Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area
The following is a list of transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Airports
The following airports are served by commercial airlines. In addition there are many general aviation airports in the region.
Public transportation
Mass transit
The Bay Area is served by a number of mass transit systems:
- Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) - A subway/commuter rail service that serves parts of the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, and Walnut Creek. It has a direct connection to San Francisco's airport while a direct connection to Oakland's airport is in the planning stages.
- Caltrain - A commuter rail service that connects San Jose and cities along the Peninsula with San Francisco, and with the BART system by way of the Millbrae Station.
- Amtrak - There are several Amtrak stations throughout the Bay Area. Major stations in Martinez and Emeryville feature Coast Starlight and California Zephyr service. The Starlight also serves Oakland and San Jose. The Capitol Corridor connects Bay Area cities to Sacramento and Auburn, California, and features BART transfer stations at Richmond and the Oakland Coliseum. The San Joaquin serves Sacramento, California, and Oakland California with trains to Bakersfield, California.
- ACE - Altamont Commuter Express; a rail service that mainly serves commuters to and from the Central Valley to the Silicon Valley. It travels from Stockton through Pleasanton, Fremont, Santa Clara, and ends at San Jose. It operates only during commute hours on weekdays.
Light rail
- In Santa Clara County, VTA operates its own light rail network, serving southern, central and eastern San Jose, along with northern Santa Clara, northern Sunnyvale, Campbell and Mountain View.
Bus
Numerous and often overlapping bus transit agencies service the area. The table below lists most of the Bay Area's bus agencies, along with their mass transit (train) connections.
Legend for Mass Transit Connections:
| Color Code |
Definition |
| Santa Rosa CityBus |
Does not provide connections to any mass transit agency |
| Vallejo Transit |
Serves one mass transit agency |
| Wheels |
Serves two mass transit agencies |
| AC Transit |
Serves three or more mass transit agencies |
Note: this list does not include school day-only routes or routes operated on special events.
| Agency Name |
Bus Example |
Coverage Area |
Number of Routes |
Mass Transit Connections |
Local/
Basic |
Rapid/
Limited |
Express/
Commuter |
Shuttle |
All-Nighter |
| AC Transit* |
|
Inner East Bay (western Alameda County and western Contra Costa County), with limited service to San Francisco (Transbay Terminal only), parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties |
68 |
4 |
29 |
None |
6 |
Connects to multiple Amtrak and BART stations, plus three Caltrain stations and one VTA Light Rail station |
| AirBART |
|
Oakland |
1 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
Provides connections between Oakland Coliseum BART/Amtrak Station and Oakland International Airport |
| Benicia Breeze |
|
Benicia, Concord |
5 |
None |
None |
2 |
None |
|
| County Connection |
|
Central Contra Costa County (Concord, Martinez, Orinda, San Ramon, Walnut Creek), southeastern Alameda County (Dublin/Pleasanton BART) |
35 |
None |
7 |
2 |
None |
Connects to four BART stations and the Martinez Amtrak Station |
| Dumbarton Express* |
|
Southern Alameda County (Fremont, Newark, Union City BART), Santa Clara County (Palo Alto) |
None |
None |
3 |
None |
None |
Connects to Union City BART Station and Palo Alto Caltrain Station |
| Emery Go Round |
|
Emeryville, MacArthur BART |
6 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
Connects to MacArthur BART Station and Emeryville Amtrak Station |
| Fairfield and Suisun Transit |
|
Parts of Contra Costa and Yolo Counties, most of Solano County, Sacramento |
10 |
None |
4 |
None |
None |
Connects to Suisun City/Fairfield Amtrak Station and two BART stations |
| Golden Gate Transit** |
|
Parts of Contra Costa County (El Cerrito, Richmond), Marin County, San Francisco, Sonoma County (up to Santa Rosa) |
20† |
1 |
20 |
None |
None |
Connects to Del Norte BART, Richmond Amtrak/BART, and several BART and Muni Metro stations in San Francisco |
| Healdsburg Transit |
|
Healdsburg |
1 |
None |
None |
1 |
None |
|
| Marin Transit |
|
Marin County |
14† |
None |
None |
7 |
None |
|
| Petaluma Transit |
|
Petaluma |
5 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
|
| SamTrans* |
|
San Francisco, San Mateo County, part of Santa Clara County (Palo Alto) |
30‡ |
None |
1 |
None |
2 |
Provides connections to multiple BART and Caltrain stations; Muni Metro connections along Market Street are just one block from Mission Street |
| San Benito County Transit |
|
San Benito County and parts of Gilroy (Santa Clara County) |
6*** |
2 |
None |
None |
None |
Connects to Gilroy Caltrain |
| San Francisco MUNI |
|
San Francisco, parts of Marin County (Marin Headlands) and San Mateo County (Brisbane, Daly City) |
42 |
5 |
16# |
None |
10 |
Provides connections to multiple BART, Caltrain, and Muni Metro stations |
| Santa Cruz Metro |
|
Santa Cruz County, part of San Jose (Santa Clara County) |
30 |
5 |
1 |
None |
None |
Connects Santa Cruz County cities with San Jose via Highway 17 Express route to Amtrak/VTA light rail/Caltrain/ACE Diridon Station |
| Santa Rosa CityBus |
|
Santa Rosa |
18 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
|
| Sonoma County Transit |
|
Part of Marin County (San Rafael), Sonoma County |
20†† |
None |
6 |
None |
None |
|
| Tri Delta Transit |
|
Southeastern Alameda County (Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station), central and eastern Contra Costa County (Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg), western San Joaquin County (Mountain House) |
13*** |
None |
7 |
1 |
None |
Provides connections to several BART stations and Martinez Amtrak Station |
| Union City Transit* |
|
Union City |
5 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
Provides connections to Union City BART |
| Vacaville City Coach |
|
Vacaville |
4 |
None |
None |
None |
None |
|
| Vallejo Transit |
|
Parts of Contra Costa (El Cerrito) and Solano Counties (Fairfield, Vallejo) |
8 |
None |
2 |
None |
None |
Provides connections to several BART stations (Del Norte BART, Pleasant Hill BART, Walnut Creek BART) |
| VINE |
|
Napa County, parts of Solano County (Vallejo) and Sonoma County (Santa Rosa) |
12## |
None |
2 |
4 |
None |
Provides connections to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal and Del Norte BART |
| VTA* |
|
Santa Clara County, parts of Alameda County (Fremont) and San Mateo County (Menlo Park) |
54# |
5 |
12 |
12 |
1 |
Connects to multiple Caltrain and VTA light rail stations, plus one BART station (Fremont BART) |
| WestCAT |
|
Western and Central Contra Costa County, San Francisco |
10 |
None |
4 |
None |
None |
Provides connections to Del Norte BART and Martinez Amtrak statons |
| WHEELS |
|
Central and southern Contra Costa County (San Ramon, Walnut Creek), southeastern Alameda County (Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton) |
20** |
None |
3 |
4 |
None |
Provides connections to several BART and ACE |
| Note |
Some routes that operate as one route type may also be listed as another type (e.g. select daytime Muni services also operate as All-Nighter routes) |
Symbols Legend:
- * - operates as a part of a consortium for Dumbarton Express
- ** - includes "variable" or "deviated" routes
- † - Golden Gate Transit's local routes are operated under contract with Marin Transit. Also, Golden Gate Transit's local routes include the Basic regional routes (Routes 10, 42, 70, 80, 101)
- †† - Sonoma County Transit's local routes include some commute-only services that also act as local trips.
Other Agencies:
Ferries
Public ferry services cross the bay to serve both commuters and leisure travelers. Operators include Golden Gate Transit, Blue and Gold Fleet, and Red & White Fleet. Hornblower Cruises provides service to Alcatraz Island.
Airport shuttle service
Airport shuttles (mostly buses and vans) provide services from the three major San Francisco Bay Area airports, namely San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Oakland International Airport (OAK), and San Jose International Airport (SJC).
- BayPorter Express Airport Shuttle - Airport Shuttle service serving Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties to and from SFO and OAK.
- Marin Airporter - Airport Shuttle service serving Marin County to and from SFO.
- Marin County Airport Shuttle - Airport Shuttle service serving Marin County to and from SFO, OAK, and SJC.
- Monterey Airport Shuttle - Airport Shuttle service serving Monterey County to and from SFO, OAK, and SJC.
- Non Stop Airport Shuttle - Private shuttle service to and from SFO, OAK, and SJC.
- Sonoma County Airport Express - Airport Shuttle service serving Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma) and Marin County (San Rafael) to and from SFO and OAK.
- SuperShuttle - Airport door-to-door van service serving San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties to and from SFO, OAK (reservations only), and SJC (reservations only).
Freeways and highways
The Bay Area possesses an extensive freeway and highway system.
Trans-bay crossings
- Interstate 80 - The western terminus of I-80 is located in San Francisco as James Lick Skyway, just west of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge. The interstate continues to the east, connecting to Oakland and the north coast of the East Bay as the Eastshore Freeway, and then on to Sacramento, Reno, and New Jersey.
- Interstate 580 - This spur route's western terminus is in Marin County. The Interstate crosses the San Pablo Bay over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, goes through Richmond as the John T. Knox Freeway, passes through Oakland as the MacArthur Freeway, then continues to Livermore, through the Altamont Pass to Tracy, where it intersects with Interstate 5, thus providing a link with Southern California.
- State Route 92 - SR 92's western terminus is in Half Moon Bay. The two-lane highway crosses the Santa Cruz Mountains, connecting to Interstate 280 and U.S. Route 101 as the J. Arthur Younger Freeway, becoming a freeway as it passes through San Mateo before crossing the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge to Hayward as Jackson Street.
- State Route 84 - SR 84 begins at State Route 1 (at the Pacific Coast) near San Gregorio State Beach, and crosses the Santa Cruz Mountains on a scenic route between La Honda and Woodside as Woodside Road. It then crosses the Bay over the Dumbarton Bridge from Redwood City to Newark. The route then passes through Fremont as Thornton Avenue and Peralta Boulevard, continuing as Niles Canyon Road to Sunol and Livermore as Vallecitos Road and Isabel Avenue, terminating at Interstate 580 as Airway Boulevard.
The Peninsula to the South Bay
- Interstate 280 and U.S. Route 101 - Eight-lane and, in some parts, 10-lane freeways connecting San Francisco to San Jose, passing through the Peninsula as Junipero Serra and Sinclair Freeways (I-280) and Bayshore Freeway (101). Highway 101 continues south to Gilroy and Salinas, California, before continuing to Los Angeles. For most of its route I-280 runs along the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is very scenic, while 101 is highly urban and is locally known as "the world's longest parking lot."
- California State Routes 1 and 35 - Two-lane highways also traveling down the Peninsula, SR 1 along the Pacific coast, and SR 35 near the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains. SR 1 as Cabrillo Highway connects to Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, before continuing to Los Angeles.
- California State Routes 17 (Santa Cruz Freeway) and 9 - Highways through the Santa Cruz Mountains, connecting the South Bay to Santa Cruz. Part of SR 17 in San Jose is an 8 lane freeway.
- California Routes 237 (South Bay Freeway) and 85 (West Valley Freeway) - Six-lane freeways connecting the west Santa Clara Valley to the east Santa Clara Valley, bypassing Downtown San Jose.
- State Route 87 (Guadalupe Parkway) - North-south six-lane freeway entirely in San Jose, connecting San Jose International Airport, Downtown to the Almaden Valley.
- State Route 152 - Two-lane highway from Watsonville, crosses the Santa Cruz Mountains to Gilroy, then crosses the Diablo Range through Pacheco Pass to I-5 near Los Banos.
- State Route 156 - Two-lane highway connecting the Monterey Peninsula from Castroville to northern San Benito County and State Route 152.
- State Route 82 - Highway running from San Jose to Interstate 280 in San Francisco. It is designated a State Route, although it is more similar to an inner-city boulevard, and contains either 2, 4, or 6 lanes. Through much of the San Mateo County, it is also known as El Camino Real. It runs from Daly City in the north through the Peninsula and beyond.
- The freeway system in Santa Clara county is augmented by its expressway system.
North Bay
- US 101 (Redwood Highway) and SR 1 - Continue north of San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and connecting San Francisco to Marin and Sonoma counties, and eventually to Oregon.
- State Route 29 - Four-lane expressway connecting Interstate 80 in Vallejo in Solano County as Sonoma Boulevard to the towns of American Canyon and Napa. North of Napa, SR 29 is a two-lane rural highway through the towns of the Napa Valley, California's Wine Country, to Clear Lake.
- State Route 37 - Four- and two-lane expressway connecting US 101 in Novato with Interstate 80 in Vallejo, along the northern shore of San Pablo Bay.
- State Route 12 - A highway connecting Santa Rosa with suburbs to the west and Interstate 80 through Sonoma and Napa to the east.
East Bay
- Interstates 880 (Nimitz Freeway and Cypress Freeway) and 680 travel up the East Bay from San Jose, 880 close to the bay to Oakland, and 680 inland from San Jose north through Fremont, Pleasanton and Concord; then crosses the Benicia-Martinez bridge and ends at Interstate 80 in Fairfield.
- Interstate 980 (Grove Shafter Freeway) is entirely in Downtown Oakland and begins at Interstate 880 and travels north to become State Route 24 at Interstate 580.
- State Route 13, or the Warren Freeway, is entirely in the Oakland Hills and travels north from Interstate 580 to State Route 24, where the freeway portion ends. Beyond SR 24, SR 13 is Berkeley's Ashby Avenue.
- State Route 24 (Grove Shafter Freeway and Mt. Diablo Boulevard) begins at Interstate 580 in Oakland and travels east through the Caldecott Tunnel to Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek.
- State Route 238/Interstate 238 (Mission Boulevard) is an arterial from Fremont to Hayward, along the base of the hills, then becomes a freeway near Oakland.
- State Route 4 (John Muir Parkway) - Western terminus at Interstate 80 in Hercules, travels east through Martinez, Pittsburg, and Antioch, where the freeway portion ends. The highway continues to Brentwood and east to Stockton.
Named interchanges
The Alemany Maze is the interchange between the James Lick Freeway (U.S. Route 101) and Interstate 280.
The MacArthur Maze is the interchange between the Eastshore Freeway, Nimitz Freeway, and MacArthur Freeway at the east end of the Bay Bridge.
Bridges
Due to the central location of the San Francisco Bay, eight toll bridges cross the Bay or Bay tributaries.
External links