This April, listen closely to the PA announcements in BART stations; you might just hear the voice of one of BART's biggest fans.

For Autism Acceptance Month in April, 12 local youth on the autism spectrum spent an afternoon at BART Headquarters to record the very special announcements, which will play every 15 minutes at select stations through the end of the month.

The announcements go something like this: "Hi, BART riders. I'm Cameron Clay. I love BART because the trains are so fast. I like riding through the Transbay Tube. Happy Autism [Acceptance] Month."

Participants like 19-year-old Cameron were invited to put their own spin on their announcements. 9-year-old Max Reese, for example, used his spot to encourage people to check out BART's merch store, Railgoods.com -- "They've got everything!"

Max said his favorite part of the day was "basically everything."

"The moment the school bell rang, I was dashing out of that school to go here," he said. He appreciates BART because "I get to go on these amazing adventures with my family" and it helps people "go to work on time and not miss out on anything or get fired."

Jonathan Trichter, the CEO of several schools for children with autism and related neurological differences, created the Autism Transit Project in 2022.

Children with autism sometimes, he said, often have a special affinity for trains.

"Frontline workers see it every day," he said. "They see these kids who drag their parents onto trains for joy rides or who ask questions so detailed they stump your seasoned operators! Transit is a place where many of these children feel safe, engaged and understood."

For some children on the autism spectrum, the first full sentence they ever speak is a transit announcement, Jonathan explained. "These messages hold a special meaning for them and their families. Keeping this project going honors that bond. It gives transit agencies a chance to celebrate a constituency that loves them like no other."

In addition to BART, participating agencies this year include New Jersey Transit, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The project kicked off after a successful pilot with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, spurring Jonathan to reach out to other agencies to see if they'd like to participate.

"It was an immediate yes," said BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost, whose department has organized and hosted the event since 2023. "We know many of these families spend hours riding BART, and this is a special opportunity to hear directly from them and to experience transit through their eyes."

During the annual event, participants and their families spent the entire afternoon at BART, not just to record the announcements, but to learn about the system directly from staff. Employees gave presentations and answered questions about the inner workings of the agency, while engineers and transportation staff set up booths around the room with cool equipment the kids could touch and explore.

Special appearances included BART Director Victor Flores and BART Deputy General Manager Michael Jones, as well as two animal celebrities: BART PD K9 Kygo and Pac-Man, the Harris hawk who helps BART with station pigeon abatement.

Let's close things out with a message from 8-year-old King Colon: "Hi BART riders, I'm King. I love BART because of the sound the train makes, the technology's really cool, and it can take me to my favorite places." We couldn't have said it better ourselves!

To listen to participants' announcements, click the blue hyperlinks below - or better yet, visit a station!

A'lexius

Bella

Calvin

Cameron

Eden

Jiohnni

King

Lucas

Lucy

Max

Mira

Robert

Zayn