SFO ground transit question
Aug 18, 2000 | 3:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Denver,CO, USA
Posts: 850
SFO ground transit question
What is best/cheapest way from SFO to Hyatt Embardadero? Looked on SFO website and it appears that Samtrans is an option. What station is closest to Hyatt? Or, is bus connect to BART station at Colma a better option? Thanks for any answers or other suggestions.
Aug 18, 2000 | 4:24 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: FLL
Posts: 1,679
The cheapest way is to take the local bus (SamTrans 292) which costs $1.10 and takes 60 min. The Sam Trans KX costs $3, takes 30 min. and allows only 1 carry-on sized bag or so. From the Transbay Terminal (last stop), it's about a 2 block walk (check www.mapquest.com for a map).
SuperShuttle or a taxi is more practical for large amounts of luggage.
SuperShuttle or a taxi is more practical for large amounts of luggage.
Aug 18, 2000 | 7:06 pm
#3
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Door To Door Van Service: $10.00 - $14.50
Public Transit: $1.00 - $3.25
Scheduled Service: $11.00
Taxi: $30.00
You may want to call the Hyatt Embarccadero and ask if they have a special arrangement with one of the shuttle companies. I know that the Sheraton and Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf do.
Public Transit: $1.00 - $3.25
Scheduled Service: $11.00
Taxi: $30.00
You may want to call the Hyatt Embarccadero and ask if they have a special arrangement with one of the shuttle companies. I know that the Sheraton and Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf do.
Aug 18, 2000 | 7:47 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2000
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Other options:
Not Recommended: SuperShuttle ~$12
Strongly Not Recommended: Taxi (take a limo instead!)
EPS Recommends: Japanese fast food at Yoshinoya, 43 Drumm St., directly across from the Hyatt Regency.
[This message has been edited by EPS (edited 08-18-2000).]
- Caltrain-SFO Shuttle to Millbrae (free)
Caltrain to 4th/King $2 ($1.50 M-F 10 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Muni Metro N to Embarcadero $1
(total $3; 70 minutes-2 hrs.) - SAMTRANS BX to Colma BART $1.10
BART to Embarcadero $2.25
(total $3.35; 45-90 minutes) - SFO Airporter best option if you have large amounts of luggage
($11; 30-65 minutes)
Not Recommended: SuperShuttle ~$12
Strongly Not Recommended: Taxi (take a limo instead!)
EPS Recommends: Japanese fast food at Yoshinoya, 43 Drumm St., directly across from the Hyatt Regency.
[This message has been edited by EPS (edited 08-18-2000).]
Aug 19, 2000 | 12:58 am
#5
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 2,098
myleguy, I would also recommend the SFO Airporter, which operates as a bus, as opposed to a van. They have a limited number of stops, usually the main hotels in the downtown area, the Hyatt Embarcadero being one of them.
Make certain that you are on the correct route, as there are two of them the last time I checked. If you're interested and are on a budget, I have a free pass for a one way trip from SFO to SF on the SFO Airporter that I would be happy to mail to you. If you're interested, please e-mail me no later than this coming Monday, as I will be out of town for the next week.
Make certain that you are on the correct route, as there are two of them the last time I checked. If you're interested and are on a budget, I have a free pass for a one way trip from SFO to SF on the SFO Airporter that I would be happy to mail to you. If you're interested, please e-mail me no later than this coming Monday, as I will be out of town for the next week.
Aug 19, 2000 | 2:13 am
#6
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I am not stopping in SFO next trip, but what terrific concise advice! I have bookmarked this thread for next time I do. Great stuff.
Aug 19, 2000 | 4:52 am
#7
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To be honest with you, the subtleties of SFO ground transportation justify more than a concise description.
You also have to understand that "what's the best way to get from SFO to San Francisco" and "...from San Francisco to SFO" are two different questions which need to be answered independently.
For example, Caltrain works much better in the "to SFO" direction.[list=1][*]You know your scheduled flight departure time, so you can plan when you want to be at the airport.[*]Caltrain and the Caltrain-SFO Shuttle operate on a schedule. You can pretty much rely on being at SFO 36 minutes after the train pulls out of 4th and King.[*]Getting to 4th and King (by light rail; 4th and Townsend most other ways) is easy, and you won't be waiting outside (where it might be cold, or worse--rainy) once you're there.[/list=a]
By comparison,[list=1][*]Flight arrival/baggage pick-up/customs inspection times are unpredictable.[*]You have to wait outside for the Caltrain-SFO Shuttle, which then takes 10 minutes longer to get to Millbrae than it does the other way.[*]Caltrain operates infrequently (1 - 2 hrs.); you could have a long wait outdoors.[*]When you finally get to 4th and King, you almost certainly will have an outdoor wait.[/list=a]
On the other hand, the various shared van services work much better in the "from SFO" direction than the "to SFO" direction.
You also have to understand that "what's the best way to get from SFO to San Francisco" and "...from San Francisco to SFO" are two different questions which need to be answered independently.
For example, Caltrain works much better in the "to SFO" direction.[list=1][*]You know your scheduled flight departure time, so you can plan when you want to be at the airport.[*]Caltrain and the Caltrain-SFO Shuttle operate on a schedule. You can pretty much rely on being at SFO 36 minutes after the train pulls out of 4th and King.[*]Getting to 4th and King (by light rail; 4th and Townsend most other ways) is easy, and you won't be waiting outside (where it might be cold, or worse--rainy) once you're there.[/list=a]
By comparison,[list=1][*]Flight arrival/baggage pick-up/customs inspection times are unpredictable.[*]You have to wait outside for the Caltrain-SFO Shuttle, which then takes 10 minutes longer to get to Millbrae than it does the other way.[*]Caltrain operates infrequently (1 - 2 hrs.); you could have a long wait outdoors.[*]When you finally get to 4th and King, you almost certainly will have an outdoor wait.[/list=a]
On the other hand, the various shared van services work much better in the "from SFO" direction than the "to SFO" direction.
Aug 19, 2000 | 10:00 am
#9
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Another alternative is to fly to Oakland (where there are fewed delays than SFO), grab the AirBart shuttle that takes you to the Oakland Coliseum BART station -- you can then take BART right to downtown San Francisco.
Fare from Oakand to downtown San Francisco is $2.75
http://www.bart.org/
[This message has been edited by opus17 (edited 08-19-2000).]
AirBART Shuttle to Oakland Airport
An AirBART shuttle to the Oakland Airport leaves the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station every 10 minutes. The shuttle operates Monday through Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 12:05 a.m., and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 12:05 a.m. Travel time between BART and the Airport is approximately 15 minutes, but can be as much as 30 minutes during peak weekday rush hours. The price per trip is $2.00 for adults and $.50 for children 5 through 12, seniors 65 or over and persons with disabilities.
Use your BART ticket for the AirBART Shuttle
Purchase a $2.00 BART ticket or use your current ticket if a minimum of $2.00 is remaining. When departing from the airport, purchase a $2.00 AirBART ticket from the AirBART ticket machines located at terminal exits. Children 5 through 12, seniors 65 or over and persons with disabilities should pay $.50 cash to the driver. Exact change is required
An AirBART shuttle to the Oakland Airport leaves the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station every 10 minutes. The shuttle operates Monday through Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 12:05 a.m., and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 12:05 a.m. Travel time between BART and the Airport is approximately 15 minutes, but can be as much as 30 minutes during peak weekday rush hours. The price per trip is $2.00 for adults and $.50 for children 5 through 12, seniors 65 or over and persons with disabilities.
Use your BART ticket for the AirBART Shuttle
Purchase a $2.00 BART ticket or use your current ticket if a minimum of $2.00 is remaining. When departing from the airport, purchase a $2.00 AirBART ticket from the AirBART ticket machines located at terminal exits. Children 5 through 12, seniors 65 or over and persons with disabilities should pay $.50 cash to the driver. Exact change is required
http://www.bart.org/
[This message has been edited by opus17 (edited 08-19-2000).]
Aug 20, 2000 | 11:39 pm
#10
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Something I should add about SFO:
The best place to find ground transportation information at the airport is one of the Information desks on the lower level (near baggage claim). If you're arriving with carry-on baggage only, you may make the "mistake" of going to Travelers' Aid near ticketing/check-in. While those folks are certainly nice, and good at providing tourism-related assistance, they don't always (through no fault of their own) have the most current information. If you need bus or train schedules, go downstairs, even though the "need" may not be obvious.
The best place to find ground transportation information at the airport is one of the Information desks on the lower level (near baggage claim). If you're arriving with carry-on baggage only, you may make the "mistake" of going to Travelers' Aid near ticketing/check-in. While those folks are certainly nice, and good at providing tourism-related assistance, they don't always (through no fault of their own) have the most current information. If you need bus or train schedules, go downstairs, even though the "need" may not be obvious.
Aug 21, 2000 | 1:43 am
#11
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I took the SAMTRANS BX bus to Colma BART on Monday. The stop has now moved to the lower level of the United domestic terminal, and is right next to the stop for an employee shuttle. Took a few minutes to find it after I went to the former stop in the island on departure level. The new stop adjoins the terminal (versus being out on an island).
Tom
Tom
Aug 21, 2000 | 1:58 am
#12
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Aug 21, 2000 | 6:40 pm
#13
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One word of defense for taxis from SFO to Embarcadero: Time. I do this trip frequently in under 20 minutes from the jetway door to the office door across the street from the Hyatt. It does cost $30+, but the time saved is worth it.
The key way to save time is to avoid taxi waits at the arrival area by walking to the left to find a taxi stand with no queue. The international terminal in particular can have no wait while the United taxi stand can have a 30-minute queue.
The key way to save time is to avoid taxi waits at the arrival area by walking to the left to find a taxi stand with no queue. The international terminal in particular can have no wait while the United taxi stand can have a 30-minute queue.
Mar 26, 2001 | 9:34 pm
#14
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Caltrain: Little-Used Link to SFO
Easy, inexpensive way to get there
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...6/MN222780.DTL
Easy, inexpensive way to get there
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...6/MN222780.DTL
Many Bay Area travelers wrongly believe they will have to wait until fall 2002 -- when the first BART train is scheduled to pull into SFO's International Terminal -- to take transit to the airport. But transit operators already offer several inexpensive alternatives to pricey cab rides, crowded shuttle trips and harried drives on Highway 101.
Mar 26, 2001 | 9:50 pm
#15
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I'm a fan of SAMTRANS and BART (and I'm also a former BART employee, having worked 7 years in the police department there before going to my current agency).
Today I landed at SFO just after 4pm, got the 4:26 bus to Colma BART ($1.10, BX line), and connected to a BART train out to Pleasant Hill. There I connected to a Benicia Transit bus, which drops me a block from home. The good thing about this is that it avoids having anyone have to come down to SFO, during evening commute, to pick me up. I would not wish that on anyone.
This routing (BX bus, BART) must be working its way into some of the tour books targeted at Europeans. Last week I helped some one from Amsterdam sort the system out, and today there were three people from France on the bus.
I can't wait for the BART extension to be finished into SFO.
Today I landed at SFO just after 4pm, got the 4:26 bus to Colma BART ($1.10, BX line), and connected to a BART train out to Pleasant Hill. There I connected to a Benicia Transit bus, which drops me a block from home. The good thing about this is that it avoids having anyone have to come down to SFO, during evening commute, to pick me up. I would not wish that on anyone.
This routing (BX bus, BART) must be working its way into some of the tour books targeted at Europeans. Last week I helped some one from Amsterdam sort the system out, and today there were three people from France on the bus.
I can't wait for the BART extension to be finished into SFO.