OAKLAND — Beginning Jan. 1, BART passengers who fail to pay their fare could be slapped with a fine of up to $120 for adults and $60 for minors, with criminal penalties for repeat adult offenders.

The agency’s governing board voted unanimously Thursday evening to adopt the new “proof-of-payment” system, which means patrons must produce a valid ticket, or their Clipper card, to a police or community service officer upon demand. First-time offenders could be given a warning or a reduced $75 fine for adults, or $55 for minors, which may be substituted for community service.

In a departure from an earlier proposal to administer only civil fines, BART officials agreed to institute a criminal infraction upon the third violation within a 12-month period. The criminal citation would come with a $250 fine, or could be substituted for 48 hours of community service, and would only apply to adults.

BART staff estimates it loses between $19 million and $25 million annually to riders who skirt the fare gates, and officials have debated since the spring about what to do with the fare scofflaws, since ticket sales comprise roughly 75 percent of BART’s operating revenue.

Using cameras pointed at a swinging gate separating the paid area at the Embarcadero station, staff saw some 600 people evading payment in just one day, according to Paul Oversier, BART’s assistant general manager of operations. There are 12 such gates at the station, to use just one example, he said.

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Editorial: Electing Allen and Wallace crucial for BART’s solvency The board largely lauded the new penalty system, saying it balanced both concerns from some members that the fines would be a burden on low-income riders who can’t afford to pay the fares in the first place, and from other members who said the fines and penalties didn’t go far enough.

“BART is an expensive ride,” said board Director Lateefah Simon. “I was extremely concerned because of disparate impacts, because of oftentimes over-policing and the selection of folks who are often cited.”

On the other hand, Director Debora Allen said she was “disappointed” the criminal penalties only apply after the second offense within the span of 12 months, so offenders could continue to violate the rule twice per year without it rising to a criminal citation. With limited enforcement, she said it was unlikely repeat offenders would be caught three times within the span of a year.

“We do know there are people out there who do this all the time,” she said. “I actually had hoped we would have a little more teeth in this.”

To enforce the new rule, BART plans to hire six community service officers to systematically check every ticket on a train or station platform. The community service and police officers would progress from one person to the next closest person, without skipping anyone in between, General Manager Grace Crunican said in a memo to the board.

Interactions would be recorded on officers’ body cameras, which BART’s independent police auditor would periodically spot-check for systemic biases. And, after six months, BART police will come back to the board with a status report on implementation efforts.

In addition to the new penalties, the agency plans to invest $3 million in the fiscal year, which began in July, on bolstering security — such as installing taller fences around the paid areas of stations and retrofitting elevators so they don’t allow people to move from unpaid areas to paid ones — and video technology to better understand the ways people are evading the fare gates.

The proof-of-payment system goes into effect Jan. 1, but there will be a one-month grace period, meaning offenders won’t be fined until Feb. 1.