March breaks multiple records for post-pandemic ridership

March saw highest monthly and weekday ridership and busiest single day

March marked a major milestone in BART's ridership recovery; the system recorded its highest ridership month, highest average weekday ridership, and busiest single day since the pandemic. Saturday ridership also surged, rising 38% year over year, reflecting strong demand for weekend travel and major events across the Bay Area.

BART recorded 5,403,140 exits in March, making it the highest monthly ridership since the pandemic and surpassing the previous high set in October 2025 (5,346,890 exits). Ridership for the month finished 13% above budget and 20% higher than March 2025, continuing a steady upward trend seen in recent monthly reports.

The system's busiest day of the post-pandemic era was March 25 (227,300 exits), coinciding with San Francisco Giants Opening Day 2026. The surge highlights BART's ability to move large crowds efficiently to major regional events. The previous highest ridership day was February 5, 2026, during Super Bowl LX week, with 225,830 trips.

March also marked a key recovery benchmark as average weekday ridership exceeded 200,000 trips for the first time since the pandemic. This builds on prior highs, such as October 2025, when weekday averages approached 200,000, and signals continued return of riders for both work and everyday travel.

Weekend travel, especially Saturdays, saw some of the strongest gains. Average Saturday ridership rose 38% compared to March 2025, driven by major events including the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade and No Kings Protest Day. The sharp increase reflects BART's growing role beyond the traditional commute, supporting travel to cultural celebrations, civic happenings, and entertainment throughout the region.

March's record-setting performance builds on steady gains reported in recent months. Find additional Monthly Ridership Snapshots here and daily ridership totals here.

Ridership gains alone cannot solve BART's fiscal cliff

Despite record post-pandemic ridership, fare revenue still falls short of what is needed to sustain BART operations. Even with continued growth, ridership alone is not enough to close the funding gap, and a new funding source is needed.

BART faces a structural deficit of $350M to $400M, driven by long-term shifts in commute patterns, including remote and hybrid work. BART balanced the FY26 budget with $35M in ongoing cuts and cost controls. The FY27 deficit is $376M. BART is taking a number of actions to reduce the shortfall, including more expense reductions, but will need help to completely close the gap. More on BART's fiscal cliff: bart.gov/fiscalcliff.