How complicated to catch BART at OAK?
 

I have never flown into OAK. I've found the cheap fare for a trip in August (birthday gift for Mom).

I've looked at the BART site, but they're not clear http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/frown.gif

It seems once you get BART that it's only about 20-25 minutes to the Powell St Station....but how time consuming/complicated is it to get from OAK (Jet Blue) to BART?

Thanks for any help http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif

It's relatively easy.
Take an airbart bus for $2 to BART.
Allow 30 min for bus.

Then take any SF bound train (will board
on the east side of the center platform,
away from the stadium) at the Oakland station.

There are a few quirks to AirBART that I've seen confuse many, many travelers.

The AirBART bus driver will not accept cash (except from seniors), so you have to buy a ticket from one of the often-broken vending machines (located just inside the terminal and at the stop, which is on the median). The machines no longer accept quarters, do not provide change, and the ones outside are inexplicably labeled with the universal symbol for "Parking," but at least they do take credit cards. There is also a change machine that provides dollar coins inside the terminal.

Going from BART to the airport, you will need to give the driver a normal BART ticket with exactly $2 on it. Avoid missing the bus, and more malfunctioning ticket machines at Coliseum BART, by purchasing this ticket at the Powell St. station.

One last hint: AirBART busses will often pick passangers up at T1 (JetBlue's terminal) and then wait at the T2 stop for several minutes before departing for Coliseum BART. If you don't mind a short walk, and you see a bus sitting at T2, you can save 15-20 minutes by catching it there.

That's probably too much information http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif

Great info http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif Thanks.

I will print it out + take it with us.

Great info Coffee. The only thing I would add is that the Air Bart drivers work for the Oakland Airport and are not consistent about anything. Those who have ridden this before know to buy a $2 bart ticket to give to the driver - they're not supposed to take cash despite the fare box at the door. But since this is an apparently arbitrary rule, nobody knows about it except regular riders which means that 25% of the riders on every bus have to be sent back to the Bart station to get that $2 ticket. If you are sent back to the station to buy a ticket, the driver will probably leave. Sometimes the driver will take cash anyway. But sometimes the driver will threaten to have you arrested for putting cash in the fare box before they can send you back to "go". And sometimes a driver will allow you to combine several old tickets to get the $2 fare, and sometimes the driver will make you buy a new one.

Finally, note that Air Bart does not run on any particular schedule. While it's usually waiting for me when I get off Bart, I've also waited more than 45 minutes at the Coliseum station. There aren't many cabs in East Oakland but there are always helpful locals that offer their 1976 Pinto up for a $20 ride to the airport.

I'd add that it can be a real mob scene if a lot of people are waiting for the bus...you may have to push and shove your way onto the bus if you don't want to wait for the next one.

Between the occasionally infrequent service, horrible traffic on OAK's roadways (which is a good reason to walk to T2), and the customer-service clueless drivers and "helpers" on the curve, I hate doing this, but it's the only cheap option into SF...

If it's between Fri-Sun, I often rent a car to avoid the mess (since a weekend rental can be cheap and so much less painful), but I'm able to use the Hertz lot at the terminal due to status...not sure what your situation is. Just a thought.

Airfares into OAK are cheapest for a few nights stay in S.F. Don't plan to get a car. Thought BART would be a good way to get from OAK airport to downtown S.F. Since we won't be on a strict schedule....guess we'll make it work http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif

The whole BART thing is not difficult, but can be a pain/hassle.

You might want to look at buying the "BART Travel Pack" from the BART website which will give you all the tickets you need to ride AirBART and regular BART to and from downtown. That way you won't have to monkey with the machines and lines when you get there. All for only $1.04 in shipping.

BillJ

Another detail: when you return to OAK, you have to buy your AirBART ticket (if you haven't ordered it by mail) inside the Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station. If you forget, someone in the crowd waiting outside will almost certainly try to sell you one - which will probably be worthless. The area where you wait for the bus can be pretty unpleasant - I woudn't want to do it alone at night.

I can't imagine how they could have made a transit connection more difficult than taking AirBART to OAK. It's truly second rate.

Came home from LHR today and took BART from SFO.....flawless! I wish they had done this years ago. At least it's working like it's supposed to at one of the airports. Best part: that far down the line you actually get a seat during evening commute http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif

Is it just me or is it bizarre that the AirBART machines take credit cards for a $2 transaction, but the BART machines do not? And I mean not just the perpetually broken old machines, which don't take credit cards at all, nor the impossible-to-use charge-a-ticket machines, but even the new machines which STILL enforce a $20 minimum! (though at least now I think you can print 5 $4 tickets.)

Furthermore, the "logic" behind using a credit card in the BART machines is non-existent...I really wonder who wrote the directions.

[never mind]

[This message has been edited by TonySCV (edited 08-01-2003).]

Yeah, the old credit card machines are awful... (two numeric keypads! care to guess which one to use?) Even the Canadians make fun of them.

However, the new Cubic machines are pretty nice, and intuitive to use. And the ability to buy multiple tickets in one transaction is great. I just wish they hadn't kept the arbitrary $20 minimum, which makes it impossible to use credit cards in the addfare at all, although it has a card slot. (Caltrain machines will let you buy a 75 cent ticket with a credit card if you're silly enough to want to.)

[This message has been edited by mkincaid (edited 08-03-2003).]

OK....We're leaving Saturday and I'm reviewing my helpful BART notes... A couple remaining questions --

--At the median I can use a credit card and buy 4 - $2 tix (so we will both have one each way between the airport and the station). Correct?

--Do I buy the BART ticket at the station at another credit card accepting machine?

--The map appears that we can take the Fremont or the Dublin BART to Embarcadero -- Correct?

Thanks http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ft...orum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by ALadyNCal (edited 09-03-2003).]