San Francisco metro is known as BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit ) and it connects cities in the East Bay and San Mateo County. BART connects the cities of the East Bay and San Mateo County, which include San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, Concord, Fremont, Hayward, Walnut Creek and Richmond. It’s the fifth busiest rapid transit system in the United States.
- Known as: BART
- Number of vehicles: 669
- System length: 167 km
- Number of lines: 5
- Number of stations: 44, 5 under construction and 9 planned.
- Top speed: 110 km/h
- Official site: www.bart.gov
- Operator: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District
- Average ridership: 373,945 per day
- Start of operation: September 11, 1972
Bart lines and stations
- Richmond- Fremont line. It’s the orange line. This line has 18 stations (3 more currently under construction). It has a length of 59 km and circulates at an average speed of about 60 km/h. Stations: Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley, Ashby, MacArthur, 19th Street Oakland, 12th Street Oakland City Center, Lake Merritt, Fruitvale, Coliseum, San Leandro, Bay Fair, Hayward, South Hayward, Union City, Fremont
- Richmond–Daly City/Millbrae Line: It’s 58kms long and has and a total of 23 stations. Circulates at an average speed of 50Km/h. Also known as the red line.It operates until early evening Mondays through Saturdays. Stations: Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley, Ashby, MacArthur, 19th Street Oakland, 12th Street Oakland City Center, West Oakland, Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, Civic Center / UN Plaza, 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae
- Pittsburg/Bay Point–SFO/Millbrae line: It’s the yellow line. It has 26 stations in 89 kms. Trains run at an average speed of 58kms/h. It has a line from the airport to Millbrae on weekends and weeknights. Stations: Pittsburg / Bay Point, North Concord / Martinez, Concord, Pleasant Hill / Contra Costa Centre, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, Rockridge, MacArthur, 19th Street Oakland, 12th Street Oakland City Center, West Oakland, Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, Civic Center / UN Plaza, 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport, Millbrae
- Fremont–Daly City Line: It is the green line. It has 19 stations (plus 3 that are currently under construction). This line is 62.9 kms long and trains circulate at an average speed of 60kms/h. Closed on sundays. Stations: Fremont, Union City, South Hayward, Hayward, Bay Fair, San Leandro, Coliseum, Fruitvale, Lake Merritt, West Oakland, Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, Civic Center / UN Plaza, 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, Daly City
- Dublin/Pleasanton–Daly City Line: It’s the blue line. There are 18 stations in 57.5 kms of tracks. Trains run at an average speed of 55kms/h. Stations: Dublin / Pleasanton, West Dublin / Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Bay Fair, San Leandro, Coliseum, Fruitvale, Lake Merritt, West Oakland, Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, Civic Center / UN Plaza, 16th Street Mission, 24th Street Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, Daly City
Schedule and frequency
BART operates from 4:00am (6:00 am on weekends and holidays) to 12: 00 am. Trains run every fifteen minutes and twenty minutes during evenings, weekends and holidays.
Rates
The cost is based on a formula that takes into account both the length and speed of the trip. Minimum fare is $1.75 and is charged for trips under 9.7 km.
The maximum one-way fare is of $10.90 (around 82 km trip).
BART has 5 different colors of tickets:
- Blue tickets: are the general tickets and the most common type
- Red tickets: for disabled people and children aged under 4
- Green tickets : for people over 65 years old
- Orange tickets: for students
- BART Plus : special high-value ticket
Bikes and BART
It’s allowed to carry bikes on trains and at all times except for:
- Cars that are full of people
- Never in the first car of each train
- And never in the first 3 cars between 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 pm
You can’t take your bike on escalators and always yield to passengers without bike. Avoid blocking aisles and/or doors.
Curious facts
BART became the first transit system in the United States to offer underground cellphone communication to passengers of all major wireless carriers in May 2004.
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