Commuting from S.F. to UC Berkeley (San Francisco, Oakland: home, transferring to)

[380united]

I will be transferring to UC Berkeley this Fall and I have an opportunity to live in the city with my friend (going SFSU); I have not commited to anything. We have just been throwing around the idea. The main worry that I have is the commute from S.F. to UC Berkeley. There is the Bart, it is expensive ($7.30 round trip, roughly $140-170/Month), which would take a large chunk out of my funds, but it's faster. Then there's the Transbay "F" Line, which I can ride for free, but is a longer commute. Furthermore, the commute time could be longer if there is traffic/accident/etc.

I would like use the AC Transit Transbay because it is free, so I'm wondering how the commute is? How long does it usually take (with and without traffic)?

[WCmomMD]

It really depends upon where you are living in San Francisco. You can use 511.org to plan a mock trip to see how long it would take to get to Berkeley from where you live in San Francisco.

[380united]

I'm looking in the areas of: Hayes Valley, Downtown, Soma, Nob Hill and lower Nob Hill, and other local districts.

I guess my main question is - Is Transbay line reliable? or can/does it take longer then what they est. the time will be?

Thanks

[skywalker400]

Its pretty reliable and follows its schedule for the most part, its just a long trip compared to BART. I knew a couple students who biked to transbay and then took it over to campus.

[Shelacious]

The transbay F line is reliable, especially in the reverse commute direction. However, getting "to" the Transbay terminal via Muni might be a different story. When I'm in the City and catching a bus home, the closer I am to being able to walk to the Terminal, the more likely I'll catch the bus back to the East Bay.

But since you have a Class Pass, your best bet will still be to work out something to catch the F to campus.

[sonarrat]

The Transbay buses get onto the bridge at the very last onramp, avoiding the backups, and they use special lanes to get through the toll plaza. I did a test run on one to get to the Laurel district of Oakland once and it took 15 minutes.

[esmith143]

Just the transbay route is 40 minutes one way, figure at least 10-15 min. to get to the terminal if you live in any of the neighborhoods you mentioned; twice a day. It'll get old quickly. If you're studying full time and $150/month is a big chunk of your budget, your opportunities to enjoy the city will be limited, most days you'll be coming home to rest and study. Also, you'll be missing out on a big part of university social life by living off campus.

I wouldn't do that if I were you, regardless of how reliable the F line is. (unless that friend is a fiancee ...)

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by esmith143

Just the transbay route is 40 minutes one way, figure at least 10-15 min. to get to the terminal if you live in any of the neighborhoods you mentioned; twice a day. It'll get old quickly. If you're studying full time and $150/month is a big chunk of your budget, your opportunities to enjoy the city will be limited, most days you'll be coming home to rest and study. Also, you'll be missing out on a big part of university social life by living off campus.

I wouldn't do that if I were you, regardless of how reliable the F line is. (unless that friend is a fiancee ...)

I agree with this. Even if it was free, 2-ish hours a day is still a big chunk (unless you are one of those people who can study efficiently on moving vehicles.) There's plenty of things to do in Berkeley, and of course if you lived there you could go into the city anytime you want.

[urbanitex]

You might also want to take your class schedule into consideration. Most people have a spread-out schedule, so you'll probably end up with 3-4 hours downtime before your next class. I don't know whether you want to make your trips to Berkeley a full-day affair, as personally I'd find it a tiring to be out and about all day without a place to put down my stuff and relax. Plus during the winter and long periods of rainy days, the commute could be pretty dreary. Just my two cents.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by 380united

I will be transferring to UC Berkeley this Fall and I have an opportunity to live in the city with my friend (going SFSU); I have not commited to anything. We have just been throwing around the idea. The main worry that I have is the commute from S.F. to UC Berkeley. There is the Bart, it is expensive ($7.30 round trip, roughly $140-170/Month), which would take a large chunk out of my funds, but it's faster. Then there's the Transbay "F" Line, which I can ride for free, but is a longer commute. Furthermore, the commute time could be longer if there is traffic/accident/etc.

I would like use the AC Transit Transbay because it is free, so I'm wondering how the commute is? How long does it usually take (with and without traffic)?

Bart has no student passes?