Transportation to and from Sfo airport (San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, calculator, tax) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

sfosouth · 10-18-2011, 06:46 AM

Hi all.
I'm going to be moving to San Francisco in the coming weeks and initially I might not have a car. I will be living in south San Francisco by the Bart station. My work location is the Sfo airport. Ive been trying to map out my best options for public transportation without putting a dent in my monthly earnings. Can anyone suggest the best way to get to and from my work destination and also the cheapest? Any sort of monthly pass that will help me out would be greatly appreciated. Bart Is about 13.80 round trip:/, according to the fare calculator in the website. More expensive than some longer commutes. Why is this? Help me out guys

04kL4nD · 10-18-2011, 09:18 AM

Take the bus?

mayorhaggar · 10-18-2011, 09:50 AM

South San Francisco is a separate city from San Francisco.

Check 511.org for different transit routes. But yeah look into the bus. The ride to the airport is more expensive than any other route because there's a lame surcharge to pay for the pretty airport.

tanglenet · 10-19-2011, 09:36 AM

The reason the fare is so high, is that there is a surcharge added to go to SFO. It was a way for BART to raise fees on travelers and tourists, but not on commuters. If you look at the fare schedule for South SF to Embarcadero, the one way fare is about 1/2 the price compared to SFO. If you are working for an airlines, the TSA, goverment or other large employer, they may have parking lots or reimbursement for using public transportation. You may want to talk to your employer or their HR department.

sfosouth · 10-20-2011, 12:31 PM

I'll be looking into the bus option. Would it be transam? How do you pay? Clipper? How does that work?
I've also read about the Bart plus but I haven't figured it out yet. Would this be a good option?

Thanks for the heads up with the 511 and the employer transportation benefits. I was reading about this in the s.f goverment site and it said it was mandatory for employees from employers. Is this true? I work for an airline.

The place I'll be staying at in south s.f is a corporate apartment for a reasonable amount of time( till I get an apartment). Where should I look for that, close to work, to public transport and under 1300 a month for a 1 bedroom.

sonarrat · 10-20-2011, 12:46 PM

I have good news for you: BART gives airport workers a break, good for $5 a day.

BART cuts surcharge for SFO workers - SFGate

mayorhaggar · 10-20-2011, 01:20 PM

If you can do a studio and don't want a car, I'd suggest San Francisco, could get a studio near a BART station like Glen Park or Balboa Park. Studios in SF are generally around $1200-1500 depending on how nice/big they are. I don't think you'll find many 1br's in San Mateo County for around $1300 but you might. I think living without a car in San Mateo County would be a drag, it's not super sprawly but it's suburban and public transit isn't the best. Daly City might work but you'd be more limited in mobility without a car compared to living in San Francisco.

You could definitely find a 1br in nice parts of Oakland for $1300 or less but that would be a pretty long BART ride to SFO.

tanglenet · 10-21-2011, 07:06 AM

In regards to employer reimbursement for commuting: I don't remember the details as I don't work for a large employer. In order to reduce traffic in the Bay Area, large employers can reimburse employees for their transportation costs. I don't know if there are Fed or State or Local tax breaks or incentives for the companies to do so. As far as I know, it is not mandatory.

twins4lynn · 10-21-2011, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfosouth

I'll be looking into the bus option. Would it be transam? How do you pay? Clipper? How does that work?
I've also read about the Bart plus but I haven't figured it out yet. Would this be a good option?

Thanks for the heads up with the 511 and the employer transportation benefits. I was reading about this in the s.f goverment site and it said it was mandatory for employees from employers. Is this true? I work for an airline.

The place I'll be staying at in south s.f is a corporate apartment for a reasonable amount of time( till I get an apartment). Where should I look for that, close to work, to public transport and under 1300 a month for a 1 bedroom.

If you work for SF civil service and are assigned to SFO and you live in San Francisco, then you would receive benefits to offset (some) travel expenses. If you live outside of SF and work at SFO, no travel expense. If you work for an airline, you do not work for SF civil service, and the sfgov civil service benefits would not apply to you. You need to check with your (employer) airlines department of human resources regarding travel benefits/parking, etc.

wrcousert · 10-22-2011, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfosouth

Any sort of monthly pass that will help me out would be greatly appreciated. Bart Is about 13.80 round trip:/, according to the fare calculator in the website. More expensive than some longer commutes. Why is this? Help me out guys

Does anyone know why BART doesn't have some sort of monthly or day pass?

Has this ever been considered in the past? If so, why was it turned down?