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Olivia Allen-Price:<\/b> Bay Area Rapid Transit. Our dear friend, BART.\u00a0 <\/span> We <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> hear you coming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Whir of a train pulling into the station<\/span><\/i> The doors are closing please stand clear of the doors<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>And how you help us not miss our stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Arriving at 16th street Mission<\/span><\/i> This is BART operation control\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>Jimmy Tobin, our question asker, has been fixated on one particular sound in the BART ecosystem. A set of announcements \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Jimmy Tobin:<\/b> So sometimes it feels like there\u2019s like a lower kind of male voice that\u2019s like, feels like it\u2019s from like war games, like WOPR kind of style.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Wargames Clip:<\/b> This box interprets signals from the computer and turns it into sounds. \u201cShall we play a game?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jimmy Tobin:<\/b> And there\u2019s a higher female voice is kind of like 90s Microsoft Sam style.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft Sam: <\/b>Hello, I am Microsoft Sam. I am the most popular voice of Microsoft.<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>There are a variety of voices riders hear throughout BART, some of which are voiced by actual people. But it\u2019s <\/span>these<\/span><\/i> robotic and synthesized voices that Jimmy can\u2019t stop hearing \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Three car Fremont Train now boarding, platform 2.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>Jimmy is an audio engineer at Google who actually works on synthesized speech models, and these voices really <\/span>bothered<\/span><\/i> him. One day when he was waiting for a BART train and heard an announcement for a train heading toward the Oakland Airport.<\/span><\/p>\n 6-car Blue line train for OAK Airport Dublin in 15 minutes. 6-car Green line train for OAK Airport Barryessa in 19 minutes<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Jimmy Tobin:<\/b> I never understood what it was saying. I always thought it was, like, Oasis? And so I was just like, what is this word? And then I look at the board and it\u2019s like, OAK, and I\u2019m like, why didn\u2019t it say Oakland? Like, and so I\u2019m baffled by this thing.<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>It felt like such a contradiction to him that <\/span>this <\/span><\/i>was a voice of the transit system going through the home to the AI Boom\u2026 where all the newest tech is being developed.<\/span><\/p>\n Jimmy Tobin:<\/b> And I kept being like, it must be for, like, accessibility or maybe it\u2019s like, it doesn\u2019t have accents or something. And I was just like, I just can\u2019t justify why this is so hard to understand and so easy to update. That\u2019s why I came to you guys.<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>He wants to know the backstory behind these voices \u2013 and where they came from.<\/span><\/p>\n Jimmy Tobin: <\/b>What has been the decision-making to keep it?<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>I\u2019m Olivia Allen-Price and you\u2019re listening to Bay Curious. Today on the show we answer Jimmy\u2019s questions. Stay with us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sponsor Break<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>To tell us more about the voices behind BART, we pass it to KQED\u2019s Ana De Almeida Amaral\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>When BART first opened to the public on Sept. 11, 1972, the world looked different.<\/span><\/p>\n 1970s music plays<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Richard Nixon was president of the United States. Elvis Presley\u2019s \u201cBurning Love\u201d was charting. And Bay Area residents flocked to try out the new Bay Area Rapid Transit system.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time it only ran for 11 stops \u2014 from the McArthur Station in Oakland down to Fremont.<\/span><\/p>\n BART Commercial:<\/b> The decade of the 1970s, is the decade of the decade of transportation alternatives\u2026but the first large-scale breakthrough in moving great numbers of people rapidly and economically is the SF Bay Area Rapid Transit system, commonly called BART.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>When BART first opened, there was no live train information for riders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The only way riders knew when a train was coming was by reading a paper schedule. You might hear an announcement for major occurrences like if a train was completely out of service. But if your train was a little delayed, you\u2019d sit and wait\u2013 without any information on when it would actually arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n But then in 2000, everything changed.<\/span><\/p>\n BART developed a piece of technology called the Advanced Passenger Information System. For the first time, BART knew the live locations of trains throughout the system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Riders now got real time information about when their train would arrive..<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost is the Chief Communications Officer at BART. She told me more about this era.<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> We had digital screens on the platform that gave you the, what we call ETAs, estimated time arrivals of the train.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>And this was a pretty big deal\u2026 but at a time where new legislation mandated accessibility for disabled people\u2014 BART had to ask some important questions\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> But what if you\u2019re low vision and you can\u2019t see or you\u2019re blind? And so there was this big policy decision to say anything that\u2019s been written down, we need to also verbally say.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>BART chose a text-to-speech system to voice these announcements. It came from Lucent Technologies\u2013 a telecommunications company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And so in 2000, this synthesized voice speaking for BART was born.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> It\u2019s a computer with zero emotion, and it\u2019s\u2026 every\u2026 word\u2026 is\u2026 spaced\u2026 apart.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Voices were tested at different speeds and levels of breathiness. Riders gave input on the versions that were easiest to understand that led to the final version.<\/span><\/p>\n The feminine voice of this system was named Gracie.<\/span><\/p>\n Gracie:<\/b> 6 car richmond train now approaching platform 1\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>And the masculine voice was named George.<\/span><\/p>\n George:<\/b> 10 car San Francisco-Milbrae train in 8 minutes<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>George and Gracie announce a train\u2019s estimated time of arrival, when a train is actively arriving, and when it is boarding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2000, this was cutting edge technology\u2013 announcements made automatically, without any human involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, there were and still also are <\/span>human voiced<\/span><\/i> announcements when there are big disruptions or delays\u2026 but even today, you\u2019ll hear George and Gracie while waiting for a train.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost: <\/b>So next time you\u2019re in a bart station, really pay attention. You\u2019ll hear George\u2019s voice for one direction only and Gracie\u2019s voice for the opposite direction.<\/span><\/p>\n [Beat]<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Since 2000, George and Gracie have been the voices we hear on BART platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And in the past 26 years, there has been very little change. That\u2019s because the actual text-to-speech system is <\/span>proprietary<\/span><\/i> to Lucent Technologies<\/span><\/i>. And after the demise of the company in the mid 2000s, they haven\u2019t been around to provide any updates. And the kicker is BART doesn\u2019t have access to the source code so they can\u2019t change it. The only thing they can do is change the text that George and Gracie speak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, I asked Alicia Jimmy\u2019s question: Why hasn\u2019t this been replaced ?<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost: <\/b>Because it works and BART has really limited funding and when we go for capital funds, that\u2019s the type of money we use to replace this system we have to think about the priority and things like replacing our trains is more important.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>But she says that BART <\/span>is<\/i><\/b> aware of the limitations of this technology\u2013 they\u2019ve gotten that feedback and they want to replace it in the future. So, they are looking at piloting a new PA system.<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> And part of that is introducing what will be new voices. And it makes me nervous to even say that because this is going to cause great fear and debate among riders and the public\u2026 Do we introduce new voices or do we actually replicate the old George and Gracie that sounds so dated, but because people love them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>And, despite their flaws, it seems like lots of people love these voices.<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> We frequently get asked about George and Gracie, and people tell us they love it. And we also know that there\u2019s a lot of young people who adore the sound and have actually built in Roblox full-on BART systems.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>And they include recordings George and Gracie.<\/span><\/p>\n So as you\u2019re driving or boarding a virtual BART train in the 3D world of roblox, you\u2019ll hear their voices!<\/span><\/p>\n Sounds of Roblox game<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Aside from Roblox, George and Gracie have been a topic of discussion on Reddit and Youtube. And while there are the usual criticisms and suggestions to change it, it\u2019s interesting to see what these voices represent for some people who love them:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>One person on reddit with the username \u2018Get-a-Mac\u2019 says:<\/span><\/p>\n Voice Over:<\/b> \u201cI never want those voices gone. They are the voice of BART!<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Another user, COD Gamer 19, says:<\/span><\/p>\n Voice Over: <\/b>Gracie and George are a part of BART\u2019s history, it wouldn\u2019t feel the same without them, they\u2019re a part of the bay as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n Alicia Trost:<\/b> So I just know that it\u2019s a popular topic because of how much I see it like in the culture of the Bay Area.<\/span><\/p>\n Ana De Almeida Amaral: <\/b>Today, there are questions about the future of BART, especially as <\/span>\u201cThey face a 376 million dollar budget deficit.\u201d<\/span> It\u2019s forcing us to consider the ways BART impacts our lives and culture. And frankly, what it might be like to live without it.These questions go far beyond George and Gracie.<\/span><\/p>\n But still, this little piece of technology, stuck in time, reminds us of how quickly things have changed. And maybe, it brings you a little joy \u2013or frustration \u2013iin the monotony of your commute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gracie:<\/b> George, it\u2019s time to get back to work.<\/span><\/p>\n George:<\/b> You are right as usual, Gracie. Goodbye and thanks for visiting.<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>That was KQED\u2019s Ana De Almeida Amaral. Jimmy Tobin thank you for asking the question. There is no question too big or small for Bay Curious \u2013 if you\u2019ve got one that\u2019s been itching in your mind, send it our way over at <\/span>BayCurious.org<\/span><\/a> or shoot us an email. We\u2019re at <\/span>baycurious@kqed.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/span>For regular riders, your whirs, squeaks and horns are part of the everyday soundtrack of life.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/span>Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>We appreciate those timely warnings\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/span>Olivia Allen-Price: <\/b>Every now and then, someone <\/span>real<\/span><\/i> pops in<\/span><\/p>\n