peninsula with communities in the East Bay and South Bay.
What is the longest BART trip? ›
From end to end to end to end, he passed through every one of the system's 44 stations in a single day – a feat that took 5 hours and 37 minutes. He's neatly documented his trip in a humorous play-by-play timeline on the website Crasstalk, and has posted plenty of pictures on his own blog.
Is it safe to ride BART early morning? ›
BART is safe any time of day.
