BART is actively trying to incentivize getting to SFO via train, rather than Uber or Lyft or private vehicle, and they want to give riders access to the TSA Priority lane at security via a scan of their Clipper card.

ABC 7 has the story about the proposal that BART is apparently working on with SFO and the TSA. The transit agency has reportedly developed software that will verify, in a quick scan, whether a rider's Clipper card has just tagged out of the BART station at SFO, and that will grant them entry into the fast lane at all of SFO's security checkpoints.

It's unclear where the proposal stands or if SFO is seriously considering it — or where the Priority lanes may intersect with TSA Pre, etc. But the idea comes after a year in which BART has publicly bemoaned the fact that ridership is down across the system, but particularly to the airport. BART cites the relative inexpensiveness of rideshare vehicles that can take passengers right to their front doors as one likely culprit, though the prevalence of homeless people on trains riding them to the end of the line is another issue.

At least two travelers interviewed at SFO by ABC 7 endorse the idea, with one noting that it could help to decrease car traffic.

But here are two likely sources for pushback and complaint about the proposal: potentially increased wait times and longer lines for people who have paid for Priority access via their airlines, and privacy advocates who don't want BART retaining more information about them on Clipper cards.

The latter aspect has apparently been addressed by BART in documents, per ABC 7, and the agency says that "the information collected will not be shared, unless legally required," though data on trips may be stored for up to four years for reasons unknown.

Would you opt for BART over a Lyft if it got you in the priority lane? Or is the extra $15 or $20 for the car still worth it to avoid the hassles of BART and AirTrain?