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BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit
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337 reviews for BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit
Plusses:
1.fast
2. good amount of trains and stations
Minuses:
1. expensive
2. insides of trains are kinda hosed out and dirty.
Our subways are squeaky clean and $1.25 to go anywhere, but BART has better coverage. I gave the system an extra star for convenience and ease of getting to the airport, which cost an outrageous $16.20. I have to mention that SF as a whole has sensational PT.
The BART is affordable and convenient enough for my purposes. The rail system is quick, too! I took the BART several times on a recent trip to the Bay Area. For those staying or living outside of San Francisco (like I did), and visiting folks in San Jose (like I did), renting a car might be a more sensible option.
Only two complaints from my end:
1. Confusing ticket terminals. They were a tad confusing for me to use. I wish I could just tell the system where I am and where I'm going instead of cross-referencing a wall chart, then paying.
2. Where am I? I think I'm going deaf, since at each stop I wasn't totally clear on where we were - and signage wasn't particularly consistent. On one occasion, we stopped at a station and had NO IDEA where we were. (Luckily we didn't actually need to stop there.)
Complaints aside, a corner of my heart will always love mass transit systems - unless they're terrible. Thankfully, the BART is clean, efficient, and available, even to faraway places.
Mi espanol no es bueno. Una amiga de Mexico estaba aqui and ella quiere ir a museo en Oakland.
Yes, one of my most admired friends came up specifically to visit me and wanted to check out an exhibit at the Oakland Museum. It was the last weekend that the exhibit would be on display so we made plans on Sunday to take a trip out. She had booked a room in the City and I had planned to drive there, but she being the "eco-friendly" friend wanted to take public transportation. I admit, I am not the best at knowing the how's and what's of our local public transportation systems. But I do know we have something called BART.
The Embarcadero station was a few steps away from her hotel and the pay stations were easy to figure out. My friend was a but upset that they didnt give you change in pesos, but I explained to her that our currency has been battered by the global economy and any exposure that we get these days is much needed.
That BART tube is kind of trippy and made a wooooshing sound which I thought was cool. Worthy of 2 stars alone.
Easy, not very clean but clean enough for me and convenient.
I just moved here from TX, so the BART is new to me, but it is what it is.
I live in Alameda, so I like how it makes it easier for me to get to SF than to drive. I have noticed that it costs more to ride the BART to SF than it does to drive and pay the toll.
The BART is always dirty too, I have to wash my hands for like five minutes when I get off.
I hate how the BART stations smell like urine, especially if you make the mistake of getting in an elevator.
One time a crazy homeless lady with a shopping cart full of stuff got on the BART, parked her cart in the middle, sat down right in front of the door to get on and off the BART, and started knitting. It was really akward because at each stop she did not move, so people had to go around her to get on and off.
The very first time I got on the BART a BART officer told me that just the other day a man was stabbed walking from the BART station to his car after work. SCARY!
Overall it is just plain icky, but it gets the job done.
I think the BART is an awesome form of public transportation. I also like those little, card size tickets and its easy to put money on it when your balance is getting low. The mapping/routing system and time tables are informative and very helpful to first time users.
Some suggestions - stay open past midnight (the bars close at 2!) and clean the cars more often (some of these commuters are stinky)
You really don't appreciate it until you need it. The "it" is a reliable option to driving a mad/maddening two plus hour drive to traverse from the East to West Bay (or vice versa), due to the Bay Bridge closure. My BART memories:
a) Riding from school to home weekdays from age 11 to 13.
b) Touring the main computer center at Lake Merritt station.
c) Riding from home to school and back in my higher education learning years (age 21 to 23).
d) Riding to catch Warrior game (1989 earthquake) or Raider game.
It's been over ten years since I've ridden BART and things have changed (missing side-way seats for bikers, extra grips for standing passengers, and, of course, higher fares), but it's something that many take for granted.
The bridge closure resulted in a sharp increase in ridership and probably lower smog and pollution levels in the Bay Area. For the commuting work force, it has been a lifesaver. For me, I was able to catch the Warriors' home opener in a relatively painless manner, still getting home by 11 pm.
In a nutshell, BART remains it!
Could be better, could be worse. It does the job. You know when your train comes. There are signs posted everywhere to help n00bs and tourists alike get wherever they need to go. Most importantly, it more than reliably gets people across the Bay to San Francisco when, god forbid, the bridge closes.
Would you rather be hanging off the side by one arm, with a pair of live chickens under the other? What do you expect, caviar and wine with your smelly blue seat. Oh boo hoo, it's too noisy? Buy a damn pair of earplugs. Oh wahhh, it doesn't pick you up at your doorstep? It's an inter-city transit system, not MUNI. Get your head out of your ass, you uneducated imbecile.
I have this to say about certain patrons though: if you sit there blasting your ultra-shitty tunes through your even shittier phone speaker, bobbing your greasy unwashed head like an inexperienced porn star, I sincerely hope karma punches you square in the face.
Also, the workers' union sucks sweaty balls.
You know, a lot of times, I feel like public transportation gets the shit end of the stick. All the faults are constantly pointed out and all the good qualities are over-looked.
I am from Chicago, where we have a heavily train-based public transportation system. It's good, but it still has it's issues.
Now...
I was very, very impressed with the BART. You basically get to sit in fucking Lazy Boy chairs, you have notices in the station of when the next train is coming, there's very few delays and everything is well marked.
It's a little pricey to get around (it's a pay system that you pay more the farther you go, instead of a flat rate, like Chicago), but man, it's a nice system.
....
BART's rad BUT.. I have 2 major complaints:
1.) CLEAN the cars out a little better / more frequently!!!!!!!!!!!
2.) Make ticket prices lower! They're not horrible but certainly not great, either!
(Or do discounts for round trip ticket or bulk purchases!)
*Those things aside, I quite fancy it a lot...
And I'm DEFINITELY a fan!!! :D
I only got to ride the BART a handful of times and I'm still not sure what to think about. As much as people talk crap about the CTA I still think it's the best. Plus you pay one price for one ride. You don't have to pay by how far your going. (I guess could be a plus or minus).
Great things about BART is that it connects the Multiple cities across the bay area. You can't beat it. Also it was always on time and I love the updates on when the train is coming into the station. Futuristic cars but still aging but very roomy. I wish we had open cars like that here in Chicago. It would help with all those people and there luggage
Still I felt confused on which line I should be jumping on. Somehow I always ended up on the Yellow line which was fine with me because that's where I needed to be.
Overall I am just a fan of Pub Trans and I would definitely ride the BART again. No questions asked.
The BART system is quite fast and gets you all around the main spots in the Bay. I took this during my layover in SF since I had about 4 hours to spare after a super long flight coming back from Hong Kong.
I've been up to SF in the past a few times and always drove so this was my first time using public transportation up here and I have to say that its quite reliable. Took about 15 mins or so to get right into the city from the SFO airport. I'm pretty used to taking trains since I lived in HK for quite sometime so this wasn't so bad, though it does take quite a while for the next train to come(10-15 min wait).
Overall this is quite an efficient public transportation system that we need more of here in Cali, it would definitely be awesome during So Cal rush hour!
I dread taking the BART. It consistently reeks of weed, it's expensive, and overcrowded 85% of the time. More than twice I've had to sit on a train for at least half an hour while they "fix" something.
It's only positive aspects are it's speed, clear signage, and connectivity to the Muni Metro.
Yeah bart is cool if you only need to ride it during the day. When you need to ride it during the evening or maybe you work nights then you are shit out of luck. How many drunk bartenders or patrons do you think drive home over the bridge every night? I know a few that do it at least 5 days a week. There are about 500 businesses open until 2am everyday.
I am a chef and on several occasions I have had to run full speed for 10 blocks because the last train to the east bay leaves civic at 12:20. Wake up BART if this were New York I could go anywhere in the city or east bay any time of the day. Any reason to close at night is not smart.
Loud, mismanaged, cost subsidized by taxpayers, rude and unhelpful station attendants, unsafe, everything you would expect from a unionized transit system.
I can't believe I've just spent so much time reading reviews about BART. I must really miss SF.
BART is an anomaly on the West Coast. Where else do you have a rail system largely built in the early 70s that takes you to many of the big destinations in a metropolitan area? (Who are you fooling? No one wants to go to San Jose.) Certainly not LA, San Diego or Seattle.
What's great:
- It's fast and efficient.
- It'll take you a lot of places in downtown SF (w/ connections to the Muni Metro & plenty of buses) , the Mission, downtown Oakland, and downtown Berkeley.
- It feels like a rollercoaster.
- Great views of the East Bay.
- Relatively safe and clean as far as mass transit goes. Okay, it's not Tokyo, but it certainly isn't as dirty and stinky as the NYC Subway.
What's not so great:
- Compared to other cities, it's kind of expensive. (Compared to other cities though, getting into, parking, and leaving SF is expensive too).
- Save the Mission and the Market Street Corridor, BART doesn't really go anywhere worth while in SF. A lot of non-San Franciscans and even locals don't like Muni so they don't go places BART doesn't go. SF and the region as a whole would benefit from a line underneath Geary Blvd, and if a Geary line ever got built, then a Park Presidio/19th Ave line to Daly City creating a loop should be next. (If only!) Why spend billions upon billions to extend service to San Jose and Livermore when hardly anyone out there is going to ride it?
- The ridership may not warrant 24/7 service, but why don't you at least stay open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays? DC with a similarly aged and built system does it.
- It's not very intuitive. Thank god I started riding BART and Muni with the help of locals, otherwise I would have never figured it out.
Okay, that's my two cents. I'd better stop now, otherwise I won't stop.
My Chicago bias will probably ooze out of this review but I gotta keeps it real.
WTF BART? You cost to damn much. Even though you share the same name as one of my idols growing up (Bart Simpson) I gotta compare you to the CTA in Chi-town which you fall very short of.
While your pretty convienient,,and much cleaner than the majority of other mass transit systems your still just a mass transit system. What gives you the right to charge damn near 10 bucks to get me from SFO to the Powell street stop? Why can't you just charge a one time fare and let me ride you until the cows come home. Why do you have to be a public transit snob. BART huh?
I left work late at night, and entered a BART station only to realize I had forgotten to punch out at work, so I left the same station to head back to work.
Rather than subtracting a $1.75 minimum fare from my ticket, BART charged me $5.20!
I looked it up and their website calls it an "Excursion Fare" which "allows anyone to tour the BART system for up to three hours as long as you enter and exit at the same station."
Yeah, more like it allows BART to rip-off the general public.
In the last few years, I have come to the conclusion that I live on the West Coast and I am stationed in Seattle. I have easy access to, people to see, and things to do, in every major city destined to fall into the Pacific Ocean. I hit SF, SD, PDX, and LA at least once a year now that I get every other weekend to MYSELF (yay divorce and joint custody!)
What sets SF apart from all these other cities? NO MOTHER FUCKER IS WILLING TO PICK MY ROYAL ASS UP FROM THE AIRPORT. Ok, so 99% of my friends here don't have cars - BUT STILL, they can be rented. I'm just saying....
Anyhoo - my M.O. has been to suck it up and take a cab for $1.5 M. Fuck it, it's just money - they'll make more and it will somehow fall into my pocket. And I really don't like hauling all my shit around with me through crowded city streets - it makes me all off balance and I'm tippy - I'll just fall right over.
However, on this trip I was shamed into taking the MF train into town:
ME: I'll just rent a car this time - fuck it. We needs one anyhow.
FRIEND: OH MY GOD TAKE THE FUCKING TRAIN YOU SPOILED ROTTEN PRINCESS, I WILL GET THE CAR TOMORROW.
ME: BUT MY BAG IS HEAVY. Jesus. I'll just take a cab.
FRIEND: CAN YOU PAY OFF MY FUCKING STUDENT LOANS TOO MONEY BAGS??? JESUS, JUST TAKE THE TRAIN.
ME: OK! *hobbles off to find BART platform, takes a couple wrong turns, and final makes it mumbling to self all the way about the niceness of airport pick-ups and how many I have made in my short life*
I sat down on the train with all my two-tons of crap, put on my headphones and settled in. Immediately I remembered the last time I was on BART...I think I was 16 visiting, my step-g-parents in Orinda. I was given a pile of money, dropped off at the BART station and sent on my merry way. I remember being excited to be sent off to explore on my own, at the prospect of maybe scoring some freaking drugs in the big city and to ride the fancy NEW train (yes it was 1986.... :/) I am fairly certain the first thing I did when I sat down on the train was put on my headphones and settle in...I am fairly certain the TAPE in my WALKMAN was U2 - Unforgettable Fire.
I spent that day wandering around, smoking, getting all hopped up on Cherry Cokes and Suzie Q's, wishing I could lay hands on some pot, finding "Jumping Jack Flash" playing in some sketchy theater on Market and being amazed that people were SMOKING IN THE THEATER (which I, of course, joined in), and being a punk kid from a much smaller city semi-overwhelmed by my surroundings.
As I remember this, I update my Facebook status to:
Diana L.: The last time I rode BART I was listening to U2 on my WALKMAN. ( I should have added that BART was also still shiny and new back then, like I was. I hate having status update regret....)
Friend immediately chimes in: See? If you had taken a cab, you wouldn't have gotten to have that memory.
FINE.
I still felt like a fucking pack horse walking from the friggin' station to my hotel and I was nearly tipped over like A MILLION TIMES.
Rapid tranist is nice, can't wait til the year 2065, when we finally have it going on in Seattle....
So I was watching The Simpsons one Sunday night, and Lisa was preparing to go on this crossword challenge competition. She was learning words left and right in a dictionary until she came across BART. Her response: "A rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Also the name of my annoying little brother!" I loved it! :-)
Anyways, BART has been my lifeline back when I was growing up in Antioch and when I was living in the city. In fact, I commuted every other day on BART during the summer of '05 when I was newly hired as a lab assistant for a biotech company in South San Francisco. Yay for being able to relax, sleep and read like 10 books that summer during my commute.
My only gripe: parking at Pittsburg! If you get there too late during the morning, parking is pretty much nonexistent until 10AM rolls around and you're able to park in the carpool only section. That's my word of wisdom for ya.
I was charged about 8.00 dollars to go from SF Intl Airport to the 24th and Mission station, which wasn't too bad. It did not take long to get to our destination because Bart was fast on the straightaways. I also used it to go back to SFO. I really like that you could use a Debit card to purchase your ticket. It was on time and not complicated.
I am feeling the love for the BART. It is fast, clean and from my time on it, not overly busy. This is very unlike the tube in London, which is slow and crowded. I would be happy to use this form of transit on a regular basis.
Go the BART!
I'm going to review a couple things about BART but first let's all get this straight. BART is an intercity transit system meaning it services within the Bay Area and BETWEEN the cities held within, not within one specific city (an intracity.) So to compare BART to MTA (NYC) or any other metropolitan isn't fair. They're different, get over it.
However, BART could and SHOULD be offering a monthly pass, a weekly pass, student discounts. Senior citizens are offered discounts but come on, what senior citizen would want to ride BART?
I'd take BART more, but some, and by some I mean A LOT, of the stations in the more 'rural' areas (coughcoughGLENPARKcoughcough) don't have an adequate parking lot. Yea, it can park about 30-40 cars (i haven't counted). But do you have any clue to what's going on here?! MUNI sucks, so I'll drive to the BART station, I can cross the bay via BART, but where am I to leave my car?! Seriously, build a freakin' parking GARAGE.
The BART Union is screwing you (not literally, I hope...) BART employees are, on average, paid more than any other public transit agency in the Bay Area's, if not state or country's. Don't believe me?
Look at HOW much they get paid.
http://www.contracosta...
Really?! Are you guys retarded?
"...2 people to replace a cushion on a BART train, and some BART employees make more in overtime than they do in regular salary..."
http://sfist.com/2009/...
Stop using the CalTrain fare system as your model. Also, you're in debt, BIG TIME. Stop screwing the public for you're exaggerated salaries, incompetent employees and
Bay Area Rapid Transit:
D
Oh I wanted to like you and give you more than 1 star Bart.
But...your stations are filthy, dingy and falling apart.
You are festering with the homeless and hoodlums.
Your workers are rude and incompetent.
Why is it $4 one way and $4 back?
Why, unlike all of the other major mass transits around the country...well in other countries too (I have experienced) is there no discounted round trip fare? Why is there no monthly, weekly or annual pass?
Why do all students of all grades get discounts except college students?
Furthermore, every stop has a sign saying which stop it is, but no sign saying what the previous was and what the next will be.
This is common practice in LA, in Japan, in Germany...Why not on the famed Bart?
Take a lesson from the others, clean up like the subway in LA and get the same kind of polite, helpful workers...and while your at it, take a look at the transit systems in the greater Tokyo metro area and see how to make a truly efficient and user friendly system!
STRIKEBARTBARTSTRIKESTIKEBARTBARTSTRIKE...
Just how cool is it that a UNION intervenes and gets in the way of progress!
If you strike next week during SEMICON..I will hunt you down like you are my last meal on earth!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2009
Quite possibly the most mismanaged transit agency in the World where incompetent relatives hire… Read more »
As a person who's challenged when it comes to parking, BART is my go to mode of transport when visiting SF. With BART I don't have to deal with traffic, tolls, accidents, $$$ for garages, or my most dreaded nemesis, parallel parking! With BART, I pay and enjoy the ride.
BART is my trusted friend: dependable, always around when I need them, usually on time, and willing to go anywhere with me.
I've taken BART for all sorts of reasons: whether it was going to the airport, checking out an A's game, going to a concert, meeting friends, for my many shopping trips to SF, and most importanly, when I don't feel like driving.
Yes, BART can get expensive but it's SO convenient and you never have to worry about directions or getting lost.
I always say, if BART doesn't go there, it's not worth driving to unless someone else is driving you there.
YAY! A review on BART.. Thanks to John H... =)
Ok. So.....
BART.. A love hate relationship.
What I love about BART....
Is that you can take BART just about anywhere you need to go....and if it does not go to where you need to go...you can take the bus the rest of the way.
It saves you from wasting gas and driving your car everywhere...great for the environment...
I would say that the fare is fair...but no its really not if you are a frequent rider....(something i'm not)
What I hate about BART....
is that the prices keep getting jacked up, up,up...I mean $8 dollars for a round trip ticket from Lake Merrit to Fremont is kinda on the high side.
The people. I mean..they can be some rude mofo's! I'm trying to get on or off the train...do you really have to walk that damn slow!? I'm trying to get somewhere here...I really don't have all day LOL.. Sometimes people be staring like I have I sign or something on my face LOL...kinda creepy. Then sometimes....you have the weirdo's that talk your ear off the whole ride..but hey...i'm a good listener =)
BART is a pretty decent form of public transportation...I really have no complaints...I know that some people would want me NOT to take BART because of what happened recently with one of the BART police...but seriously....that wass a bad thing...but I truly need BART.
I take BART about once a month when I go to downtown Berkeley.....there is never no parking there and I rather save my self the hassle of looking for parking or avoid getting a parking ticket...or if im going to the city.
Took BART coming back from the airport to Embarcadero station. Yes, right back to work after a work trip. Sheesh. I met a train that doors opened immediately, closed promptly, rocked me to sleep while I listened to my IPOD. Awoke to strange people boarding near civic center station so after that I was just people watching. Its good for that also.
$5.35 from SFO to last stop in San Francisco. Can't beat it. If you got a cab I can only imagine how much it would run. I really hope they don't strike. Too many people rely on them.
One of the great things about living in SF we all have choices of ways to get to wherever we are going without driving. You can also be green friendly. The website will calculate how much in carbon emisions you are saving by taking BART. Let's all do our part....
Now, if my car service will just come pick me up and take me home 'cause its Friday people and I ain't ridin no public transportation!!!
As of July 1st, it now costs $9.90 EACH WAY from Pleasant Hill to SFO. Thank you, BART, for not "punishing" your "loyal commuters" who make a ton of money. It makes more sense to punish the food service and ramp workers at the airport, forcing them to pay $5 more per day, or drive and pay for parking, since they make considerably more money than those "loyal commuters" who work in the office buildings of San Francisco.
BOYCOTT BART & DRIVE! These people are corrupt, greedy THIEVES.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/10/2009
I'm with Matt H and give this incredibly craptacular public transit system exactly what it's earned… Read more »
After chilling with SEPTA (Philly) and Metrolink (St. Louis) for more years than I wish to count, damn near anything is an improvement. Yes, scaled charges are a dick move and I just love it when people enter before I exit, but unlike the myriad annoyances I have experienced with the aforementioned transit authorities, BART's "caveats" don't make me want to set fire to all parties involved.
BART is great. I'm on it everyday on my commute to work. Fast and efficient -- more or less on time (unlike its evil brother, MUNI). The electronic passes were an improvement, but why isn't there anything more similar to a fastpass? (I guess MUNI does do somethings right...)
Also what the hell is this about shutting down at midnight. THIS IS A WORLD CLASS CITY FOR CHRIST SAKE. This is why people get DUIs! *cough*
It's such a handy way to get around, be it from your friend in Sunnyside taking it to Oakland for a baseball game, or from your pad in Duboce triangle heading to the airport.
Now if only they'd dig a tunnel to the Outer Richmond. Is that too much to ask for beach access? LOL! J/k--I'm sure it would be hella' rusty in no time.
Bart saved the day when we were tryiing to get to the city for a dinner reservation. Normally, driving to the city takes 30 minutes, and $4 for bridge fare, and $25 parking. So we headed out on 580... and it was backed up. Oh NO! The sign said... 54 minutes to downtown SF. We pulled off the freeway, called the restaurant saying we will be late, found the local Bart and got into the CIty. Traffic was NASTY-A!
OK, the cars don't all have air conditioning. The cars are not all carpeted. And there may be a lot of people on board. BUT we GOT there!!! From where we were in Oakland to the Embarcadero, we paid $6.60 round trip ride each. We walked to the restaurant, but it wasn't far, and we needed it after the dinner we ate.
Bart isn't always pleasant, but you know... I wasn't about to sit another hour in a car that was going no where.
What public transit system shuts down 2 hours before the bars do and right when most concerts let out?
BART.
What idiots said "Let's use carpet and plush seating for thousands of people to use everyday so that it can constantly reek of BO, piss and shit!"
BART.
BART is so inconvenient that I would rather sit in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half and search for parking for 30 minutes than have to rely on it to get me anywhere.
Being a Boston girl, I appreciate public transportation and using the BART in SF is no different for me. It's clean, fast, and on time, what more can I ask for? It lost a star because I'm not fond of their vending machines to get my tickets. It was rather confusing and it didn't tell me how much it cost to get to a certain location. THEN it costs a lot! what's that all about?
Oh yeah, I did rode it again. Twice this month. From OAK via AirBus and to SFO. Still had a wonderful comfortable experience! Interesting people rides the BART as well... So it's a great place to people watch...
And I just realized that BART can have as many as 10 cars per train. That is awesome! Even if it's a commuter train that runs all day long!
The BART was about to go on strike on August 17 and I go back to Los Angeles on the 18th.
"Shit! Fuck me! God damn those stupid economic wreckers!" All those thoughts (plus other not so nice thoughts) were what went through my mind when I read the front page or the Examiner on a Saturday afternoon on a MUNI train.
I began to look for alternative route. Fortunately there's a bus route that does go into the airport or at least close enough.
I never rode the bus because the Union leader agreed to a last minute deal which, at the time, have yet to be voted by the workers. I don't know if they agreed or not because I don't give a crap. California need to pass a law to ban public transportation workers from striking!
Anyhoo. I was lucky I get to experience the BART again! *giggles*
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/5/2009
Clean, effective, fast, frequent, and large seats! You can beat that, especially if it goes all over… Read more »
BART is like a secret lover. It shows up on time, moves quickly and doesn't hesitate to leave when the business is done. Sure it's dirty, loud and has been ridden a few times before, but that just adds to the excitement, doesn't it?
An hour and a half of my workday is spent in the tunnels and elevated tracks of the BART system. Without it, I am stuck on the roads, a slave to the pace and gridlock of the Bay freeways. With it, I know exactly what time I will be where, and that gives me peace of mind. I can read the paper, play Rolando, scribble Yelp reviews, sleep. There are so many options.
Pay no attention to the detractors, they are not BART locals, they are BART tourists. This system is reliable, competitively priced and unequaled in California. It is the only thing that allows me to live in San Francisco while maintaining a job in an East Bay suburban nightmare they call a city. And anything that allows me to live in San Francisco is deserving of unlimited praise.
It never occurred to me to review my transit options before, but after staring at an unusually large stain on the floor of my BART car this morning I figured I'd share my thoughts.
No, I did not figure out what that large stain was. It was rather creepy now that I think about it. Blood or urine? Random beverages? I dunno, and the stains are always in the corner of the car, but this one was huuuuge.
But stains aside, BART picks me up from a few blocks from the pad and delivers me safely near work, and for how many trains are going on all the time I don't think the delays are really that big of deal. Get more routes in the city to be a "proper subway" and I'd say we can be BFF.
Bay Area Rapid Transit aka, BART exceeds MUNI in almost every way. Almost because they are experiencing a gradually worsening cleanliness problem.
I'll address that first. The uncleanliness isn't really as much litter from food or drinks, but soiling from you probably don't want to know what. Due to budget constraints, BART has cut back on custodial staffing, thereby exasperating the situation.
Their peddling Peet's Coffee at several stations & considering allowing drinks on the trains (provided you use their shoddy, poorly designed "spill-proof" mugs) will not help things.
On the bright side, BART is mostly on schedule (unlike MUNI, they actually HAVE a schedule, not an "estimate"). And unlike MUNI, their operators (they don't like the term driver) seem to actually grasp the notion of customer service & convenience. For instance, they try to connect you, ala SF-bound trains waiting for transfers at McArthur Station after direct trains stop running.
A MUNI driver will more likely make SURE you do not connect. Seriously.
Although BART plans to raise fares yet again, it'll still be cheaper for a tourist (or non Fast Pass holder) tp ride from Embarcadero Station to Civic Center Station after both transit systems' proposed rate increases. Yes, it'll cost more to ride MUNI than BART for the same distance.
BART provides their own police who hold full police powers.
Some stations along their routes are visual sights. Examples are the SFO & Millbrae Stations.
I just LOVE all the complaining about BART.
I love Bart, its been good to me. Things to expect while on Bart.......
1. Loud people on there cell phones, or have music playing through them cuz they cant get a 20 buck MP3 player.
You have a phone, you can get a player.
2. Smelly people.......
Hey there all over, and have to go to work. You don't smell all that good either.
3. It's basically 5 bucks for me to go to SF.
That's almost 2 gallons of gas. 4 for bridge toll, so it beats that.
4. Certain amount of trains that run.
If more were on the tracks, it take longer and have more accidents.
5. They can smell.
Have you EVER been to SF???????????? Or been on Muni.
6. Runs late.
Yea after I have been killing beers and need to go home, I should drive??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
All in all, Bart is VERY essential to getting around the bay area. I like not having to drive. No tolls, no COPS, no traffic............ I just don't see how you can complain. How about no Bart? NO, there be complaining about that too. This is Bay Area Rapid Transit. Not the, make everyone happy train.
Riding the BART has become a necessity for us East Bay members of the bridge and tunnel club. The seats smell, the carpets are stained, and every now and then the homeless give themselves pedi's on the seats. I'll stop bragging for a moment to mention though that the BART is punctual and the most stress-free transportation to the City. Still, with another fare hike coming up shortly and the fact that BART doesn't run pass midnight even on the weekends, I wonder that I am paying extra for? ( HINT: It not to steam clean the carpet, although I wish they would.)
Last week, I caught the last train back to the East Bay at 12:15 am and found a group of teenagers expressing their discontent for the Oscar Grant shooting by taking down one of the hundreds of Adverts (that in theory reduce the cost to us riders by supplementing it with the Ad revenue) and making their own tribute. (See picture in photos.)
With tensions still high and prices continuing to rise to use BART, I wonder how much more of will commuters put up with until BART runs itself into the ground? Time will tell, but personally, I'd like to see the government take it over and regulate it, so that it would become as nice and clean as the transportation they have in Japan. That way, the seats would be steamed clean. ;-)
