March marked a key milestone in BART’s ridership recovery, with the San Francisco system posting its strongest performance since the pandemic. It recorded its highest monthly ridership, highest average weekday ridership, and busiest single day over that period, while Saturday ridership rose 38% year over year — highlighting growing demand for weekend travel and major events across the Bay Area, reported agency officials.

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 to major regional events efficiently, officials said. The previous highest ridership day was February 5, 2026, during Super Bowl LX week, with 225,830 trips. 

More March Success

BART officials reported that 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 the 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% from March 2025, driven by major events such as 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 events, and entertainment throughout the region, officials said.

March’s record-setting performance builds on steady gains reported in recent months.

Agency Still Facing A Cliff

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

BART reports the agency is facing a structural deficit of $350 million to $400 million, driven by long-term shifts in commute patterns, including remote and hybrid work.

The agency balanced the FY26 budget with $35 million in ongoing cuts and cost controls. The FY27 deficit is reportedly $376 million.

BART is taking several actions to reduce the shortfall, including more expense reductions, but officials said it will need help to close the gap completely.