While the distinction of the lamest public transit agency in the Bay Area may well have to be handed to Contra Costa County's County Connection and San Francisco's Muni is certainly the most notorious, BART totally wins the expensive crybaby prize. From worker strikes to fare hikes, the agency just can't seem to keep costs down, or figure out how to run a few all-night drunk trains that'd keep a lot of inebriated people off the roads. We recently took the Metro Gold Line from Union Station in Downtown LA out to its terminus at Sierra Madre Villa. It cost us a buck twenty-five. The same ride in BART distance would be around five or six bucks. With all of that extra fare cash floating around in their coffers, one would think that they'd be the first agency to figure out how to make the new TransLink universal fare system work. One would be wrong. C'mon people! If freaking Muni can figure it out, this should be a cakewalk for you thirty-five-point bucks. [SFGate]