San Leandro (KPIX 5)-While talking about the possible holiday surge in COVID-19 cases, BART is taking steps to make passengers feel safe.
The agency also believes that more passenger growth may be coming, and they hope that COVID concerns will not hinder this.
"You know, changing the air every 70 seconds in a car is industry best practice," BART general manager Bob Bowers said at a briefing on Tuesday.
To go one step further, BART has now upgraded its air filter, which is beyond recognized best practice.
"As you can see, the pleated design is much tighter," the engineer Charles Franz explained to KPIX 5 while holding the old and new filters. "This is the old MERV-8 we replaced. 8 only captures materials as small as 3 microns. The new MERV-14 is as small as 3/10 microns."
The MERV-14 air filter was installed on the BART train, November 23, 2021. (CBS)
The MERV-14 air filter was installed on the BART train, November 23, 2021. (CBS)
In addition to the quality of the air filter, there is another reason that passengers may now feel comfortable on the train.
"As long as you stay away from anyone and always wear a mask," Mary said, walking off the BART train on Tuesday.
"It's not as crowded as it used to be," Jiban Gurung said. "Just like before COVID, it was very crowded."
Passenger traffic on weekdays is about 25% of the level before COVID. This figure is closely related to the slow return of office space in the Bay Area, especially San Francisco.
"Therefore, it will take a while to return to the pre-COVID figures," Bowers said.
On November 23, 2021, inside the BART train during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CBS)
On November 23, 2021, inside the BART train during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CBS)
Although BART cannot do anything about this, it is expected that more offices will return in the coming months. The agency stated that it is always ready to lure drivers away from what we see on roads and highways.
"So when people come back in three or four days, regardless of their pace, they will take public transportation instead of getting in the car," Bowers said. "You have seen traffic. Traffic volume is now at pre-COVID levels, right? Gas prices are rising."