Earlier this year, I got the postcard in the mail everyone looks forward to receiving: one letting me know that I’d been called to fulfill my privilege of serving on a jury. What’s more, the trial would be taking place at the Oakland courthouse, which would mean a significant commute, even further than my normal 40-minute drive to work.
I checked on Monday and my juror number hadn’t been called. I was supposed to check back in on Wednesday and nearly forgot, but after 11pm I learned that I would need to be present in Oakland at 9am the next day.
My first decision: No way am I trying to find parking in downtown Oakland.
That left BART. I had never taken a trip from one of the South Bay BART stations before, and the closest station was still about a 30-minute drive away with traffic. But I got there, parked, and caught a train that left at the right time. On a weekday morning, trains were running about every 15 minutes. A nice BART attendant even helped me use the parking app so I didn’t miss my train trying to figure it out.
In Oakland, an attendant once again helped me, this time with scanning my Clipper Card. When I told him I was going to jury duty, he wished me luck. Several hours later, when I was officially dismissed from that trial, I ran into the same man on my return trip from the 12th Street station. He was happy to learn that my day had gone smoothly and I wouldn’t have to do the commute for the duration of a trial.
There’s something about BART employees. I realized they must work long days, dealing with impatient and stressed people, but they don’t just keep their heads down until they get to clock out. They actually like helping clueless travelers like me.
This November, a sales tax ballot measure may be able to give BART critical funding to continue to provide service. At a financial deficit, BART is looking at drastically reducing service if funds aren’t secured.
Even though I hadn’t used BART in over a year, it was my first alternative when driving didn’t seem optimal. The Bay Area is known as a car culture, but I think that culture is supported by public transit in ways we don’t even realize.
