OAKLAND (KRON) — A new study that ranks the cleanliness of transit systems nationwide uncovered some bad news for BART riders.
The study advises people to avoid touching surfaces on BART if you can avoid it. BART was the second-germiest transit system in the country behind only New York City’s Subway, according to Travelmath.com.
High levels of bacteria were found, which can cause a variety of infections to the skin, ears, eyes, and also breathing problems and pneumonia.
And some of the bacteria is resistant to disinfectants. The researchers at Travel Math took sample swabs on handrails in BART cars.
The study found BART had 483 colony-forming units (CFU), which refers to the number of viable bacteria cells. But that pales in comparison to New York’s Subway system, which had just over 2 million CFU, the study said.
According to the study, BART has an annual ridership of 132 million.