Getting from SFO to OAK
 

We are flying into SFO on 7/19. The rental car rates were far cheaper at OAK ($360 vs. $900) than SFO, so we booked a rental car through Hotwire from OAK. I've done some research and it seems that BART is a good option for getting to OAK from SFO. One concern is that my husband and I will each have a carry-on suitcase and a large suitcase that we plan to check. This seems like a pain to lug around on public transportation. A cab certainly seems easier albeit much more costly - some estimates that I've read were around $60-$80. Are there any other options that I have not considered? In NYC, there are private bus and van shuttles that will take you between airports. Does anything like this exist in the Bay Area?

Are you going to stay in San Francisco from Oaklnad when you get the car or are you going to drive somewhere when youpick it up? It's pretty easy to have suitcases on BART.If htey are on rollers you'd see others who are doing the same - travelling with luggage on BART.

If you are going to stay in SF then I'd go to my hotel and drop the luggage and not pick up a car until I left the city.

Exactly what Suzie said.

Smart move on the rental car--our visitors always rent in Oakland.

BART is ok and shouldn't be a problem, but DO be aware that it's a long trip from the SFO statin to Oakland...about an hour, if i recall right.

why don't you just rent a car from San Francisco itself? If you did "name your own price " on hotwire you're stuck, but if not why not take BART form SFO to SF , pick up your car, then when you return, just take the BART back to SFO?

Don't know of any SFO to OAK direct shuttle.

You can take one of shuttle vans: it might be a better cheaper option than taxi: however I'd call them as they may not be able (license) to go airport to airport...and you may have multiple stops to suffer thru for 1/2 price of the Taxi.

Also I looked at SFO website and came up with this link:
http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/

It is already preset for SFO and you would want to click on teh OAK airport icon on teh map as teh "go to" destination. Oak Airport is in Alameda County

I live in the Bay Area and have been taking Bart since 1974. BART is the easiest and cheapest way to go even with suit cases. People come in and out of SFO and OAK everyday with suitcases. You will be one of the first person's on the train at SFO so it will be easy to situate yourself. You should have no problem finding seats with your carry on and luggage. The issue will only be if your are traveling between the airports during commute time when more people get on and off at the SF stops. However, commuters are quite tolerant of travelers with luggage. Be advised that there are no overhead bins or a place to put your luggage.

I would not spend the money on a taxi or super shuttle or a car. It is easy metro system, very similar to the washington metro.

re I would not spend the money on a taxi or super shuttle or a car. It is easy metro system, very similar to the washington metro.

it's actually BASED On the DC metro.

There will be the transfer from BART to a bus at the oakland end.

$500+ is nothing to sneeze at - but have you checked other rental locations? It doesn't have to be an airport, and some city/suburban locations might cost the same or maybe even less, and might be more convenient to SFO/BART.

Thanks for the responses! I feel better about taking our luggage on BART now and I looked more closely at the system map. It seems easy and we're both used to the subways in NYC and the metro in DC, so I don't think it will be difficult for us. We will be arriving at 1:15pm and then driving south to San Jose to visit a friend before heading to Yosemite the next morning.
By the way, I called a few cab companies to get quotes and the cheapest I found was $74 cash only.

Have you considered renting in San Jose? You can get to SJ by CalTrain.

As it is w/ a 1:15 arrival at SFO you will be collecting your rental car around 3:30 and have very heavy traffic south.

Remember if you take Bart from SFO, to get to Oakland Airport, you'll need to take Bart to Coliseum, then Airbart from there. It was $3.00 on Airbart -- could still be the same or up $1.00.

Alternatively, you could take Bayporter Express between the two airports, which I think runs around $34 for the first person, $15 for the second ($49 total) plus tip. My son uses Bayporter Express when he comes home from Berkeley for the summer or winter break and has a big suitcase. Otherwise, he takes the Bart/Airbart to and from Oakland Airport.

With all your suitcases I'd probably opt for the less taxing, less sweaty option of the shuttle service (which can be booked online) especially after a long flight, but if you're up for the shlepping from Bart to Airbart that is certainly the cheaper alternative.

I have a similar question to jmc--any help would be appreciated. We arrive SFO in mid-August. Most of our time will be in Northern Calif, but we want to spend a few days in SF at the beginning of the trip. We don't want to drive in SF or pay to park there, so we thought of renting a car in Oakland or Berkeley.
On the day that we would be traveling north, we would take BART to Oakland or Berkeley, get the rental, and drive north from there. Does that seem feasible? On the way back, we would drop off the car and take BART to Millebrae.

Ani, if you're staying in San Francisco, your best bet would be to rent your car on the day you're leaving the city at one of the in-town locations (ex. Union Square). Then when you return, you can drop the car off at SFO (should be no drop charge, but check to make sure).

It doesn't seem worth the trouble to take BART to Oakland or Berkeley just to rent the car.