How to Charge Your Phone on BART

The BART Idiot Hall of Fame is a Facebook group dedicated to shaming passengers for taking up too many seats or attending to their personal hygiene while the train is in motion, but this man is no idiot.  Willing to root through the festering germ nest to his right, he has found a way to convert his ear-shattering commuter train into a charging station.

The daughter of train operator describes the scene:

There is an AC outlet in each train car, about mid car. Lots of people know about this and plug in their cellphone chargers. It's meant for car cleaners to plug in their vacuums. Funny thing is: some people forget and exit the train, leaving their phones still charging!

Although, one spoilsport advises against it:

I would advise against using those outlets. Like someone said they do have surges. Every time the car goes through a gap (no third rail) the outlets loose power. When Third Rail is established again, power comes back. So there is a constant on/off cycle happening with those outlets.

This is why you should obviously (obviously) be carrying a surge protector in your bag at all times.

[BART Idiot Hall of Fame]

Comments (4)

Pretty nifty actually.

…the outlets loose power

I hate loose power. Gets all over the place.

That hoodie looks familiar.

You can also get a charge inside the station in one of the many covered outlets they have tucked away low on the walls, and at the base of the light poles on outdoor platforms.