BART Unveils Mascot-Covered Test Car
- BART debuted a train car wrapped in mascot graphics as part of a pilot to test new revenue streams. - One mascot-wrapped car will run on regular BART routes during the pilot program. - Officials say they hope advertising and partnerships will boost nonfare revenue and rider engagement (patch.com).
A bright blue Bay Area Rapid Transit car covered in dancing BARTy mascots is now running regular service as a test of whether wrapped trains can bring in new money. (bart.gov) BART said the pilot began Monday, April 20, and the single wrapped car will roam the system for the next few months. Marketing director Dave Martindale said the agency is testing paid train wraps on its Fleet of the Future cars. (bart.gov) The wrap is not just decoration. BART said staff will track how the material holds up on the newer cars’ different exterior finish, including durability, appearance and maintenance demands in day-to-day service. (bart.gov) The timing is tied to BART’s budget problem. In its 2026 fact sheet, the agency said it faces a $375 million to $400 million annual deficit starting in fiscal year 2027 as hybrid and remote work keep ridership below pre-pandemic patterns. (bart.gov) BART said it has already cut costs by hundreds of millions of dollars and raised fares and parking fees, but described those steps as insufficient without a longer-term funding source. The wrapped-car test adds advertising to a broader search for nonfare revenue. (bart.gov; bart.gov) The agency has sold train wraps before, but on its older legacy fleet. This pilot is different because BART now runs only new cars in regular service, and those cars have a different exterior surface that has to be tested before any larger ad program. (bart.gov; bart.gov) As of February 9, 2026, BART said it had received and certified 1,070 Fleet of the Future cars, with 489 in service, and all 55 trains in the base schedule are made up of new cars. The last legacy cars left the ready reserve fleet on March 4, 2024. (bart.gov) Catherine Westphall, who manages BART’s advertising franchise program, said the test will show what it would take to scale wrapped cars into a revenue program without disrupting maintenance schedules or service. For now, riders will see one mascot-covered car passing through stations as BART measures whether a playful look can support a harder budget fix. (bart.gov)
