Corndogs + Avocados

I take Bay Area Rapid Transit (known as BART in these parts) to work every day. Martha (my mother-in-law) gives me a ride to the station at around 07:00am, I swipe my EZ Rider fare card (it’s NOT a monthly pass but it is VERY convenient), board the next train to San Francisco/Daly City, and sit back and relax for the next 40 minutes.

BART is very convenient for me since I live 35 miles from the city and would otherwise have to drive which would be difficult since my car is in Chicago with Liz.

I do, however, have a few gripes about the system that I will share with you:

• There are no monthly passes that allow unlimited rides for one flat monthly rate. Simply put, each time you board a train you pay.
• BART rides are charged based on distance. This means the farther your ride, the more you pay. In my opinion, this is an ill-conceived way to operate a public transit system as the people who live the farthest away generally have less money (which is why they live far away in the first place). Why award the wealthier people who can afford to live closer to the city with low BART fares when it’s really those of us who live a million miles away who need the low fare? Since BART is government owned and operated and already heavily subsidized using taxpayer dollars, why not charge a simple flat fee for all rides like the New York Subway or the Saint Petersburg and Moscow subways in Russia? It currently costs me $8.80 per day round trip on BART to go to work. In Seattle it cost me $2.25 per day. Not complaining - just comparing.