Confusion or smooth sailing? Mixed reviews on BART's later start times

It was a mixed bag of review on Monday as BART began to run trains one hour later in order to start a massive seismic retrofit of the Transbay Tube.

Some riders said the new start time, at 5 a.m. instead of 4 a.m., was confusing. They didn’t know where to park their cars because stations were closed and there were large crowds. Others said the buses were late, but some didn't realize they all didn't start at 4 a.m.

”It was hectic. It was crazy," said a rider named Sheldon. "I'm late for work already.”

There was also a late bus at the El Cerrito station – that bus got stuck at the railroad tracks and had to wait as a long train passed through. There was also some overcrowding for bus riders coming from Bay Point. 

But others said it was a smooth ride as they took one of 15 new Early Bird Express lines to get to their destinations.

“The ride was pleasant,” said Brian Bell of Dublin. 

And Willie Spender said the “ride was pretty good. Quick, no stops.”

The new bus service runs between 3:50 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

This later start time will be in place for the next three and a half years. 

BART’s board president Bevan Dufty was at the temporary Transbay terminal in San Francisco  to see how the first day goes.

The buses were packed. And there were  workers in bright yellow jackets passing out information packets to riders. 

Details on the new hours and bus service are here.