Aug 11, 2013, 1:06 pm
Last edit by: Boraxo
BART STRIKE IS NOW OVER!!!
BART Striking on Friday Oct 18 -
check www.511.org for alternatives
Key steps re the BART labor dispute:
On August 11, 2013, the San Francisco Superior Court, at the request of Governor Brown, issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting a BART strike or lockout for 60 days, (until midnight, October 10, 2013).
As of October 11, 2013, the cooling-off period has ended and the parties continue to negotiate while BART service continues.
At 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17, BART and two bargaining units reached impasse. FMCS did not deem it could be of further service at this time and was heading back to Washington.
As of 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 BART is CLOSED due to a strike by the 2 major BART unions.
As of Tuesday Oct. 22, BART is expected to re-open by 6am, though full service may not be restored for several hours.. It appears that all issues have been resolved, though the members of both unions must still vote to approve the contracts.
BART Striking on Friday Oct 18 -
check www.511.org for alternatives
Key steps re the BART labor dispute:
On August 11, 2013, the San Francisco Superior Court, at the request of Governor Brown, issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting a BART strike or lockout for 60 days, (until midnight, October 10, 2013).
As of October 11, 2013, the cooling-off period has ended and the parties continue to negotiate while BART service continues.
At 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17, BART and two bargaining units reached impasse. FMCS did not deem it could be of further service at this time and was heading back to Washington.
As of 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 BART is CLOSED due to a strike by the 2 major BART unions.
As of Tuesday Oct. 22, BART is expected to re-open by 6am, though full service may not be restored for several hours.. It appears that all issues have been resolved, though the members of both unions must still vote to approve the contracts.
Alternatives to/from SFO if BART strike
Aug 19, 2013, 3:59 pm
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,797
You seem to have completely forgotten about the Samtrans (San Mateo County Transit) bus service from downtown SF to SFO. It was mentioned in the very first post of this thread. Even when there is no BART strike, Samtrans runs a bus service to SFO, but apparently with a BART strike there is a special service (if I understand correctly).
So, one could take the Amtrak bus connector from Emeryville to SF and then Samtrans to SFO. Fewer connections and therefore probably more practical than the itinerary you suggest.
So yes, as a theoretical proposition it is certainly possible to utilize the AC/Samtrans connection during a strike but only if you have a few hours to get from the East Bay to/from SFO. As a practical matter I would never advise anyone I know to go this route due to the time & hassle factor. Better to plan your journey to avoid the bay bridge entirely, or if that is not possible to travel by personal or rental car (either late evening or if absolutely necessary @ noon).
Now if you are simply going from SFO to downtown SF then the Samtrans express bus is definitely a viable option if BART is not in service and you want to avoid rental car charges/parking etc.
Last edited by Boraxo; Aug 19, 2013 at 4:09 pm
Aug 20, 2013, 2:30 am
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SF CA USA. I love large faceless corporations. And they cherish me in return (sometimes). ;)
Programs: UA Premier Gold/disappointed 1MM, HH Gold, IHG Plat, MB Gold, BW Diam Sel
Posts: 17,584
No offense, but as a local (I know you are as well) I would kindly advise that this is a terrible idea unless you have a lot of time, very little money and not much luggage. If there is a strike it will take a loooong time to cross the bay bridge from Emeryville - I have sometimes spent 1.5 hours to cross the bridge by car during a normal rush hour, and it may be much worse than that even for buses using car pool lanes - just to reach downtown SF. During the BART strike the downtown streets were gridlocked, so you can add more time getting out of downtown SF on Samtrans to SFO. And you will need to carry your luggage onto the bus - not sure where it will go as these buses are designed for commuters/local passengers not air travelers. (By contrast BART and Caltrain have space that can be used for luggage)
So yes, as a theoretical proposition it is certainly possible to utilize the AC/Samtrans connection during a strike but only if you have a few hours to get from the East Bay to/from SFO. As a practical matter I would never advise anyone I know to go this route due to the time & hassle factor. Better to plan your journey to avoid the bay bridge entirely, or if that is not possible to travel by personal or rental car (either late evening or if absolutely necessary @ noon).
Now if you are simply going from SFO to downtown SF then the Samtrans express bus is definitely a viable option if BART is not in service and you want to avoid rental car charges/parking etc.
So yes, as a theoretical proposition it is certainly possible to utilize the AC/Samtrans connection during a strike but only if you have a few hours to get from the East Bay to/from SFO. As a practical matter I would never advise anyone I know to go this route due to the time & hassle factor. Better to plan your journey to avoid the bay bridge entirely, or if that is not possible to travel by personal or rental car (either late evening or if absolutely necessary @ noon).
Now if you are simply going from SFO to downtown SF then the Samtrans express bus is definitely a viable option if BART is not in service and you want to avoid rental car charges/parking etc.
It appears that you failed to read the post to which I was replying.
It's always important to read IN CONTEXT. @:-)
Aug 20, 2013, 3:28 pm
#48
Moderator: Hilton Honors, Practical Travel Safety Issues & San Francisco
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: San Francisco CA
Programs: UA, Hilton, Priceline, AirBnB
Posts: 11,025
ok let's cut the snark
and as a factual matter - many FT'ers take the samtrans express buses with luggage. It's not unpleasant. And even the non express buses now allow luggage/
Aug 20, 2013, 6:42 pm
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,797
I realize that not all FTers frequent the Luxury Hotel forum but most are not $50/day backpackers. So I think they are entitled to know which options really suck and how much time they will take. If I was traveling from out of town I would certainly want to know what the best options were in terms of time and convenience, not just the cheapest public transit available. Particularly if there is a public transit strike which we all know will make for a royal mess on the roads and specifically on the Bay Bridge and GG Bridge.
No question everyone is entitled to their own opinion - I will certainly acknowledge your expertise on Samtrans if you will acknowledge mine on prevailing traffic conditions.
Oct 3, 2013, 1:09 am
#50
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: ONT
Programs: AGR, UA, AA
Posts: 476
We are about a week from a BART strike, assuming no progress is made. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...fic&id=9270475
So, to recap the alternatives:
SFO: Caltrain to Millbrae and free SFO shuttle, Alameda/Oakland-South San Francisco Ferry to free SFO shuttle, and Samtrans KX and 292.
OAK: Capitol Corridor to Oakland Airport/Coliseum and transfer to AC Transit 73, SF Ferry Terminal-Harbor Bay Ferry to AC Transit 21 (may require a half mile walk during off peak hours), AC Transit Transbay Line O to Line 21 (transfer at Park and Encinal in Alameda), AC Transit 73 on Hegenberger/73rd Ave (transfer to 1/1R from Downtown Oakland or AC Transit Transbay Line N from San Francisco), AC Transit 805 from Downtown San Francisco and Oakland (in early morning hours only)
There are probably going to be the special BART buses again that go across the Bay Bridge. The big issue is connecting people from Oakland to the other side of the Berkeley Hills (Walnut Creek, Concord, etc.) for which there may be a few 3CTA (County Connection) peak hour shuttles but the only all day option will be Capitol Corridor to Martinez, on the north end of the gap. On the south end of the Oakland Hills (between Castro Valley and Dublin) you could take ACE to Pleasanton and transfer to buses that operate along the 680 corridor. The inner East Bay is well served by bus transit, although at much slower speeds than BART, and Transbay service is available though will be jammed - I would consider other Transbay options like the AC Transit M over the San Mateo Bridge or the Dumbarton Express over the Dumbarton Bridge if coming from those areas and needing to get to SFO.
So, to recap the alternatives:
SFO: Caltrain to Millbrae and free SFO shuttle, Alameda/Oakland-South San Francisco Ferry to free SFO shuttle, and Samtrans KX and 292.
OAK: Capitol Corridor to Oakland Airport/Coliseum and transfer to AC Transit 73, SF Ferry Terminal-Harbor Bay Ferry to AC Transit 21 (may require a half mile walk during off peak hours), AC Transit Transbay Line O to Line 21 (transfer at Park and Encinal in Alameda), AC Transit 73 on Hegenberger/73rd Ave (transfer to 1/1R from Downtown Oakland or AC Transit Transbay Line N from San Francisco), AC Transit 805 from Downtown San Francisco and Oakland (in early morning hours only)
There are probably going to be the special BART buses again that go across the Bay Bridge. The big issue is connecting people from Oakland to the other side of the Berkeley Hills (Walnut Creek, Concord, etc.) for which there may be a few 3CTA (County Connection) peak hour shuttles but the only all day option will be Capitol Corridor to Martinez, on the north end of the gap. On the south end of the Oakland Hills (between Castro Valley and Dublin) you could take ACE to Pleasanton and transfer to buses that operate along the 680 corridor. The inner East Bay is well served by bus transit, although at much slower speeds than BART, and Transbay service is available though will be jammed - I would consider other Transbay options like the AC Transit M over the San Mateo Bridge or the Dumbarton Express over the Dumbarton Bridge if coming from those areas and needing to get to SFO.
Last edited by calwatch; Oct 9, 2013 at 11:31 pm
Oct 14, 2013, 12:06 am
#52
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,397
Wikipost in this thread has been updated to reflect BART Unions' commitment to extend their no-strike pledge one more day, to 11:59 p.m. on Mon. October 14, 2013, or the reaching of a tentative agreement, if that comes first.
Oct 15, 2013, 2:03 am
#53
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
From Twitter:
KRON 4 News @kron4news
#BREAKING: Federal Mediator George Cohen says trains will run on Tuesday; talks to continue through the night
#BREAKING: Federal Mediator George Cohen says trains will run on Tuesday; talks to continue through the night
Oct 15, 2013, 11:24 pm
#55
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
ABC7 News @abc7newsBayArea
Federal mediator: There will be train service operating all day tomorrow. Negotiations continue. #BART #BARTstrike
Federal mediator: There will be train service operating all day tomorrow. Negotiations continue. #BART #BARTstrike
Oct 16, 2013, 11:31 pm
#56
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
ABC7 News @abc7newsBayArea
Federal mediator: Negotiations will continue, #BART trains will run tomorrow.
Federal mediator: Negotiations will continue, #BART trains will run tomorrow.
Oct 17, 2013, 4:51 pm
#57
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
KTVU @KTVU
#breaking: @ktvu live right now on air with @SEIU_California plans to strike tonight after failed @SFBART negotiations. #bartstrike
#breaking: @ktvu live right now on air with @SEIU_California plans to strike tonight after failed @SFBART negotiations. #bartstrike
Oct 17, 2013, 7:23 pm
#58
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,884
Oct 17, 2013, 10:00 pm
#60
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,397
In the event of a BART strike, note that bus/shuttle services may not stop at BART stations at the usual place. Rather the stops will likely be just outside of station limits.