Berkeley Parents Network: Commuting between the East Bay and the South Bay

Berkeley Parents Network

Commuting between the East Bay and the South Bay

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Working & Careers > Commuting between the East Bay and the South Bay

Commuting to the Peninsula from Oakland Hills
Public transportation between Oakland and Palo Alto?
Commuting to Stanford University from Berkeley
Commuting to Stanford Medical Center
Commuting to San Jose State University from Oakland

Commuting to the Peninsula from Oakland Hills

June 2006

We are a family of four -- two daughters ages 5 and 3 -- relocating from the LA area to the Bay Area. My wife works in SF and I work in Redwood Shores, and we've been scouting neighborhoods from a temporary setup in SF. We love the East Bay and especially the Oakland Hills neighborhoods, but I'm concerned about the commute to Redwood Shores. I'm especially concerned because the company could move even further south at some point. I'd love to hear from anyone who's doing the commute and whether it's tolerable. People in the office seem to think I'm nuts. Thanks for the advice! Stu

I commute from the Oakland Hills (right off Hwy 13) to Redwood Shores now. It is long and its not my ideal commute but on a good day it is 35 minutes and a bad day it is 55 to where we live/I work. I have also learned which city streets to take instead of freeways when the traffic is bad (which I highly recommend). You can get phone calls out of the way too, especially on the way to work. I also recommend Sirius satellite radio or an iPod, that helps me. People always make comments about how crazy I must be but I like where I work and we love where we live too. Some people commute the same time to SF for jobs but the only difference is they are not doing the driving
Hwy 92 commuter

While I am not currently doing the commute, I have clients all over the peninsula and south bay and know the drives well. The commute is really a personal preference. Are you OK with spending an hour+ in the car each way? It was too much for me. I drove from SF to Mtn. View for 2 years and was done with commuting. With neither of you working in the east bay, I would suggest trying to avoid the drive. If you are in high tech (I am making an assumption here), the jobs in the east bay are slim (but there are some) and you will most likely be signing up to commute for the long term. Another option would be living on the Peninsula (depending on your budget). Take a look at San Mateo (Baywood off of 92 is a good area) or Burlingame. There would be more job flexibility for you on the Peninsula and your wife could take the train to SF. Good Luck!
former commuter

People are right, you are nuts! I did a similar commute (but slightly shorter) for 9 months and it took a lot of time out of my life. My husband does the same commute now and is going crazy. My former boss has been doing this commute since September and just left a job she loved because she couldn't take it anymore. And if you regret it and want to take public transportation, forget it. Three data points, anyway
Not doing that again

Public transportation between Oakland and Palo Alto?

Aug 2005

Does anyone know of reliable public transportation from the East Bay (Oakland) to Palo Alto (near Stanford)? I am beginning a regular commute and don't know what the public transportation options and path might be. Also, is there a casual carpool to this destination? Any other commute tips would be helpful. Thanks!
Uggg....commuting again

The only way I can think of is BART/Casual Carpool into SF, and Caltrain down to PA. http://www.transitinfo.org/ is the best resourse I know of for commuting. Kean

Check www.511.org. It will help you plan a transit trip and can also give carpool information. If you use the trip planner, play with the parameters some to see different options. Michael

No specific suggestions, but you should check out the ''trip planner'' page at www.511.org. R.K.

I used public transportation to Palo Alto VA when I was doing my residency. I live in El Cerrito. It was long but great for naps. I took Bart from del norte and got off at Union City. From there I took the Dumbarton Express bus to Palo Alto. There's 2 DB buses, the DB will get you to downtown Palo Alto and closer to Stanford. DB1 is better for getting to the Page Mill area and the VA. It took about 1.5-2 hours usually. I always thought going this way was cheaper than going through the city via Caltrain. But it could've been offset by getting Commuter checks through work and using them to get BartPlus tix which gives you a free ride on all buses(samtrans/AC transit/muni), and a discount on dumbarton express. Occasionaly I'd take Samtrans KX to downtown SF then walk a block to BART but I don't remember if this was faster. It all depends what time you get off of work too. Good luck! Cindy

There is a bus called the Dumbarton express from/to the Fremont Bart station and goes to Palo Alto. AC Transit also has a bus called the U LIne from/to the Fremont Bart station that is an express bus to Stanford. There are many vanpools/carpools (only need 2 passengers). If you time it right, in a carpool, the commute is under an hour. Berkeley-Palo Alto commuter

My husband commutes to Stanford from Alameda, so here is what I know about your options: You can take BART to downtown SF (Montgomery or Powell) and walk to CalTrain, and take CalTrain to Palo Alto. There are also vanpools to Stanford from the East Bay, so if Stanford is reasonably close to where you are going you could investigate those (call Stanford). You could also check out car pool forming resources at http://www.511.org. (One could also take BART to Fremont, and then take the Dumbarton Express across the bay. I don't know where you are going in Palo Alto, but from Alameda to Stanford would take about 2 hours by that method, so I don't recommend it.) --Good luck! --another commuter

AC Transit has a bus from Fremont Bart to the Stanford Campus. There used to be something called the ''Dumbarton Express'' from I thought Union City BART, but I don't know if it is still in existance, or maybe replaced by the bus from Fremont. Call AC Transit, or maybe even someone at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in Oakland might know. Would be a whole lot easier if you went to Cal.

Commuting to Stanford University from Berkeley

March 2005

Hi, I live in Downtown Berkeley and need to go to Stanford (University) for work reasons a couple of times this year. I don't have a car and don't drive. Is there a good way to get there (and back) with public transportation? Are there shuttles between UCB and Stanford? Or maybe I can join other commuters for the day? Thanks, Carless in Berkeley

What are the best ways to commute to Stanford from Berkely? I have to do it for one year. I know others do this and I know it is not easy. What are the pros and cons of car vs. public transportation? When do things lighten up -- i.e., could I leave early/late to save a substantial amount of time? Are there carpooling or vanpooling options out there? Thanks for your help!

I have commuted from Berkeley to Stanford for almost 10 years now. Although I drive (we are a carpool) there are options. There are many carpools/vanpools you can join. Also there is a new bus (the U bus) that goes directly from the Fremont Bart to the Stanford campus that runs numerous times every morning/evening. Stanford commuter

Just to throw it in the pot, there's a Caltrain that has a shuttle from the station to Stanford. You'd have to call to see if the schedule works for you. JM

I would suggest taking BART to CalTrain, and then taking the shuttle from the Stanford station. This is time-consuming but workable. Lori

Currently I am driving to Stanford daily for work. I find driving there works best if you leave before 6:45am and if it is possible, leave for home by 4pm. You will still hit some traffic (some of which can be avoided if you can carpool). The fastest way at those time is 880 south to the dunbarton bridge. If you can't head home so early, head east on the 92 and drive through downtown Hayward to the 580. Sounds time- consuming, but allows you to skip the ever-present accidents on 880. Also, be sure to become friends with 511. Feel free to ask me more about it. Cynthia

Hi! I work at Stanford, primarily online, so I can't, unfortunately, offer you a ride. My visits to campus are unpredicatble. The university did just send me an announcement;however, that AC Transit has begun service from Fremont to Stanford. You can get the bus at the Fremont BART, the Centreville Amtrack/ACE station or Ardenwood Park and ride. It's free if you have a Stanford ID. It's called Line U Stanford Express and you can get more info at www.actransit.org. Happy trails! anne

There is a transbay bus that goes from Fremont BART to Stanford, but it will take a long time to get there. See:

http://www.actransit.org/riderinfo/schedules/upcoming/U.html

For carpool info, call 511 or go to 511.org.

Driving during rush hour will be congested, but it may take as little as 45 minutes if you drive during off-peak times (if such times exist on weekdays anymore). Good luck! David

Commuting to Stanford Medical Center

May 2004

Is there a way to commute from the Oakland/Berkeley area to the Stanford Medical Center without having to drive? I am looking for either a vanpool or, bus service for my father who will be living here one year from now to do a sabbatical at Stanford. We really want him to live here in the East Bay to be near our family, but he is not willing to drive so far to work every day and is considering living in South San Francisco so he can be closer to Palo Alto. Does anyone have any suggestions? isabel

The rideshare page on 511.org has a link to check available rideshare seats: http://rideshare.511.org/ Click ''Check our list of vanpool routes with available seats.'' There is an entry for a commute from Berkeley to ''Standford'' (sic). Good luck! Jennie

He could take Bart to SFO, then switch to CalTrain to get to Stanford. (Stanford has free buses from the train station to the university and medical school). The length of his commute would then be determined by how far he was from a Bart Station, and how far from SFO the Bart station was located. Stanford also has van pools, etc. They are required by the county to control the number of vehicles coming onto campus, so they are very helpful and generous about incentives not to take a car - for example, my husband and I carpool, and they give us a free parking permit, plus $10 each per year (rather than us paying $180 per year for the permit). They also provide free transit passes for full-time employees. Your father should check with Parking and Transportation Services at Stanford; it is on their website at www.stanford.edu. Barbara

Your father could take BART to the Union City station. There is a bus that goes from there across the Dumbarton bridge (it's called the Dumbarton Express) that drops you off at the CalTrain Station in Palo Alto, where there are Stanford shuttles to take you to the campus and the hospital. It will make for a very long day of commuting for your father. When I did the trip almost 10 years ago, it sometimes took close to an hour just to get from Union City to Palo Alto. barbara

Commuting to San Jose State University from Oakland

Oct 2004

I live in Oakland and might be going to graduate school at San Jose State University. Does anybody know of public tranportation options for this commute? I've been looking on the different transit web sites and they suggest everything from a $26 6-hour round trip via Amtrak to a $15 5 hour round trip via Caltrain (though San Francisco). There's got to be something easier. I thought if I took BART to the end of the Fremont line there should be a bus or shuttle to the SJSU campus. Are there any BART parking lots along the Fremont BART line that don't fill up completely by 8 a.m.? Anybody have any advice on any aspects of this commute? Thanks!
- don't want to drive to San Jose

I have done the commute, not everyday, but I would BART to Fremont and then I believe it's the Great America bus that stops in Downtown San Jose (1st or 2nd street) and then you walk to campus from there (7th-10th streets). It takes about an 1 1/2. sjsu alum

I've commuted to SJ for years, and did so by train until recently (kids...). I found that the closer you can get by rail, the better. Yes, BART to Fremont is nice and goes often, but shuttles and bus transit get caught in horrid, maddeningly slow traffic. My best suggestion: from East Bay, take Amtrak, and get their monthly pass or 10-ride discount tickets. It's very civilized and calm, the views are beautiful, and they get you into SJ if you need to go that far. Also look into telecommuting options if at all possible! Best of luck! Another commuter

You're in luck! There is a Santa Clara VTA Bus #180/Express San Jose01 that you can take from Fremont BART. It goes to 2nd and E St. John St and leaves every 15 mins during commute hours, and every 1/2 hour otherwise. As for parking, I have no idea. You may want to leave before 8AM and study in the morning... btw, I got the commute info from 511.org's Trip Planner. Jennie

I have been commuting from Berkeley to the South Bay for more years than I care to count. I am a devoted fan of public transportation. But I almost always drive. Why? Because the connections are so lousy, that it would take me 5-8 hours per day just to get there. Every time a new connection is made (BART to SFO and Caltrain, for example), I eagerly get all the schedules and pore over them. Then I try the best route out. It's always a disappointment. The day it took me 4 hours just to get to work was probably the low point for me. The Bay Area desperately needs to have more public transportation, and even more, an authority over all the warring transit companies and municipalities, to get them all to cooperate. Europe has great public transportation; why can't we?

It makes me mad every time I hear some wag pontificating about ''getting people out of their cars.'' As though we LIKED driving! Instead of making it harder to park and harder to drive, how about improving the public transportation system??? Sorry, off my soapbox now. You just hit a decades-long sore point. --would rather take the train

I didn't see the orginal post but I was wondering if you have looked into CSU Hayward. I teach there and it is a great school with many excellent graduate programs. Good luck! Kristin

There are two reasonable ways to commute from Oakland to San Jose. The most flexible is by taking BART to Fremont and the VTA 180 bus to Downtown San Jose. BART from Downtown Oakland to Fremont takes about 40 minutes, the 180 takes about 50 (it runs as a freeway express part of the way). The 180 runs every 1/2 hour during off peak hours, more frequently during peak hours. You can get off along First St. in San Jose and walk over to San Jose State. The other way is the Capitol Corridor trains from the train station at Jack London Square to Diridon Station. This is quite comfortable. I believe the train ride is faster than using BART plus the 180, but the Capitols are often subject to delay. Also they bring you into Diridon Station which is on the western edge of Downtown San Jose, across the Guadulupe River. There are shuttle buses at least during peak hour, I don't know what the schedule is. In terms of fare, if you have travel regularly you can buy a multi-ride ticket that cuts the cost per trip down. But BART to the 180 will be cheaper. I would not use Caltrain from San Francisco. It takes longer. Making the connection from BART (or AC Transit Transbay buses) to Caltrain is also tricky. In Downtown San Francisco, Caltrain is about a mile from BART and Transbay Terminal. You can ride BART through to Millbrae and transfer there, but that's about a 50 minute trip from Oakland. You're then looking at over an hour on Caltrain, unless you can catch one of the very few ''baby bullet'' trains, which only run in peak hours. This may sound daunting, but I know people who do it. Look at 511.org (Bay Area transit information) for more info. transit planner

I didn't respond the first time around because I wss sure someone else would... Try carpooling. You'd be surprised how many people (like me) commute from Oakland/ Berkeley down the pennisula. Even if you can find someone to share the ride to one of the light rail stations, you'll be ahead of the game. My very favorite carpool partner was a student at SJ State. She had an internship at a company near me, but would share the ride to Mountain View on the days she was going all the way down just for the benefits of the carpool lane (including going across the bridge for free). Check it out at 511.org. I know she also found other students doing the same thing, so wasn't always pooling with me. Give it a try! Merrilee

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network. Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.