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San Francisco drastically reduced issues they were having on public transit by making it almost impossible to enter without paying, according to a <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> from The Atlantic.<\/span><\/p>\n The outlet noted that last August, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) installed six-foot-tall saloon-style doors made of plexiglass with metal frames that were much harder to get through compared to regular turnstiles that could easily be jumped. This change is expected to increase revenue by $10 million per year as riders are forced to actually pay to ride.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But beyond generating more income, it\u2019s also led to a decrease in issues that used to plague the subway. Overall crime on BART plunged 41% in 2025 compared to the previous year, with violent crime down 31% and property crime down 43%.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSafety is about more than enforcement. It\u2019s about presence, partnership, and creating an environment where all riders feel comfortable using BART,\u201d said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin of the massive change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBART PD is committed to deterring criminal activity, responding quickly when help is needed, and ensuring riders feel safe throughout their journeys. These numbers demonstrate the impact of officers who are engaged and focused on building trust with the communities BART serves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n BART PD also doubled the number of officers in the system and made sure that they were frequently riding the trains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t the first time BART tried to curtail fare jumpers, but it was a different world in 2019 when they introduced \u201cinverted guillotine\u201d gates, which at the time were\u00a0dubbed<\/a> \u201canti-poor, anti-homeless, and ableist\u201d by activists.<\/span><\/p>\n There was also a push against \u201cfare checks\u201d \u2014 essentially people dispatched to verify tickets \u2014 which were dubbed ineffective by critics, said to \u201cdisproportionately affect people of color and the homeless,\u201d and found to recover only \u201cminimal revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n These new jump-proof gates make fare checks unnecessary, and complaints of racist enforcement policies are a non-issue since those people haven\u2019t gained access in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had pressure on us that interaction between police and the public, because of fare evasion, could lead to racial profiling,\u201d BART communications officer Alicia Trost told The Atlantic. \u201cOnce the fare gates were in place, we\u2019re limiting those interactions. It\u2019s not discretionary; there\u2019s less enforcement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These efforts stand in sharp contrast to efforts being made by New York\u2019s new Muslim socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, whose stated goal is to make city buses <\/span>free for everyone<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n