24th Street BART elevator was out for 94 days, raising accessibility concerns

The elevator at the 24th Street Mission BART station's southwest plaza, the only one connecting street level to the station entrance gates, was closed for emergency repairs starting July 13, according to Mission Local.

Wheelchair users like Pete Bendix, who commutes from Glen Park to 24th Street station, faced significant challenges during the outage, having to take Muni buses to other stations with working elevators, which added time and difficulty to their commutes.

The elevator was initially expected to be repaired by August 10, but the deadline was extended five times, with the elevator finally reopening on October 15, 94 days after closure.

BART has a history of elevator issues; in 2024, it agreed to fix or update 75 elevators in a settlement, but wheelchair users continue to face accessibility challenges when elevators are out of service.

The extended outage at 24th Street Mission station raises questions about compliance with the 2024 settlement and highlights ongoing accessibility concerns for disabled riders in the BART system.