BART for Dummies
 

I was planning to take Super Shuttle from the airport to my hotel but it looks like BART will bring me just a few blocks from my hotel for only $5. I am arriving at 10am on Friday, 10/24. I assume I can buy a ticket at a kiosk at the airport? Do I have to stamp the ticket like they do in Europe, or will they check the ticket on the train?

And on my return, is it safe to ride BART at night? My flight home is a red-eye leaving SFO at 12:30 am so I would be catching BART between 9:30 to 10:00pm. If this is not safe I will take the shuttle.

Thanks in advance.

Hi P_M, to answer your last question first, personally I would take the shuttle to get back to SFO. I am sure you can leave your luggage at your hotel on Sunday and the shuttle will pick you up at the hotel.

Here is the official website for BART in case you do not have it.


http://www.bart.gov/

You buy your ticket from the machine. You insert it in the slot to get into the area where you will catch BART. P_M, keep your ticket as you will again need to insert the same ticket when you get off of BART and leave the station.

Just adding to LoveItaly's post...you can have a ticket for the exact amount of your trip, or for more. If exact, when you put the ticket in the machine to exit BART, it will "eat" your ticket. If you have more than the exact fare on the card, it will subtract the amount you used and give the ticket back to you for future use. Be aware tickets can easily be demagnetized.

Any chance you're from DC? The system is exactly the same.

While you may decide to take the shuttle back, there is not a safety reason to do so. You will be fine at that hour.

P_M is from Texas dmlove. And again personally rather then walking from her hotel with luggage to the BART station by herself late at night I personally would take a shuttle bus that will pick her up at the hotel where she has stayed.

Thanks for the info, very helpful. BART sounds so simple even I can use it. :-)

P_M- The BART website will tell you exactly how much your journey costs from SFO to your stop. I thought it was $5.35 when we were in SF last month. The machines accept bills and coins, so what we did was I brought enough coins and dollar bills with me, and bought the ticket using exact change.

Like others said, since my ticket was exact change, the turnstile machine "ate" my ticket after it was inserted.

P-M since no one has mentioned it yet--you take the AirTrain from the terminal to the BART station (don't get on the rental cars train. It's very simple--but one more step in the equation.

Good to know, thanks TrvlMaven.

I think the BART ticket system is confusing, and personally would not want to do that myself from the airport.

You insert money in increments to buy the amount you need for the ticket, then put it thru this slot as you walk thru a turn-style, grab it as you come out the other side.

My friends showed me how to use it going from the city out to Oakland or Walnut Creek, and still I got confused.

When I paused at the machine then a friendly street person appeared and wanted to help me.

You can call me silly but I've taken public transportation in foreign places more easily than BART. Sorry but at 10pm on a 1st time visit, it's nothing I'd recommend.

Suze, P_M is arriving at 10:00 in the morning and will be getting her ticket at the SFO BART station. But again, to repeat, if it was me I would take a shuttle back to SFO since it will be late evening.

From the airport to the hotel I'd take BART, no problem. From the hotel to the airport at night, take a shuttle.

I'm with the ever wise Love and G'hop on this - BART in the AM, shuttle in the PM - P_M
:)
I surely do miss BART since we moved
over to Sonoma County, yet I love Sonoma, even without much in the way of infrastructure ~sigh~

R5

Hi there Razzle, oh how I can relate. I hate not having BART here where I live too. And if the stupid voters had passed the bond way back when to increase the sales tax just as small amount we would have BART. Most annoying plus very inconvienent.