A woman's attempt to enter a San Francisco BART station without paying resulted in her becoming trapped under a newly installed fare gate, an incident captured on video.
The footage shows the woman lying face down with her upper body wedged beneath the gate as she struggles to free herself. A person, believed to be a BART employee, can be heard remarking, "This is terrible." Another BART worker suggested she could have asked for assistance if she was unable to pay, to which the woman responded, "Yeah, I know."
The employee filming the incident later noted that the gate could not be opened with the woman underneath it without risking harm. The video concludes before she is seen being freed.
The incident, which occurred at either the Powell Street or Montgomery Street station, quickly gained traction online. Commenters on social media platforms joked that the new gates were functioning as intended.
BART Director Liz Ames expressed hope that the woman was uninjured but also that she would be cited for fare evasion. Ames stated that the transit agency's new fare gates have been effective in reducing fare evasion and crime, contributing to an estimated $10 million in additional revenue. She indicated that the $90 million investment in these gates could be recouped in under a decade.
Former BART director Debora Allen also praised the gate upgrade as a significant improvement for the agency. The full-height barriers are part of a four-year modernization project aimed at preventing passengers from bypassing the older gates.