A 90-day pilot proposal for Embarcadero Station

An interactive art vending machine that makes waiting at Embarcadero feel less like waiting.

Support the Pilot For Officials
Why this exists

I'm a neighbor, not a company.

I live near BART. I ride it. I'm voting in November 2026. And I believe transit is worth saving — not as an abstract position, but as something I'm willing to put time, money, and my name behind. Joy Box is my proposal: a pilot I'd fund, run, and staff entirely myself, asking BART for nothing except permission to try.

Questions? I'm a real person. Find me: socials below ↓

The context

November 2026.
BART's survival vote.

BART faces a critical funding measure on the November 2026 ballot, with a simple-majority deadline in June. Without it, service cuts begin. Joy Box doesn't solve a budget crisis — but it's one concrete, running proof that transit is worth investing in.

Why it works

Hardened by design.
Delightful by intention.

🎨

Neighborhood Art

Machines are wrapped by local Bay Area artists. Community-made things get protected, not destroyed — research on place attachment consistently supports this. We try to make them cute too. See: Good Things Vending →

🪞

Physical Mirror

A mirror on the machine's front lets you see behind yourself — the same principle used in ATM design. Documented crime deterrence effect. People feel safer buying. They linger less awkwardly.

📸

Digital Mirror

The front screen is a live digital experience with rotating SF-themed overlays. Strike a pose, see the city behind you. A reason for tourists to stop, a small moment of delight for everyone else. No processing, no images taken or stored — privacy in-tact and nothing leaves the machine.

📦

The Packaging

Every wrapper carries a civic fact about BART vs. highways. The machine becomes a small, ongoing argument for transit — one sanitation kit at a time.

The numbers

Zero cost.
Real revenue.

$500/mo floor
+ 15% of sales

BART receives a guaranteed monthly floor from day one — no matter how the machine performs. Every sale on top of that generates a 15% revenue share. All financial risk sits with Flowt LLC.

Zero.

Cost to BART. Labor, restocking, litter cleanup within 10 feet of the machine — all handled by me, personally.

70%

Of BART's 2019 operating costs covered by fare revenue. Highways recover just 30% at point of use. BART 2019 budget →

2×

The people BART moves across the Bay compared to the Bay Bridge. At peak, BART carries more than the entire bridge. BART system facts →

90 days

The ask. One station. Embarcadero. If it works, we talk about what comes next. If it doesn't, the machine leaves and BART loses nothing.

47k+

Stories dispensed by BART's own Short Edition kiosks since 2021 — proof the agency already knows how to say yes to creative machines at stations. BART story dispensers →

The precedent

This has been done.
Twice, actually.

Joy Box isn't a new category of thing. Both BART and the CTA have already approved creative kiosks in stations.

BART — San Francisco, 2021

Short Edition Story Dispensers

BART approved and funded vending-machine-style kiosks that dispense short fiction at four stations. Over 47,000 stories dispensed as of October 2024. BART's own Art Program Manager called it "a really interesting opportunity to get something into people's hands while waiting." The model works. The approval pathway exists.

Chicago Transit Authority

Good Things Vending

CTA-approved vending machines wrapped by local muralists, running in transit spaces across Chicago. Proof that art-wrapped machines survive in high-traffic transit environments without vandalism, without drama. Good Things Vending →

Objections

Fair questions.
Real answers.

"What if sales are bad?" +
BART receives a guaranteed monthly floor regardless of sales. The financial risk is entirely mine. If the machine underperforms, I take the loss — BART takes nothing.
"Who handles maintenance and mess?" +
Me. Restocking, litter removal within 10 feet of the machine, repairs — all on me, on my schedule. Zero additional burden on BART janitorial or operations staff.
"Won't it get vandalized?" +
Several things work together here. The machine is wrapped by a local Bay Area artist — research on place attachment consistently shows community-made objects get protected, not destroyed. The real-world proof is Good Things Vending in Chicago: artist-wrapped machines running in CTA transit stations without vandalism issues. The machine is also cashless-only, which removes any robbery incentive — there's no cash box, nothing to steal by force. It's placed inside the paid fare zone, which filters out opportunistic foot traffic. Anti-graffiti overlaminate on the wrap means surface tags wipe clean. And if something does get damaged — I repair it within 72 hours, at my expense.
"Is there a permitting path for this?" +
BART has an existing retail permit process and a station interest list (bart.gov/about/business/permits). BART has also already approved creative kiosks through its Art in Transit program — Short Edition kiosks went through a pilot process that Joy Box could follow. The pathway exists.
"Does it have cameras? What about privacy?" +
No cameras. The front screen is a digital mirror — it shows you a live reflection with SF-themed overlays. All processing happens on the device. Nothing is captured, stored, or transmitted off the machine. The setup is available for BART security review at any time.
"What about theft or safety?" +
The machine is cashless-only — no bills, no coins, no cash box. There's nothing to rob. Digital payment only removes the entire category of cash-handling risk. The machine is also placed inside the paid fare zone at Embarcadero, which has passive BART staff presence.
"What if BART wants it gone?" +
BART can terminate with 7 days written notice. The machine is removed at my expense within 7 days. No commitment, no liability, no cost to BART. The entire downside sits with me.
The timeline

The clock is real.
June is the deadline.

The November ballot has a June simple-majority deadline. Joy Box doesn't need to be a solved program by then — it needs to be a running story.

Now —
March
Proposal submitted. Public signal begins.
Website live. Outreach to r/bayarea, r/bart, SF/Bay Area transit communities. Email to BART retail permits interest list. Social traction starts here.
April
Press. Artists confirmed. Officials contacted.
Pitch to Mission Local, SF Standard. BART Board member outreach — alongside, not after, Lurie's press office. Artists named publicly. Support numbers on record.
May
90-day pilot approved and announced.
Machine delivered to Embarcadero. Pilot goes live. Coverage happens here — this is the photo, the moment, the story.
June
Data exists. Story is real for ballot season.
Simple-majority ballot deadline. Joy Box is running, generating revenue, and covered. BART has a concrete proof point for why the vote matters.
November
BART vote. Joy Box is evidence.
Not the argument — one proof point in a larger case that transit is worth funding, that community investment works, that BART is worth saving.

What success looks like

500+
Signups in first 30 days
3+
Artists in first wrap cycle
$500+
Guaranteed to BART in month 1, regardless of sales
1 story
Local press hit before June
The ask

90 days. Embarcadero.
Let's find out.

Show support

You're a voter. That matters more than you think.

Are you an artist?

If this happens, I want local artists to wrap the machine. Get on the list.

For officials

Requesting a meeting or deck? Happy to talk.

Download PDF Proposal Email Us

BART retail permits interest list: bart.gov/about/business/permits →

FAQ

Still have questions?

Who are you?
A concerned neighbor who rides BART, is voting in November, and decided to do something instead of complain. I'm not a company, not a nonprofit. Find me: [Instagram] · [LinkedIn] · [Reddit]
Is this affiliated with BART?
No. This is an independent proposal. BART has not endorsed or approved this project. Yet.
What's actually in the machine?
Hygiene kits, rain ponchos, phone cables, Clipper lanyards, SF souvenir socks, art prints, pain relief packets, lip balm, hair ties, tote bags, stain pens. Things you actually need mid-commute. Modeled in part on Good Things Vending in Chicago.
Can I be one of the artists?
Yes. Use the artist form above. I'm looking for Bay Area artists who want to wrap the machine exterior. No experience requirements — just something that feels like SF.
What happens after 90 days?
If the numbers work and BART wants to continue, we talk about expansion — more machines, more stations. If not, the machine leaves and BART has lost nothing.
Why Embarcadero specifically?
High foot traffic, tourist mix, long dwell times. It's where a photobooth makes sense, where a souvenir makes sense, where a proof-of-concept has the best shot at real numbers.