BART Unveils Mascot-Wrapped Train Car
- BART debuted a train car wrapped with mascot artwork as part of new revenue experiments. - The eye-catching car aims to boost nonfare income through sponsorships and advertising partnerships. - Officials say it should spark smiles, photos and gauge public reaction to new revenue ideas (patch.com).
BART has put a bright blue train car covered in dancing BARTy mascots into service as a live test of full-car wraps on its newest fleet. (bart.gov) The Bay Area Rapid Transit district said riders could start spotting the car on Monday, April 20, as it moves across the system for the next few months. BART marketing director Dave Martindale said the pilot is meant to explore “a new source of revenue” while the agency looks for money beyond fares. (bart.gov) The wrapped car is part of BART’s Fleet of the Future, the second-generation trains that replaced the old fleet in regular service on Sept. 11, 2023, with the last legacy cars removed from the ready reserve fleet on March 4, 2024. BART says the new cars have a different exterior finish, so staff are testing how wrap materials hold up on them over time. (bart.gov 1) (bart.gov 2) BART is running the test as its emergency federal and state relief money is projected to run out in 2026. The agency’s financial page says it is still using that aid to run service and balance its operating budget. (bart.gov) Agency officials tied the mascot car directly to that budget pressure. Catherine Westphall, who manages BART’s advertising franchise program, said the pilot is meant to show whether train wraps can scale into a revenue program without disrupting maintenance schedules or service. (bart.gov) Train wraps are not new to BART, but this version marks a return on different equipment. BART said it previously sold wraps on its retired legacy fleet, and a 2021 agency explainer said wraps can generate advertising income, cover cosmetic damage and keep cars in revenue service. (bart.gov) (bartable.bart.gov) The mechanics are simple: a printed vinyl film is applied to the outside of a rail car, and BART said the installation typically takes about one day per car in its yards. Streetsblog San Francisco reported the current pilot is also a test of decal adhesion on the newer cars’ exterior surface. (bartable.bart.gov) (sf.streetsblog.org) For now, BART is using its own mascot instead of a paying brand. If the wrap stays durable and the maintenance process works, the agency said staff will decide whether selling full-car wraps on Fleet of the Future trains makes sense as a longer-term advertising product. (bart.gov)
