What a visitor should know

How to get a ticket:

Starting in 2024, you’ll only give you the chance to pay for BART with a Clipper card – either a plastic version or a digital version in your phone or smartwatch.

• Buy a card on the BART station. Cards can be found from vending machines at each station. You pay $3 for the cardboard, along with the loaded fare.

• Buy a card prematurely. You can order a prepaid ticket through ClipperCard.com and have it mailed to you. Expect the cardboard to take about 10 days to reach.

• Set up a digital account. You can find Clipper within the Transit section of Apple Wallet or Google Pay under Discover > Ride Transit. Clipper website provides more information in regards to the phone/watch option.

How to make use of it:

At the ticket counter resulting in the boarding area, hold your card or phone or watch near the scanner circle marked “Tag Here”. Do the identical at the opposite end before leaving the station.

BART from SFO:

There is a BART station on the departure/ticket level of the San Francisco Airport International Terminal. Walk or take the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station stop.

If you’ll San Francisco, take either the northbound line – yellow (destination Antioch or Bay Point) or red (destination Richmond). The ride to San Francisco takes about half-hour and costs about $10.50 for an adult.

If your destination is on the east side of the bay, beyond the last stop in San Francisco, you will have to ascertain the map to see if you should stay on the Yellow or Red Line, or transfer to the Blue or Green Line at a station further up the road.

The only station south of the airport is Millbrae, which can be served by the red line (until 9 p.m.) and the yellow line. There you may Transfer to Caltrainwhich runs between San Francisco and San Jose (plus a number of day by day trains to Gilroy). Caltrain also accepts Clipper payments. Note that Caltrain's terminus in San Francisco is within the China Basin area, a few mile from the foremost tourist hotels.

BART from Oakland Airport:

The airport train station is situated between Terminals 1 and a couple of. A free shuttle train runs to the Coliseum station, where passengers should purchase a Clipper card at Platform 3 and transfer to a different line. The trip from the airport to the primary station in San Francisco takes about half-hour on two or three trains and costs about $12.

More about public transportation within the Bay Area

Can I take advantage of my Clipper card for other buses and trains?

Clipper is utilized by several other Bay Area transit agencies, including Caltrain, Muni, SamTrans, AC Transit and VTA.

What about cable cars? And ferries?

Yes for the cable cars which can be a part of the Muni system; the conductor has a handheld scanner to read the tickets. Yes for the Golden Gate Ferry, which matches to destinations in Marin County and Angel Island, and for the San Francisco Bay Ferry to the East Bay. No for the boat to Alcatraz, which is a concession of the National Park Service.

Can my whole party use a card?

Each person aged 4 and over needs a card, but multiple digital accounts might be arrange on one phone.

Can I get Clipper cards at a reduction? for the youngsters and seniors in my travel group?

To obtain a Clipper card that accepts youth (5-18 years) or senior (65+) fares, you could submit Proof of age eligibility by uploading documents whenever you order a card online. The youth rate is 50% cheaper, the senior rate 62.5% cheaper. In the Bay Area, you may upload the document to a designated transit office or stop by a staffed kiosk and buy a reduction card there.

Can I get a refund? the remaining balance on my card at the tip of my trip?

If you registered your card at ClipperCard.com, you may request a refund minus a $5 fee.

I actually have a BART paper ticket from a previous visit. Can I take advantage of it?

No. BART has stopped using paper tickets in 2023.

Does BART operate 24 hours a day?

On weekdays the trains run from 5 a.m. to midnightThe red and green lines shall be closed at 9 p.m. Service will begin at 6 a.m. on Saturday and eight a.m. on Sunday.

Is BART underground or above ground?

It's about half and half. The San Francisco stations from Glen Park to Embarcadero are underground, as are those in downtown Oakland. Between San Francisco and Oakland, trains run in 3½ miles of underwater tunnels.

Originally published:

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