San Francisco International Airport BART Station

I use BART to travel to and from the airport. I do so when I have time. I explain my routine. Then I compare alternatives. The preface is I fly into or out of SFO almost weekly. So I go back and forth about 100 times in a year. I've been doing this for multiple years. Other than pilots and crew, probably this amount of time in the air ranks high (a testament to my foolishness, not a compliment of how my life is structured).

My origin/destination is near the geographic center of SF. MUNI is convenient. BART is not. So to get to BART is involved. I almost always ride the bus to Glen Park. I have hiked a couple of times. I also could ride a MUNI train in the wrong direction toward downtown to switch over to BART. This leg of the journey is the annoying part, but the bus comes often. The BART itself is one hundred percent reliable. It comes when it is supposed to. It runs efficiently. I have had no issues. (At SFO, sometimes there is a wait. The train is there sitting. But that just means you board and sit. If it weren't in the station, you'd be on a bench, also seated.)

The cab is under 23 minutes. Without traffic, it can be 21 minutes. But it is $70 with tip. An Uber is slightly less. I've gotten a ride without a reservation, with as little as a three minute wait, for $45 with tip. So you are trading convenience and time against cost. It's simple.

I would recommend BART to anyone with time, trying to save money, or who is entering/exiting near a stop or a MUNI station.

I remember the day when I used to get off at the Colma/Daly City stop and pay $2 for a shuttle to drop me off at the airport. There was no option to be dropped off at a particular airport or terminal. But BART gets you into the station, well just outside of it, and then you get a red tram to your terminal. Good job BART. Thank you.

I have travel all over the world and flown out of some amazing places and some where it was just a dusty strip in Africa.

SFO has gotten better and better over the years. It constantly improves. Terminal 1 is great and has great dining options.

Really easy access via BART.

Layout is such so you don't have to take a train or monorail to get around.

The worst transportation system in California. It's sad when people are trying to get to work on time and your system has problems everyday. Train system always shows up late or they make people upset because apparently don't care that other people have to work for a living. This system is a friggin joke. Your transportation manager should be ashame of themselves for allowing this to happen very unprofessional company. No wonder why people avoid this train system they are tired of the nonsense you guys keep on playing. You all should be fired for not doing your jobs correctly

This airport is huge and working like a maze especially if you have to accompany an elderly disabled person with you on the trip, you have to ask for wheelchair assistance, then directions, then to get to point A to point B, you need to catch the train to be at your gate on time, it's just super confusing for people who rarely travel, but I am sure for others who get on the plane 6 months out every year, this airport should be easy.

I hadn't ridden the BART since 2017 during my last visit to SF. I heard horror stories since then about how bad it had gotten so I was a little apprehensive about riding it but overall it was not bad at all riding it around 10pm to our hotel in Union Square. We did pass by one strange fellow on our way to the street exit but we just kept marching along and did not make eye contact.

My first experience at SFO bart and I was able to get to my destination)).
So, It is not too complicated as it looks like. Just follow directions and instructions and you will be fine. Also try not be to be shy and ask people for help, I did it and it worked for me. People are nice here and there are special workers who will definitely help.
The only thing I didn't like is that some people smoke cigarettes or vape.
Overall it wasn't that bad))

If you are only going to be staying in downtown San Francisco, the BART train is your best option to get there from its airport station. We took the BART both upon our arrival and our return. San Francisco Airport is actually located far outside the city, so a taxi is expensive. In contrast, the BART is less than $10. It runs frequently and is actually faster than a car at rush hour too, with a travel time of about 30 minutes.

4-23-21 arrived just before 10 p.m. First stop for some passengers are the restrooms. We promised our daughter we would keep our masks on so we used our strongest willpower to forego what was being served in the front of the plane and beverages too but we did it!

Passengers were following the baggage claim signs then they kind of stopped. Blind following the blind looking for carousel 9. A whole bunch of people went to the right but we were actually supposed to go to the left then down another escalator. The last sign for baggage is pretty small and obscure by the angle it is placed.

Luggage came out quite quickly, all in tact. Our ride was waiting at curbside.
Glad we could fly to the City by the Bay after a year being home bound.

SO nice to be reunited with Doc & her pup.

Quite honestly after being in SF with crack heads and people that aren't all that great to be around the people that work for Bart are even worse. They are unhelpful and rude when you ask questions. We got stuck waiting for about 30 minutes for Enrique to help us load our cards and get out and then caused us to miss our flight back home. His attitude and way he spoke was disrespectful and in other businesses it would've gotten him fired.