SFO to introduce priority security line for public transit riders

On Thursday, the BART Board of Directors approved a measure with the goal of creating a priority security line for public transit riders at SFO. In their meeting, the directors voted to approve something called trip verification technology (TVT), which would work as follows:

With TVT, SFO-hired staff would use devices at a designated entry point to scan Clipper cards or QR codes on BART apps to verify a customer used public transportation to get to the airport. If the trip on BART or other public transportation is verified, the customer would proceed to a priority line to go through TSA screening.

I’m really excited about this for a few reasons, but mostly because I’m a huge fan of public transit in general and because of the environmental impacts of getting more cars off the road.

Although I almost always take BART to and from the airport, this new system likely won’t affect me since I already use CLEAR which gets me through security in a matter of minutes, regardless of crowds. That said, I do hope this encourages more passangers to take BART, which is really a quick and easy way to get to the airport from SFO (especially if you’re flying out of the International Terminal or Terminal 3, where you can walk to security without even needing to take the AirTrain to get to security).

Will this make you more likely to take BART to the airport? Let me know in the comments!

Excessive heat shuts down SFO’s AirTrain

San Francisco experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city on Saturday, with the mercury rising to 106 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). In city where most buildings don’t have air conditioning, the heat was oppressive.

It was so hot that the San Francisco International Airport had to shut down its AirTrain service, which connects the airport to public transportation. Although the airport remained open (unlike Phoenix’s airport, which recently had to shut down due to excessive heat), travelers were told to use airport shuttles to get to either the parking lot or BART, the Bay Area’s rapid public transportation system.

If you were affected by the AirTrain outage, let me know in the comments!