Three BART board members are pressing for a discussion and vote on whether to ban panhandlers aboard trains and in stations — a contentious issue that drew support and criticism during public comments Thursday.

Director Debora Allen introduced a proposal for a panhandling ban during Thursday’s board meeting. The constant stream of people asking for money is chasing commuters off BART at a time when the agency is struggling to boost approval ratings and retain high ridership, Allen has said.

Directors Mark Foley and John McPartland backed Allen in introducing the measure, which is expected to be discussed by the end of October at a public board meeting.

Foley said he wants the board to have an “honest and open conversation about how to move forward.

“We should discuss this very important issue as a board here at a board meeting,” Foley said. “Not on social media, not in the press.”

At least two others among BART’s nine directors — Liz Ames and Robert Raburn — have expressed tentative support for such a measure. Both have said they regularly receive complaints from constituents about dancers pirouetting through trains and passing the hat, women holding babies and cardboard signs, jam bands with amplified sound systems, and people roving the platforms with their hand out.

Allen said she will research applicable information before October, including conducting a legal analysis in response to freedom-of-speech concerns raised this week by the American Civil Liberties Union.

In a letter to the board, ACLU staff attorney Abre’ Conner voiced concern that “a government entity plans to restrict free speech rights and make it illegal to panhandle or busk.” She cited the ACLU’s recent victory over an anti-solicitation ordinance in Sacramento. The Eastern District Court struck it down last year.

Director Lateefah Simon views the proposed ban as a way to denigrate poor people.

“You cannot dehumanize people for being in the worst part of their lives,” she said. “Slapping a sign on a train in no way deals with the systemic problems the Bay Area is facing.”

Director Rebecca Saltzman, who has yet to take a public stance on the issue, said she gets a mix of feedback on panhandling and entertainment on BART. She said some people love the dancers and buskers, calling them an important element of Bay Area art and culture. Others, she said, feel uncomfortable about being asked for money on a moving train.

Some speakers made that point at the board meeting Thursday. One man urged the board to give extra consideration to handicapped riders, who “don’t have the option to change trains” or move to another car to avoid these intrusions.

Riders Thursday morning had mixed reactions to the idea of a ban.

“It doesn’t really hurt anybody,” David Kwan said about busking as he waited for a train at the West Oakland station.

The frequent BART commuter said he understands that some transit riders may be annoyed by panhandlers, but he’s sympathetic to those who seem to have no alternative.

“They’re trying to make a living,” Kwan said.

Some riders disagree. Phillip Patrick, who commutes regularly on BART, said he supports a busking ban — especially on the trains.

“I think it’s intrusive,” Patrick said. “It can be mildly threatening, depending on how you’re approached and how it’s asked.”

Hollie Storie paused beneath a sign at Powell Street Station on Thursday morning. She’s new to the area and feels conflicted about the issue she’s only encountered a few times.

It’s a tough economy to survive in, Storie said, adding that there’s a fine line between making a living and invading other people’s space.

Storie offered a possible middle-ground option: regulating where or how people can perform or beg, instead of implementing a total ban.

“I hate to squelch people’s entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.

Rachel Swan and Anna Bauman are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan, @abauman2