In an effort to raise badly needed cash, BART is turning 25 of its train cars into rolling billboards.

The first four hit the rails Tuesday, and scores more could follow.

The initial rolling ads were for Ford Motor Co. — and its 2018 Mustang, in particular — a bit of an irony, considering that BART’s main goal is to get people out of their cars and onto mass transit. Similar Ford ads are being placed on trains on the East Coast.

A second batch of train car ads for United Airlines should be up by this weekend, followed by cars adorned in the logos of Alaska Airlines and Kaiser Permanente.

The rolling billboard deal is expected to bring in as much as $2.2 million this year. More cash could follow as more cars are wrapped with ads.

“We’re pleased to report that so far, sales are exceeding forecast,” BART General Manager Grace Crunican said in a July 24 memo to the agency’s Board of Directors. “Additional campaigns are already sold for this fall and more are pending.”

BART has been scrambling to stave off multimillion-dollar deficits in recent years. “This is a creative way for us to increase revenue without going to our customers,” said BART spokesman Jim Allison.

It’s worth noting that the money from the wraps should pretty much cover the $1.8 million worth of bonuses just awarded to BART’s workforce for exceeding ridership projections this year, a perk we wrote about the other day.

Virtually every BART employee is getting a $500 bonus, under a deal spelled out in the agency’s contract with its unions. However, the bonuses are getting some blowback, and not just because BART’s ridership — while ahead of long-range projections — is actually down 3 percent this year.

BART director Debora Allen of central Contra Costa County questioned management’s decision to award bonuses to more than 500 nonunion middle managers.

“I’m not happy with that decision,” Allen said. “I don’t think those mid-managers deserved an extra $500.”

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said, “It is the GM’s call, and historically what is called for in the contract has been extended to all employees.”

Trost, however, said that given the system’s problems with crime, cleanliness, fare jumping and homelessness, ridership bonuses were withheld for the first time from 15 top managers.

Wheel greasing: Two top insiders in San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s administration have rolled through the revolving political door at City Hall and hopped on with Uber.

In a bid to smooth tensions over the ride-hailing giant’s rapid expansion on its hometown turf, Uber has brought on Tony Winnicker, onetime press secretary for Lee and former Mayor Gavin Newsom, as a communications consultant.

Winnicker was a key player in Lee’s administration, and he periodically took leaves from his city job to run various ballot campaigns the mayor supported. He’ll be joined at Uber by Alex Randolph, a San Francisco Community College board member, former aide to ex-Supervisor Bevan Dufty and most recently government affairs manager at the Recreation and Parks Department. At Uber, he’ll be Northern California public affairs manager.

Plus, expect a bigger role for David Noyola, a lobbyist who has been working for Uber since 2015, and who once served as a top aide to Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

“We are building a strong team with deep ties to the San Francisco community to strengthen partnerships in our hometown,” said Davis White, a spokesman for Uber.

Uber has been in the news frequently in recent months, often for the wrong reasons — most recently with the resignation of hard-charging chief executive Travis Kalanick, whose reign included not just phenomenal growth but also allegations of questionable business practices and rampant discrimination against women.

And it has no shortage of problems in its headquarters city. Supervisor Jane Kim has proposed charging Uber and other ride-hailing services a fee for every passenger pick-up. City Attorney Dennis Herrera has subpoenaed Uber and Lyft for data on whether they are abiding by laws covering accessibility for low-income and disabled riders, among other things.

The new hires aren’t the only sign that Uber is trying to make nicer with City Hall. It’s worth noting that no fewer than three company reps showed up last week at a Municipal Transportation Agency meeting on curb congestion — something the ride company simply might have blown off in the past.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross