Gaze upon the new fare gates selected by BART

These three styles of gates were in consideration to replace BART's current fare gate. This swing-style gate was selected in a Thursday BART meeting. These three styles of gates were in consideration to replace BART's current fare gate. This swing-style gate was selected in a Thursday BART meeting. Photo: BART Photo: BART Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Gaze upon the new fare gates selected by BART 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

After weeks of testing different styles of gates to deter fare evaders, BART's board of directors selected a swing-style barrier system as the next evolution of its fare gates.

The new gate features two clear doors that swing open and closed on their own, similar in style to the swinging ones at Muni, and were chosen at a Thursday meeting.

The board of directors were considering two other styles of gates, including a retractable barrier with clear doors similar to the ones chosen. The other was a floor-to-ceiling turnstile, such as those used on the New York City Subway. (See the slideshow above for photos of other gates that were in consideration for BART stations.)

Ultimately the swing gates were selected, but they're not without issues. Although BART predicted the taller fare gates would prevent fare evaders from jumping or pushing through the barriers, tailgaters — those who follow closely behind a paying customer before the barriers shut — may still be able to slide through without paying.

READ ALSO: BART service to downtown San Jose now delayed to 2030

Noticeably, the fare gates tested in two separate pilot programs at the Richmond and Fruitvale stations this summer were not among the final gate contenders at Thursday's meeting. Both the stacked gate configuration and pop-up style gates were criticized on social media and had limited success with fare evaders, according to a BART's presentation.

With Richmond's stacked gate configuration, fare evasion was down by 38 percent, while at Fruitvale it decreased by 31 percent.

Replacing the older gates with the new, selected swing-style gates is expected to cost an estimated $150 million.

SFGATE writer Amanda Bartlett contributed to this report.

Dianne de Guzman is a Digital Senior Editor at SFGATE. Email: dianne.deguzman@sfgate.com | Twitter: @diannedeguzman