SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area Rapid Transit system we call BART has been criticized by passengers recently for everything from the upkeep of its stations, to rising crime.
BART estimates riders take 432,000 trips on weekdays and 126 million trips annually.
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We reached out to other rapid transit systems with similar ridership around the country comparing BART to SEPTA in the Philadelphia Area, and MBTA in Boston to find out what customers think of their service.
When it comes to station cleanliness, BART customers say things are getting better 68-percent of commuters say so. BART agency is on par with similar agencies. In Philadelphia its lower 66-percent, and in Boston higher marks 73-percent.
But when it comes to train cleanliness, BART isn't doing as well. Just 62-percent of riders give BART a satisfactory rating. In Philadelphia that percentage is 73-percent and Boston 84-percent. BART clearly has a long way to go.
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On-time performance is one area that BART shines. 92-percent of its trains arrive on-time, in Philadelphia just 89 percent are on-time, and Boston is only on-time 85-percent.
Crimes on transit agencies are reported to the federal government. BART has made news in the last year for a number of high profile crimes. Many people think crime is on the rise, it actually has gone down slightly there are just 3.5 crimes per million passengers. That is not as good as Philadelphia that has just 2.8 crimes per million, but definitely better than Boston, which has 4.3 crimes per million riders.
And finally, when it comes to customer Satisfaction, a recent survey of BART passengers found only 56-percent of riders gave the system a "satisfactory" rating. In Philadelphia 73-percent were satisfied, and Boston, the vast majority of riders, 85%, were happy.
We also compared BART to the Washington D.C.'s Metro. It is a similar system, but with twice as many passengers and more stations. Even though the metro is a lot larger, it still gets a much higher rating. 79-percent of its riders are satisfied.
Check out more stories about Building a Better Bay Area.
