There were undoubtedly all kinds of bets placed on the outcome of the 2010 World Series, but likely only one concerning public transit. Now that the San Francisco Giants bested the Texas Rangers in the fifth game, the team’s first title since 1954, the executive director of the public transportation system of the team’s home communities that lost—Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)—is preparing to make good on the bet he had with the executive director of the winning team’s public transit system—the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART).

What was the outcome of the bet? Specifically, DART Executive Director Gary Thomas is scheduled to fly to the San Francisco Bay area (courtesy of Southwest Airlines), where he will dress in Giants gear and sing to BART riders during the morning rush hour on Nov. 8—while passing out San Francisco treats to commuters.

A BART spokesperson emphasized that the underlying purpose of this first-of-its-kind World Series bet between two major transit systems is to promote transit use. The system ran longer-than-usual trains on all lines before and after the first two games in the series, Oct. 27 and 28.

“Given the interest and energy surrounding the Giants going to the World Series, I can’t think of a more fun way to promote taking BART to the ballpark,” said BART Board President James Fang. “We hope to use this landmark event to remind fans that they can beat the backup by taking BART … Fans taking BART to the ballpark will save on time, gas, bridge tolls, and the heartburn of missing the first pitch because they’re either stuck in rush hour traffic or searching for those limited but expensive parking spots near AT&T Park.” The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also provided service to the ballpark.

Photo by Margot Duane A sea of San Francisco Giants fans took BART en route to the Nov. 3 World Series parade in San Francisco.

 

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