BART upgrades fare machines to accept card payment for parking, add fare
OAKLAND -- BART officials call recent station improvements an end of the era of pockets full of quarters.
Riders will likely say it's "about time" they can now use credit and debit cards to pay for parking and to add to fares at stations.
BART officials announced this week that the features were added to add-fare machines, which previously only accepted cash for parking and to add to a fare before exiting a station turnstile.
The announcement included an acknowledgement that the old method caused inconveniences for riders, often resulting in pockets full of change after feeding bills into the machines.
"This upgrade is perhaps the biggest customer experience improvement to date for those who drive and park at BART stations," the announcement reads.
The official BART app (http://bart.gov/guide/apps) can also be used to pay for parking by credit or debit cards, Venmo and PayPal.
For those riders who still want to pay cash, the machines have been reprogrammed to accept $10 and $20 bills in addition to $1 and $5 bills.
