Taking the train has long been less expensive than driving when considering bridge tolls and parking — and now it's an even more affordable option when you consider most Bay Area gas stations are charging more than $6 a gallon.
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Transit Saves You MoneyThe average BART fare is approximately $3.96. For the same price as one year of car ownership, you could take nearly 3,000 average trips on BART – or about seven trips a day. Use our Fare Calculator to determine the exact cost of your trip.
Adults get a 6.25% discount on cash value rides by buying $48 worth of value for $45 or $64 worth of value for $60. You can only purchase an HVD ticket by setting up Autoload or through a transit benefit program. You need a cash value balance of at least $0 on your card to enter BART with a valid HVD ticket.
Pros of taking BART or public transportation when visiting San Francisco: Cost-effective: Using public transportation is generally cheaper than driving and paying for parking in the city.
Youth 5-18 years old get 50% off BART with a youth Clipper card. Seniors 65 and over get 62.5% off BART with a Senior Clipper card. Qualifying low-income adult riders get 20% off BART with Clipper START. Riders with qualifying disabilities get 62.5% off BART with the RTC Clipper card.
All BART Stations have Clipper vending machines which accept cash, credit cards and debit cards as payment. You can add cash value to Clipper cards at all BART ticket machines. Clipper cards can be ordered online at www.clippercard.com. Many retail outlets throughout the region also sell Clipper cards.
BART makes it extremely easy to get a ticket from the San Francisco airport to downtown San Francisco. All you need to do is use one of the ticket vending machines to buy a one-way ticket for each passenger, which costs about $10.15 per person for a one-way ticket and $20.30 for a round trip.
Safety is BART's top priority.To help keep passengers and our employees safe, BART has more than 4,000 working cameras throughout our system and we are working very hard to increase both sworn officers and ambassador presence.
Taking BART, he noted, is also faster than driving the highly trafficked highways into San Francisco. “Being on BART makes me feel relieved. It's way more stressful driving,” he said. “It's tough commuting this far, but public transit makes it more manageable.”
There is a one-time $3 fee to purchase a plastic Clipper card from a BART station vending machine. Vending machines accept all U.S. coins and dollar bills (excluding $50 and $100 bills).
Be aware of surroundings and avoid looking distracted, especially while standing near stairs, escalators, and train doors and anywhere suspects can make a quick exit. Don't sleep on board train cars. The Train Operator is in the first train car; it's a great place to sit if you are traveling alone.