how is the public transportation in San Francisco

[artemis78]

$300 a month is insane. If you commute regularly by bus or MUNI, you should buy a FastPass, which is $45/month and gives you unlimited access to MUNI (trains and buses) and to BART within city limits.

It *is* true that commuting across the bay (by BART or a Transbay bus) or to the South Bay/Peninsula (Caltrain) can get very expensive---but still only in the $150/month range (and Caltrain is a lot less if you're going shorter distances). Basically, you can either live and work on the same side of the bay, or factor that cost into housing cost.

Also, for a lot of people, there are bigger picture reasons as to why you might not want to drive to and from work or school every day. (And anyone who thinks a Bay Bridge rush hour commute into the Financial District is a great alternative to "all that hassle" of BART has clearly never actually tried it....there's a reason the trains are often standing room only even at $7-$10/day!)

That said, what you think of the SF public transit system will depend largely on where you're coming from. If you move here from New York or Western Europe or Japan, you'll be appalled. Coming from Miami, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. Transit is not as good (or as well-funded) as it ought to be for a metro region of this size, but it's infinitely better than transit in most American cities. (Again, that's not saying much---transit in most American cities is terrible. But you do have to put things in context.)

[edwardius]

When people from out of the region are talking about San Francisco often they are referring to the bay as a whole rather than the relatively small area and community that is San Francisco. If you live in the City of San Francisco proper, generally you should find lots of communities where you could live pretty well without a car assuming that you are also working inside the City of San Francisco as well.

If you are planning on working in one of the more suburban communties surrounding the City of San Francisco or living in one of those communities, most are a lot less dense and the availibility of mass transit isn't nearly as good. If you spend sometime searching for a place to live, you might be able to arrange using mass transit to get to work, but for day to day living you would probably want a car.

[rey3etw]

Coming from the East Coast and having lived in Japan, I find the BART to be subpar and more comparable to the commuter train. There are numerous reasons why its no good but some are

1. Not enough seating on the train/dirty upholestry seats. I don't understand why they dont just have plastic seats that are on each side of the train rather than the 2x2 system they have. Its really a waste of space.
2. Lack of trains - unless you live right in the city sometimes you have to wait for a train 10 to 15 mins.
3. Poor overall set up of the BART grid - Unlike other cities with real subway lines (Ie New York and Boston) The BART trains only really use 1 line which can cause delays and only allow them to go to a certain parts of the Bay area. I can't tell you how many times I've been delayed 15-30 mins sitting underground because another train has to go in front of our train.
4. Price - Absolutely absurd. In Boston or NY you can ride as far as you want for 1.70/2 yet in the BAY you can spend up to 8 each way. I still don't understand why there is no unlimited per month pass for the BART like they have for the Muni.

In general, yes it is better than nothing but the BART pales in comparison to real subway systems in other cities.

[miss x3]

[quote=ALX8725;7700788]decently reliable, more so if you live in SF.

BART provides a reliable (most of the time) way to get around most of the Bay Area.

WHAT ABOUT Oakland? How are the buses in The East Oakland area?

[jzt83]

Transit in Oakland is okay. There are a few late night lines and fewer 24 hour lines, but most lines are infrequent outside of rush hour.

[miss x3]

Originally Posted by jzt83

Transit in Oakland is okay. There are a few late night lines and fewer 24 hour lines, but most lines are infrequent outside of rush hour.

Thanks. JZT.