Say I want to commute from San Francisco to Berkeley or San Francisco to South SF on a day-to-day basis, is that feasible? or would it be better to have a car and just drive around.
2007-01-19 07:48:15 · 15 answers · asked by s 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ San Francisco
Yes, the BART system would make that very easy. SF has a system that could easily be compared with New York.
2007-01-19 07:56:32 · answer #1 · answered by JuJitsu_Fan 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not only is it feasible, it's recommended.
S.F. has the best public transportation system West of the Mississippi. No other city this side of Chicago even comes close to being as comprehensive and efficient at moving people around without cars.
The BART subway runs from both Berkeley to the Financial District (18 minutes) and South San Francisco to the Financial District (20 minutes).
Caltrain also runs commuter trains from South San Francisco to Mission Bay Station in SOMA (also 20 minutes, but fewer runs).
You can connect to various buses to get to your final destination or bring a bike. If you're working in an office building Downtown or at the University of California, it is also possible to just walk.
Here's are some links to get you started:
http://www.bart.gov/
http://www.caltrain.com/
http://www.511.org/
2007-01-19 23:40:07 · answer #2 · answered by SFdude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as noted earlier BARTD is pretty good if your destination and departure are nearby. You can also take a bicycle on BARTD to extend your range. One way, the trip is about $4 or so...
AC transit (bus system) also crosses the bridge but is subject to the same automobile delays for the most part (BARTD is almost all underground for the SF-Berk. route).
If you live in Berkeley and go to SF then a car is handy. If you live in SF, by the end of two years you will likley have paid enough in parking fees, tickets, bridge tolls (now $4 or $5 round trip) and insurance charges to have bought another car as the City has something like 3 cars for every legal space... a moped, motorcycle, or bicycle makes better sense for a casual commute.
hope that helps.....
.
2007-01-19 16:00:15 · answer #3 · answered by ca_surveyor 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just recently moved away from the bay area, but for the two years I lived there, I didn't have a car and I wasn't once upset about it. You can get ANYWHERE on public transit in the bay area!
Considering gas prices, parking fees, and traffic, I'd say public trans is the way to go in the bay area (and it's easier or pollution).
A lot of people who drive in the bay area come from the suburbs. They often park and ride BART at some point in their commute.
BART is amazing. It runs from around five in the morning to about midnight on weekdays. Ond saturday and sunday it opens a little later. BART will take you from Richmond, Pittsburg/Bay Point, and Fremont to Millbrae. Major destinations between these points are Berkely (Downtown Berkely stops one block away from UCBerkely), Downtown San Francisco (Powell Street station stops two blocks from Union Square and on Powell Street station is located inside the SF Shopping Center), Coliseum/Oakland Airport (stops in front of the Oakland coliseum (Go Raiders! Go A's!) and there is a transfer shuttle that brings you to the Oakland Airport for two dollars), and San Francisco Airport (the station is inside of the airport).
Aside from BART, you have AC Transit for the Oakland area. AC Transit can get you over the bridge from SF to the East Bay while BART is closed. AC Transit provides service for the Oakland area (including Berkely) and the Hayward/Fremont area. IT's pretty much the whole East Bay except for the ultra-suburban areas of the Concord/Walnut Creek area. the busses are usually pretty clean and punctual.
There are many other transit services for the bay area, whick you can find at 511.org. There, you can also find travel times in case you decide to drive.
2007-01-20 17:12:13 · answer #4 · answered by tylinaweenabobina 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It's called BART. Not as in eat my shorts but as in Bay Area Rapid Transit. You can go from SF to Berkely to South SF on a day-to-day basis riding BART. SF's bus system, MUNI, is also very good. On some days you ride for free, or if the bus is crowded, you ride free.
2007-01-19 15:52:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I visit SF every now and again and I usually have a car. I find navigating around that city to be frustrating and time consuming and that's not even including parking, which is expensive and hard to come buy.
I have used BART and buses and I find them to be inexpensive (way cheaper than gas, especially with a pass) and reliable. Also, it saves on emissions.
I would opt for public transportation if I were you and save you car for trips out of town.
2007-01-19 15:54:10 · answer #6 · answered by Dolphin lover 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a great system, you can even take it from SF airport right to where your hotel is, at least I was able to. I would never get a car there unless I was headed to Napa for the day. Driving and parking there is a *****.
2007-01-19 15:54:39 · answer #7 · answered by jeffpsd 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Love BART. can't get enough of it. Mostly on time unless some stupid idiot tries to hang on the train while it's moving or someone jumps on the tracks and gets run over. Then you're screwed. Yes, that does happen every once in a while.
2007-01-22 02:16:43 · answer #8 · answered by jutx2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't think about driving around in the city...
Hit up BART and/or MUNI if you're staying in the city...and BART then AC Transit when you're in the East Bay (Berkeley/Oakland)
2007-01-19 15:55:45 · answer #9 · answered by allthree 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
bart is the most amazing thing ever.
muni is also pretty good but is dangerous late at night. but that's just san francisco.
2007-01-21 03:02:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋