Special BARTy car signals return of BART train wraps
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Courtesy of BART
BART is exploring a return to colorfully wrapped train cars — starting with an adorable design spotlighting the beloved mascot BARTy.
Why it matters: Ad placements were a common part of BART's legacy fleets before the trains were retired in 2024. Now, it could serve as an additional revenue source amid looming fiscal cliffs.
State of play: The current train wrap test will help determine how new cars, which have a different exterior finish, perform with wrap materials. If the wrap comes off without issue after a month, the agency will begin designating specific trains for advertising.
- "Because this is really a test, we wanted to use some art-specific creative," BART marketing director David Martindale told Axios. "What better character ... than the popular and adorable BARTy?"
Zoom in: The BARTy wrap is featured on one train, which runs on the green line from Beryessa through Daly City and the orange line between Beryessa and Richmond.
- The design is filled with different versions of BARTy doing SF and Bay Area things: donning Golden State Valkyries colors, kicking a FIFA World Cup soccer ball, dressed in Carnavale feathers and more.
The big picture: The pilot comes two years after BART hit pause on ad wraps — and as the agency struggles with dire financial straits. "With the fiscal situation that we're in currently, as much advertising revenue as we can generate is better," Martindale noted.
- BART's advertising manager, OUTFRONT Media, declined to specify the annual revenue generated from legacy train wraps, but the company's Bay Area vice president Cynthia Beiler said top BART train wrap advertisers in the past include Zoho, Zinni, Alaska Airlines and Blue Shield of California.
- San Francisco advertisers' demand for these highly visible designs remains strong, she said.
The bottom line: Make sure to catch BARTy in action before the wrap comes off toward the end of this month.