How to Use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit, is a heavy rail public transit system that covers both San Francisco and Oakland as well as some of the surrounding cities. This guide provides an easy to understand explanation of how to use this public transport system.
Why do you need BART
I created this is the guide because it would have been useful for me when I first arrived to Oakland, California as a travel nurse. Here are some reasons that you may want to use BART:
- BART is inexpensive. This is even more important when you compare it to the cost of gas in California and parking in the Bay Area. It’s also much cheaper than Uber.
- You can avoid traffic and get to your destination quicker. This is especially true during commute hours.
- It’s widespread, meaning you can reach a lot of Bay area destinations easily.
Convinced yet? If so, keep reading to learn how to use the system.
How to Navigate the BART System
Planning your route
Start by looking for your destination BART station on the map above.
Let’s say for an example, I want to get to the Balboa Park station from Hayward.
In order to arrive at Balboa Park, I need to be on either a red line, yellow line, blue line, or green line train.
The trains will have the end of their route displayed. This is how you make sure your train is heading in the correct direction (instead of the same line going the opposite direction). In our example, the trains we could take would display one of the following:
- a red marker and “Millbrae”
- a yellow marker and “Millbrae”
- a blue marker and “Daly City”
- a green marker and “Daly City”
Wait! We want to go from Hayward to Balboa Park and Hayward only shows an orange line and a green line. Well you could take the green line “Daly City” train, but you could also start on the Orange “Richmond” train and do a station transfer.
How to transfer train lines on BART
Transferring lines on BART is simple. You get off at a station that has the line you want to transfer to and walk over to the platform of the train you want to board. You don’t need any extra tickets or payments in between transfers. Keep in mind that you may have to go up or down stairs to get to another train/platform.
BART does have timed transfer stations, but you can transfer at any station that you want. Timed transfer stations are marked on the map above with the white circles- Balboa Park, MacArthur (southbound), 19th street/Oakland (northbound), Colisuem and Bayfair. The goal of these stations is to have trains arriving at or near the same time, so that riders aren’t delayed in getting to their destination.
If you are traveling after 9pm, you will need to use the map below:
How to Pay for your BART Ticket (Clipper)
In order to use BART, you must have either a clipper card or download a clipper card to your apple or google wallet. If you prefer a physical clipper card, you can purchase one for $3 at any BART station or at some Walgreens. As of 2021, paper tickets are no longer available.
You can add cash to your phone’s clipper card through your apple or google wallet, and you can add cash to your physical card at BART stations.
When you arrive at the BART station, you will use your clipper card to enter through the gated stall. Once you exit at your destination BART station, you will again use your clipper card to exit. Your fare is based on the distance traveled, so it will be calculated when you exit.
If you want to know what your fare will be ahead of time, you can use the BART (official) app, click on “plan trip” and put in both your start and end destination. This will not only show your fare, but it also shows which train line to take and the timing of the trains.
Safety and other BART tips
Parking– The BART stations marked with the parking symbols on the system map have parking available. Many stations do, however, charge for parking on weekdays. Look up the individual BART station to find the cost of parking.
Bicycles– You are allowed to bring your bicycle on BART (there are designated areas on the train cars for bikes). Many BART stations also have cubes to lock your bike in if you want to leave your bike at the station.
Safety– BART is making big strides to make the cars safe for passengers.
In addition to BART police (yes, BART has their own police officers) presence on some cars, BART also has a safety app, BART Watch. Through the app, you can contact BART police, report problems, and receive BART-related alerts.
In my own experience, BART can have it’s share of homeless people, people with psychiatric episodes, and drug-induced episodes. It is public transit after all. I did not, however, feel unsafe on BART. As with any public transit, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and belongings. I also prefer to sit in cars that are closer to the front of the train as that is closer to the conductor or in a train car with several other commuters. If something illegal is going to occur, it is much more likely to occur at the back of the train in an empty car. If you feel uncomfortable, move train cars.
I hope you find this BART guide helpful in navigating this Bay Area public transit system.
If you’ve taken BART, comment below with your favorite BART destination.
Julie (Juls for short) is the founder of travelingwithjuls.com. She is a registered nurse turned travel nurse. She loves adventure and learning about new places. Her goals are to help other nurses learn about travel nursing, and to share information about the locations/destinations she lives in for 3+ months at a time.
