late night travel , concerned for safety

Long-Term Rider is right - stay in well-lit areas, and if you feel the need, carry pepper spray or a stun gun. That way, god forbid, if you are attacked, you will be prepared. Don't count on BART Police - nothing against them but they're hardly known for their speedy response times.

If you have any concerns, walk to the front car or a car that has more people in it. ALWAYS avoid the last car. Late nights, they're probably filled with bums settling in for the night and can get quite smelly.

Wish you the best of luck.

-M. Delgado

I can't imagine what your certainty is based on, but to call BART "far from safe" is absurd. Besides, you probably have never ridden in an East Bay taxi. You would have otherwise noticed that four out of five cab drivers here are rude, racist (no matter what their own race), sexist morons, and always driving some disgusting decrepit vehicle that should have been decommissioned fifteen years ago. They don't take credit cards (or issue receipts), which means you have to carry cash. And if you call a cab, there is at least 35% probability it won't even show up. How can anyone call this safe?

I am a 23 year old woman, and I used to ride Bart late at night once in a while when I had to work late in SF. Just be aware of your surroundings, especially going in and out of the stations. At that hour you never know who may have followed you off the train or may be hiding in a deserted parking lot.

You got that right about the cabbies. You might end up with a nut.
I remember there was a woman who took a cab in the city after she had drinks at a bar not too long ago. She had to go to the East Bay and the cab driver killed her. I don't recall exactly why or why it had to come to that point, but I do remember he denied it for the longest time.

Is this Fact or Hearsay?

You say: "Half the thefts are iPod users..." How do you know HALF of thefts are iPods? Are you a BART employee (cop?) who knows such a thing to be true? Or is it something you might have heard and it's conjecture?

If it is fact, this is certainly not the kind of information BART is passing on to its riders to keep us as safe as possible and that pisses me off!

So if you know this to be true, where do these thefts most commonly take place?
On the trains?
On the platforms?
In the stations?
Outside the paid areas?
Are any stations/cities more suspectible?

An "attack"? What kinds of attacks have occured?

I have an iPod that I keep in an inner pocket and often wear a hoodie to conceal the white wires, so I'd appreciate knowing if it is putting me in real danger. I - and I assume every other iPod wearer reading this - would rather keep my listening device and myself safe than risk serious injury for the sake of some music.

So, thanks "Anonymous" if you can shed a little light on your vey scary statement.

Stun guns and pepper spray are great. but remember you will be VERY stressed if you ever get on a situation where you need it so make sure you are familiar with the device you are carrying, and if practical, practice with it.

Practice holding the stun gun, and if it can be disabled from going off pull the trigger a few times (but don't point it at anyone regardless unless you mean it). Be familiar with the safety system on the spray, practice holding down the safety latch and aiming the can (visualize the spray hitting the face and eyebrows). If you're really ambitious you can look for a can of inert (training) spray at a uniform store.

Oh, and don't bury it in the bottom of your bag. It's not useful if you can't find it in an emergency.