Car Reviews

San Francisco, CA, United States (AHN) – Riders of Bay Area Rapid Transit trains now have scientific evidence to back up complaints of filthy seats after laboratory tests showed the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Bay Citizen news website commissioned a supervisor at San Francisco State University’s biology laboratory to find out how dirty the cloth seats are on the trains.

Tests on a seat in a train from Daly City to Dublin/Pleasanton found fecal and skin-borne bacteria. Additional tests showed the bacteria growing through discs containing methicillin and penicillin, a characteristic of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a dangerous flesh-eating bacteria dubbed the “superbug” due to its resistance to drugs.

A third test for MRSA, however, came back negative.

Nine bacteria strains and several types of mold were found on the seat. Bacteria continued to grow on the fabric of the seats after the fabric covering the cushion was wiped with alcohol.

A BART spokesman, James Allison, told the Bay Citizen that the findings were “not surprising,” citing the number of passengers on BART trains.

About 350,000 people ride BART trains everyday. They are prohibited from eating or drinking on board but many of them violate these rues.

The seats of BART trains are padded and covered in fabric, making them more difficult to keep clean.

The laboratory findings prompted the Contra Costa Times to urge BART to “do a much better job of keeping the seats in its cars clean.” The paper said the agency must address weak enforcement of the rules on food and drink, as well as absenteeism among crews responsible for cleaning cars.

About 46 percent of cleaning crews are absent on a typical day, according to the Times.

BART says cars are given a “top-to-bottom cleaning each night in the overnight hours while customers are tucked into bed.”

“If customers spot a problem with a seat at any time, they are encouraged to let their train operator know over the intercom, so that it can be logged for attention. BART is also working on addressing attendance issues that have risen among cleaning staff,” the agency added.

BART plans to replace all its 669 trains with cars that have seats that are easier to clean before ridership reaches 500,000 a day.

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