Wait, didn’t BART just raise their fares on January 1 this year? Yes they did, and they’re going to do it again on January 1, 2026, the second consecutive New Year’s Day fare increase for the cash-strapped transit system.  

It seems an annual thing in the Bay Area that once January 1 hits on any given year, some public transportation system you rely on raises their fares. This past year, both Muni and BART increased their fares on January 1, 2025. But just one year later, BART is heading back to that well again, as NBC Bay Area reports that BART will raise its fares by 6.2%, effective January 1, 2026.

What does that 6.2% increase work out to? If you’re just going just three stations over, you’re probably looking at a fare increase of 30 cents. A longer trip, like, say, a trip between Antioch and downtown SF’s Montgomery Street station, will become 55 cents more expensive.

“As we ask the region for greater investments and support for BART while also making internal cuts to reduce costs, we also must ask our riders to contribute more towards their trips,” BART Board President Mark Foley said in an official BART statement. “We will continue our commitment to enhance efficiencies and implement strict cost controls.”  

BART fully admits that inflation is one of their main reasons for hiking their fares again in the new year, or in their words, "to keep pace with inflation so the agency is able to pay for continued operations and to work toward restoring financial stability." But BART also defends themselves, insisting that “BART costs have grown at a rate lower than inflation.”

If you’re confused or concerned over how much your BART ride is going to cost, the site will update their fare calculator  on January 1 so you can see the cost of your slightly pricier ride. In fact, the fare calculator is already updated, so you can enter a date on January 1, 2026 or later and see right now how much the BART fare your trip will cost in the new year.

And remember, this is on top of that 30% BART parking lot fare increase that's also kicking in on January 1 for those who park at BART stations. BART has posted a station-by-station rundown of how much that fare increase will cost you at each of the 35 BART stations that have parking lots.  

Related: Still Facing Major Budget Deficit, BART Raises Fares 5.5% Starting In January [SFist]

Image: @bart.gov via Bluesky