Did you know there’s a way to get from the East Bay to San Francisco in twenty minutes for $1?
The only catch – you need a bike.
Caltrans runs a Bay Bridge Bike Shuttle during weekday commute hours. These are the times when bikes aren’t allowed on BART, so it’s a bike-friendly (and cheaper) substitute.
The shuttle connects the MacArthur BART station and the Transbay Terminal. It only seats 14, and almost always fills up in the typical commute direction, so be advised to arrive at least 10 minutes early leaving Oakland in the morning and SF in the evening.
| WEEKDAY MORNINGS | WEEKDAY MORNINGS |
| Leave Oakland | Leave San Francisco |
| 6:20 a.m. | 6:40 a.m. |
| 7:00 a.m. | 7:25 a.m. |
| 7:45 a.m. | 8:10 a.m. |
| 8:30 a.m. | — |
| WEEKDAY EVENINGS | WEEKDAY EVENINGS |
| Leave San Francisco | Leave Oakland |
| 3:50 p.m. | 4:15 p.m. |
| 4:40 p.m. | 5:05 p.m. |
| 5:30 p.m. | 5:55 p.m. |
| 6:15 p.m. | — |
From the Caltrans website.
Moey M. of Yelp writes:
i can’t believe this shuttle gets anything less than 5 stars from anyone. it is one of the best services out there for bay area bike commuters. at a cost of a mere $1 to get over the bridge, the value is unbeatable.
i’ve never found it to be ridiculously crowded, but i travel in the reverse direction (live in SF, work in east bay) so maybe i have it easy.
would i like the shuttle to run more often? sure. do i wish the east bay riders would be less rude and pushy while we unload? totally. do the drivers occasionally thwart my plans by leaving a minute or two early? ugh, yes. even so, this shuttle deserves five glowing, radiant, commute-friendly stars from the bottom of my cyclist heart.
i love you caltrans bike shuttle!
Visit the BART website for more information on MacArthur BART Station. Note that the parking lot typically fills up by 7 AM.
Photo credit: Flickr/elithebearded
