All Aboard with New Vinyl Seats on BART Transit System

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 – New vinyl covers will replace the wool fabric seats in 100 of the Bay Area Rapid Transit 669 train cars, with the replacement process set to be completed by July.  BART officials say the vinyl seats will look better, last longer, stay cleaner and cost less to maintain.

The agency will gather feedback from its customers on the new covers, and is prepared to replace the seats in 100 more cars the following year.

Outfitting an entire train car with the vinyl fabric will cost about $9,000 — significantly less than the $15,500 it costs to replace the wool seats.  The vinyl covers also have a longer life expectancy — they won’t need to be changed out until 10 years from now. The wool seats were supposed to be replaced every three years, although BART officials conceded they rarely stuck to that schedule.

BART began service in 1972, and now carries 370,000 riders each weekday.  Many have complained the current wool seats retain spills, germs, and odors.

During a series of seat labs earlier this year, BART staff collected hundreds of comments from the public about what features they’d like to see in future seats.  BART staff then sought a vinyl product that met customers' expectations while addressing the agency’s standards for durability, safety and environmental properties.  BART’s research led to a product called Prevaill® made by Omnova specifically for mass transit, resistant to stains and graffiti, and easy to clean..

“Omnova’s product has demonstrated how dramatically vinyl production technology has changed,” said BART’s Assistant General Manager of Operations Paul Oversier.  “Just as important is BART’s sustainability standard.  Omnova has distinguished themselves as a leader in ‘end of life’ strategies for its product.  When the material is no longer useful, instead of trashing it as landfill, this company will reclaim the vinyl for other purposes.”

For more information on this story and product, go to: www.bart.gov and www.omnova.com.

The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society. 

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
571-970-3327
jpalmer@vinylinfo.org

Also go to:  www.vinylindesign.com, and www.vinylinfo.org.