Taxi or Shuttle from SF airport

[jk88cal]

Price, reliability, safety:

Price: For 4 people, Uber & taxi will be lowest cost. Typically, Uber is cheaper than Taxi. But then it depends on situation. Uber can charge 2.5x with Surge Pricing. Airport shuttle cost is per person; so for family of 4, shuttle doesn't make sense.

Reliability: From the airport, taxi is bit more reliable. There will always be a line of taxi waiting for customer. If you are in downtown SF with taxi waiting, then taxi again, as it is readily available. If you are in residential area, then Uber is better as you can see where the driver is.

Safety: Hard to say, as there are so many factors. For equipment safety, I'd say taxi, then uber, then shuttle. For driving safety, I'd say uber, then shuttle, then taxi. Because uber drivers gets reviews, how they drive and customer service can be factored into their review. For passenger safety from driver crime, I'd say taxi, then shuttle, then uber.

[Marv101]

Insofar as taking BART from the airport to a hotel on Union Square, should I fly into SFO or OAK on Southwest from LAX, or does it really matter?

Thanks!!

[jk88cal]

Originally Posted by Marv101

Insofar as taking BART from the airport to a hotel on Union Square, should I fly into SFO or OAK on Southwest from LAX, or does it really matter?

Thanks!!

I haven't taken BART in years. As far as I know, both are similar. You have to take airport connector at both SFO or OAK to BART; then BART to Union Square. So I will get the cheaper flight, which is likely OAK.

[bodyforlife99]

Originally Posted by jk88cal

I haven't taken BART in years. As far as I know, both are similar. You have to take airport connector at both SFO or OAK to BART; then BART to Union Square. So I will get the cheaper flight, which is likely OAK.

I believe the terminal the OP would land at SFO would not require any connector (you simply take the escalator up). The connection at Oakland is not as smooth (it's like an 8 minute ride from the Coliseum BART station). It used to be a separate cost also, but maybe that's not the case anymore. I also don't think flying into OAK is cheaper (it would be the same or more expensive on Southwest).

[artemis78]

Yes, both OAK and SFO have BART connectors, and both have surcharges over the base BART fares, although they are just rolled into your overall BART fare when you pay. (The connectors are the lines that link the airports to the main BART lines at the San Bruno/Millbrae and Coliseum stations, respectively.) To get to Union Square, you'll pay $10.20 from OAK or $8.95 from SFO with the surcharges, so it's pretty much a wash for cost, although the trip from OAK is almost twice as long, so that might be something to factor in. Beyond that, I'd go with the cheaper/more convenient flight.

[ketch89]

BART is statistically the safest option (transit is extremely safe compared to private vehicles...)

Uber will be the cheapest and likely most comfortable option, though.

Please don't give any money to the terrible cab companies. They're awful.