Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) riders will soon have a simple-to-use app available on their smartphones that will allow them to easily report crimes, suspicious items or activities or other safety hazards on the BART system.

The transit system created the app in response to requests from riders for a safe, silent and discreet way to communicate with BART when they are on a train or in a station.

“This app will be free for BART riders to download from our website in a few months,” said BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey. “Riders will be able to upload pictures and location information, choose comments from drop-down menus or write their own comments in text boxes. BART will be the first transit agency to offer both Spanish and Simplified Chinese options for the app.”

The app will feature a silent photo and flash-free feature and is GPS-enabled. The app will be another tool for passengers to use to participate in the national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign and act as an extra set of eyes and ears to help keep the system safe.

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The BART board of directors approved a multi-year contract with ELERTS Corp., which has created similar apps for other U.S. transit agencies, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

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