how is the public transportation in San Francisco (Oakland, Berkeley: insurance, home) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

guffb · 03-02-2009, 01:34 PM

Hello,
A job transfer to the bay area in two months and I am curious as to how the public transportation is in San Francisco? I currently live in Miami Fla and though there is apparently a public transportation system inplace here, it primarily relies on unreliable buses. I hate having to drive everywhere and there is really no realistic way to walk either...... So, in the hopes that I can sell my car I ask:

1. how is the public transportation in the San Francisco/bay area
2. Are there subways or above ground rails or is it mainly buses?
3. If so do they go all over and connect the city/bay area with relative ease
4. Are they reliable to the schedule
5. Is the system 24 hours or does it stop at 1 a.m like in other cities such as Boston?
6. What is the cost of a monthly/yearly or locals pass for this system.
7. In other words is it realistic to be able to live in San Fran with out a car and not have to take a taxi everywhere.
8. Also how is walking or biking in San Fran?

Any info would be great. I hate having to drive everywhere and I miss walking. I look foward to those west coast sunsets.

llowllevellowll · 03-02-2009, 02:21 PM

Biking is excellent in San Francisco. It's only 7 x 7 so it's pretty easy getting from one end to the other. Some of the streets are pretty congested and annoying to bike in over by Market Street/101 but the drivers aren't surprised to see bikers like in other cities, obviously.

You definitely don't need a car in the city.

ALX8725 · 03-02-2009, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

1. how is the public transportation in the San Francisco/bay area

decently reliable, more so if you live in SF.

BART provides a reliable (most of the time) way to get around most of the Bay Area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

2. Are there subways or above ground rails or is it mainly buses?

all 3 for SF, there's BART and then MUNI which is very reliable during the work week

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

3. If so do they go all over and connect the city/bay area with relative ease

the public transportation within SF is very extensive, you could get anywhere and everywhere in a timely manner.

for the rest of the Bay Area, there is public transportation that in theory, could get you almost everywhere and anywhere. But a lot of it is not easily accessible and the access times are few and far between for some methods of public transportation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

4. Are they reliable to the schedule

for most of the time BART is, MUNI is very reliable during the work week. For example, Line 5 which is a major commuter line, if I miss a bus I can't even finish a song on my ipod before the next one comes along

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

5. Is the system 24 hours or does it stop at 1 a.m like in other cities such as Boston?

not 24 hours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

6. What is the cost of a monthly/yearly or locals pass for this system.

It depends if you live inside SF or in the neighboring cities, for example with the BART pass, it depends on how often you use it and how far you travel

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

7. In other words is it realistic to be able to live in San Fran with out a car and not have to take a taxi everywhere.

yep, very realistic. you definitely don't need a car here

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

8. Also how is walking or biking in San Fran?

plenty of people walk/bike all over the place, geographically, SF is a pretty small city... like someone already mentionied, it's 7miles by 7 miles so you can get where you're going pretty fast/easily.

buckeyenative01 · 03-02-2009, 06:14 PM

Not that I advocate getting drunk to the point of blacking out, but someone (BART?) runs a night owl bus system after the trains stop running. One minute I was with friends in the Castro around 11pm on a Saturday night, and the next thing I know, I've got a bitching headache, its 3:00am and I'm on a bus on the Bay Bridge going back to Berkeley.

mysticaltyger · 03-02-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guffb

Hello,
A job transfer to the bay area in two months and I am curious as to how the public transportation is in San Francisco? I currently live in Miami Fla and though there is apparently a public transportation system inplace here, it primarily relies on unreliable buses. I hate having to drive everywhere and there is really no realistic way to walk either...... So, in the hopes that I can sell my car I ask:

1. how is the public transportation in the San Francisco/bay area
2. Are there subways or above ground rails or is it mainly buses?
3. If so do they go all over and connect the city/bay area with relative ease
4. Are they reliable to the schedule
5. Is the system 24 hours or does it stop at 1 a.m like in other cities such as Boston?
6. What is the cost of a monthly/yearly or locals pass for this system.
7. In other words is it realistic to be able to live in San Fran with out a car and not have to take a taxi everywhere.
8. Also how is walking or biking in San Fran?

Any info would be great. I hate having to drive everywhere and I miss walking. I look foward to those west coast sunsets.

I think the short answer is you could live a decent lifestyle without a car in San Francisco, and a so-so car free lifestyle in Oakland and Berkeley. But outside of those cities, life without a car in the Bay Area is generally unpleasant.

rah · 03-02-2009, 09:33 PM

There isn't complete 24 hour service with Muni in SF. Most lines stop running around 12-1:00 a.m., but there are several bus and train lines that are 24 hours, as well as a couple extra bus lines that only run in the middle of the night.

jzt83 · 03-02-2009, 11:23 PM

Horrid. It's slow, often delayed and overcrowded. Only a small portion of the muni light-rail runs underground.

sonarrat · 03-02-2009, 11:41 PM

caltrain.com - home
BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA, Muni, DPT)
AC Transit | Home Page (http://www.actransit.org/main.wu?r=n - broken link)
Golden Gate Transportation District

Between these services, you've got the whole Bay Area at your fingertips, and easy access to anywhere in the city itself.

jzt83 · 03-03-2009, 12:07 AM

Here's a slice of a long excerpt from BARTragre.com:

"The trains are relatively nice and comfortable with their upholstered seats compared to a light rail, albeit deafeningly loud (which is a huge class action suit waiting to happen) but the prices are absolutely outrageous in my opinion. For a couple of students the combined costs for commuting can approach $300+/month and that's just to goto school and back, not including errands or social outings. A single person who actually has to depend on public transportation can easily spend over $200/month with high bus fares, outrageous BART fares and now the added insult of parking fees for those still in love with their cars or too lame to bike. I think $300 might be closer to the truth. Why the **** would people waste that kind of money on all that hassle if they have the option to drive? My 45mpg Geo Metro would take me 450 miles on a 10 gallon tankful and I was paying $24/month for insurance."
BART Rage is reasonable. | BART RAGE - Bay Area Rapid Transit Blogs

uptown_urbanist · 03-03-2009, 12:10 AM

For many people, having a car in San Francico is more trouble than it's worth. If you live in the city, especially if you pick the right neighborhood, you will rarely if ever have to take a cab, let alone maintain a car. We got rid of ours the week before we moved to SF, and never looked back.