FAIRFIELD BASE, AN ONGOING PROBLEM IS GETTING A NEW SOLUTION. >> NEW FARE GATES WERE INSTALLED AT ONE BART STATION TO HELP PREVENT FARE EVASION, WHICH COST THE SYSTEM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. ABC SEVEN NEWS ANCHOR KARINA NOVA IS HERE WITH UH- KARINA. HOW THESE GATES ARE DIFFERENT AND THE PLANS FOR ADDING MORE. >> YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, DAN. THIS WAS A BIG INVESTMENT AND A BIG STEP FORWARD FOR BART. THE SYSTEM UPGRADED ITS FARE GATES FOR THE FIRST TIME. GET THIS IN 20 YEARS. HOPING TO PREVENT FARE EVASION. AND WE WERE THERE FOR THE BIG REVEAL AT THE WEST OAKLAND STATION, THE WEST OAKLAND BART STATION LOOKED A LITTLE DIFFERENT TODAY FOR RIDERS WHO GOT TO EXPERIENCE A PROTOTYPE OF THESE FIVE NEW FARE GATES. BART SPOKESPERSON ANNA DUCKWORTH EXPLAINS WHAT PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE FROM NOW ON. >> THESE ARE SEVEN FOOT TALL GATES. WE'RE TESTING OUT TWO DIFFERENT DOOR MATERIALS AT WEST OAKLAND. WE'RE TESTING OUT A POLYCARBONATE MATERIAL AND THEN ALSO LIKE A PERFORATED METAL TYPE OF MATERIAL, JUST TO SEE WHAT'S GOING TO STAND UP BETTER TO THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, GRAFFITI, VANDALISM, WEAR AND TEAR, THE DOORS ARE KIND OF SWINGING SALOON STYLE, OPEN AND CLOSE. IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY HARD FOR ANYBODY TO CLIMB OVER OR UNDER OR PUSH THROUGH THESE GATES. >> FOR BART, FARE EVASION HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE AND ONE THAT ABC SEVEN HAS COVERED IN THE PAST. BUT THESE GATES AIM TO ADDRESS PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO GET AROUND PAYING. >> PEOPLE CAN'T JUST ENTER THE SYSTEM WITHOUT PAYING. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TO TIER THE FARE EVASION ITSELF, ENFORCE FARE PAYMENT, AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUR REVENUE, WHICH DOES GET IMPACTED BY PEOPLE WHO DON'T PAY TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM. >> BART HAS MADE OTHER RECENT CHANGES, WHICH INCLUDE PHASING OUT PAPER TICKETS FOR CLIPPER CARDS AND INCREASING FARES BY 5.5% COME JANUARY 1ST. DAILY RIDERSHIP IS STILL DOWN ABOUT HALF THIS YEAR COMPARED TO PRE-PANDEMIC NUMBERS. BUT TODAY, DUCKWORTH SAYS BART TOOK A STEP FORWARD IN THEIR GOAL FOR A BETTER AND SAFER USER EXPERIENCE THIS MORNING. >> THE INITIAL FEEDBACK WAS VERY POSITIVE. PEOPLE WERE HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE'RE DOING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LET US KNOW THAT WEST OAKLAND IS A PLACE WHERE THEY'VE SEEN FARE EVASION HAPPENING. SO TO NOT SEE IT HAPPENING THIS MORNING, BECAUSE OF THESE NEW GATES KIND OF SHOW US INITIALLY THAT IT'S WORKING. >> AND BART WILL ANNOUNCE THE NEXT EIGHT STATIONS TO GET THE NEW FARE GATES AT THE JANUARY 11TH BOARD MEETING, AND ALL MORE THAN 700 NEW FARE GATES WILL BE INSTALLED SYSTEM WIDE BY THE END
