Commuting to the South Bay/Silicon Valley
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Nov 2008
I am considering taking a job in San Mateo and I live in North
Berkeley. Does anyone have experience with the commute from
Berkeley-San Mateo-Berkeley? I would only carpool or do the
public transportation route. I have two children and am the
primary breadwinner of the family --- the job would be
fascinating. Any thoughts specific to the commute appreciated.
Afraid of hairy commutes
We live near Berkeley and my husband commutes to Redwood shores.
Its a long drive and the traffic can be a challenge (public
transport doesn't go anywhere near where he needs to be). We
have a 2 year old and its tough for my husband to be home in time
to say hi before the toddler is in bed, unless he leaves work
super early, or sits in traffic for an hour or more.
Our compromise is that he works from home 1, if not 2 days a week
- so that on those days I know they get to hang out a little on
and off throughout the day and that Daddy is DEFINATELY available
for bath/bed time.
Its not impossible, but its tough at times, though for us its
worth it to live where we do........
SAHM of commuting partner
I've been doing the El Cerrito to Foster City commute for 3
years now. Whether pursuing public transportation or
carpooling, I recommend leaving early and coming home early. I
find that getting through the maze either Bay Bridge or San
Mateo Bridge bound is best if I go through it before 6:15 a.m.
If you take BART, parking fills up fast, so you have to get
there early as well.
anon
Sept 2008
Hi,
I commute from North Berkeley to Milpitas (CIsco Campus). The commute
is terrible. I'm searching for commute partners or for information on
casual carpooling down to Milpitas. I could only find casual carpool
info for going into the city.
Thanks in advance.
Alex
My husband commutes down 80 then 880 to 237 each day and would
like to talk to you about a possible carpool.
July 2007
How long does it take to commute from north Berkeley to
Cupertino? I need to be in Cupertino from 9am-5pm for a few
weeks. Thanks.
judy
Dare I say, a long, long time? I did this drive 4-5 times a year
from Oakland for my previous job, and it is a challenging
commute. I used to give myself and hour and a half....From N.
Berkeley, at least 2 hours?
Good Luck
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
Jan 2006
This is somewhat of a follow-up question to the move closer to
husband's job question from last time. I already commute from
Rockridge to Hayward/Union City on 880 which takes at best 30
min in the morning and 45 min at night during peak commute
times, but often longer. I am considering taking a fabulous job
in Palo Alto and moving isn't an option for us. I also don't
have a ton of flexibility due to our childcare arrangements
(i.e, can't regularly leave the house at 6am or stay at work
until 7pm) and will have to continue to typically be driving
during peak commute times. How much worse will the commute
really be compared to what I'm already doing?
How bad is bad?
Under optimum conditions commuting from Hayward to Palo-Alto takes about 35 minutes. Driving at around 7:30 without access to the commuter lanes takes close to an hour.
Also without commuting the bridge toll will be $3 a day which can be a factor but the quick-pass lanes do move almost as quickly as the commuter lane.
My evening return commute at 4pm has recently averaged about 50 minutes if I leave at 4pm, and about an hour if leaving significantly after 4 and before 7.
Adjust up or down depending on where you need to go. My times are probably about equivalent to driving all the way to the 580 interchange, so add another 30m or so depending on where you live in Berkeley.
Kevin Smathers
You might look into some kind of public transit/driving combo. I recently had a job interview on the peninsula (Mountain View) and took the caltrain from San Francisco. It was way faster than I had anticipated and I got there a whole hour ahead of time. The baby bullet is really fast (30-40 minutes) and runs during peak hours and they have a stop in Palo Alto.
ed
I commuted, not to the Penisula, but to San Jose for about 2.5 years. I CANNOT imagine doing that commute now, with kids and a daycare pickup. The commute routinely took me 1.5-2 hours, and it did not involve a bridge. I think you should be prepared for at least 3 hours a day in the car, if you work in Palo Alto and live in Berkeley/Oakland. That might be OK 2 days a week, but would be very hard to do every day, and would probably wreak havoc with any kind of childcare pickup.
Wendy
I have been commuting from Berkeley/Oakland/Piedmont area to Redwoods Shores for the past 11+ years. I also generally commute during normal traffic times. It helps that I can work at home one day a week. If there is any possibility of tele-commuting part time, I highly recommend it.
The commute has gotten better since they widened the San Mateo bridge. Also, there has been less traffic after the dot com bust, but I've noticed it has been creeping up again (so our economy must be improving).
Primarily, it depends on your attitude. For me, the commute was worth it for the right job.
fellow commuter
I live in N.Oakland and have been commuting to Menlo Park for almost 2yrs. On average, it takes an hour each way leaving home at 7am and leaving work at 4pm. There are pockets of slow traffic, but they're brief and the rest of the time it's mostly clear.
It's bad.. it's a waste of time, expensive and tiring. However, I'm finding it tolerable for several reasons - I LOVE the job, my hours are reasonable, I work at home 1-2 days a week, and I carpool with a friend 1-2 days (which doesn't reduce the drive time much, but helps with the monotony). I don't think I'd do it 5 days a week. Good luck with your decision!
commuter
Yes, it's bad. I commuted from Oakland to the same job on the Peninsula for 6 years. My office was in Menlo Park for the first
5 years, and then Redwood City for one. It was terrible when I had to work regular hours; 1 1/2 hours each way was not uncommon. After the dot com bust, changing hours to non-commute, and having my office move to RWC, I got it down to 45 minutes.
Still, if there was any kind of accident or bridge trouble, it was a nightmare. Before I had a child I put up with it because the job was ideal, with a great salary and benefits. Once I had a child, however, there was NO WAY that commute (even 45 minutes) was worth it. I didn't want my child to have to suffer through long car trips every day and so did not consider childcare on the Peninsula, although I suppose that would be an option for some. I'm ok with working, but I'm not ok with spending time in the car instead of with my kids-what a waste of time! There ARE good jobs up here, too. I sacrificed a fair amount of money, but now work 5 minutes from home and preschool and couldn't be happier.
Good luck on your decision.
Julie
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.
August 2005
My husband will be teaching at San Jose State University in the
coming school year. We live in El Cerrito. If he took Amtrack or
Caltrans (combined with BART) it would take at least 2 hours each
direction.
Is there an alternative that folks are using for quicker
transportation to SJSU and back? Such as a local carpool that
goes to SJSU?
Amy
The road commute is a brute, even with carpool. I did it some years ago,
and it can be very tiring. I know the train is no picnic either. I'm
afraid to say that a lot of people get a room down there - I understand
this is not an attractive option, but the strain of the two way commute
is too much after a while. Yes, wouldn't it be grand if the geniuses
that plan things in this area had thought to put a loop rail system
round the bay 40 years ago.
Nick
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
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
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
Jan 2003
My husband will need to find a way to carpool to his work in
Downtown San Jose in mid-January. We live in the Temescal, and
he needs to travel there twice a week, approximately. I have
heard that there are informal carpool systems out there, but I
don't know how to hook up with them. Any recommendation
appreciated.
Thanks
Anna
For carpool information, go to www.511.org, click on the
Rideshare link, and then click on ''Visit the current website.''
This will take you to RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, which has an
on-line ride matching tool that you can use to register for
carpools. Good luck!
Michael
Contact RIDES for Bay Area Commuters at RIDES.org. They will
set you up with a non-casual carpool. Most casual carpools go
into SF, not down 880.
valerie
Why don't you use Rides for Bay Area Commuters? They are on the
web at www.rides.org, and can be reached by phone at 510)
893-7665.
Christine
Feb 2010
My husband, two small children and I are currently living in
Aptos. We really love it here for its small town charm and
natural beauty. My husband has been commuting to Sunnyvale
three times a week and so far has been okay with this
commute. Now his company is being sold and his new office
will be in Foster City, which is way too far from Aptos.
So, we are now trying to figure out where to live in the Bay
Area. We have our reservations about the Peninsula and
South Bay but we have always loved the East Bay (we lived in
Oakland for 4 years before moving Aptos) but I don't want to
live in such an urban environment anymore. We are thinking
about Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill area, but my husband is
very concerned about the commute.
Does anybody out there do this commute (680 down to the 580
across the 238 and over the bridge) and if so how long does
it really take with traffic? Also, does anybody have any
suggestions about other communities to live in.
Thank you in advance for any information or suggestions.
Cambria
I live in Walnut Creek, and enjoy living here. That said,
although I don't drive to Foster City regularly, I can tell
you that this is not likely to be a fun commute (unless
there's a BART option or your husband can leave home early-
ish??). As best as I can tell, 238 is always a mess. 580W
is not likely to be much fun either for a regular commute,
although/ because many people do it. I'd suggest looking on
the peninsula, or at least a bit further south on 680
(Dublin? Pleasanton?) to cut some of the time. At the very
least, I'd suggest trying to stay south of the 680-24
exchange. I'd also check out driving times on 511.org at
the times of your husband's theoretical commute.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
Hi,
Regarding communting from Walnut Creek to Foster City... I
currently live in Lafayette and commute to Foster City 4
days a week. I work 5:00AM-4:00PM (4-10 hour days). So, my
commute is not too bad. It takes me 40 minute to get to FC
and about 1 hour- 1 hour 20 minutes to get home, depending
on the traffic. I have a bunch of friends who do the same
commute from Moraga and Orinda and leave the east bay
between 6:30 and 7:30. So far, they haven't complained
either. I would suggest asking if a flex schedule would
work. I am sure if you worked 8-5, that might be a differnt
story. Feel free to email me if you have anymore questions.
geer
Your husband really wouldn't want this commute. A number of
years ago I worked in Foster City and a co-worker commuted
from Walnut Creek. It took her 2 hours each way during rush
hour. Now this was before the San Mateo Bridge lanes were
fully expanded, but she described multiple trouble spots, so
I am sure it is still bad.
My husband currently works near there at Redwood Shores and
he doesn't know anyone who lives in the Walnut Creek area.
He used to have a co-worker in Concord, but she mainly
telecommuted. There is definitely a reason for this.
As far as other locations to consider... we live in Alameda
and the commute is not so bad. An hour during peak times,
but my husband's commute is shorter because he leaves early
and he drives with a neighbor, so can use the 880 carpool
lane.
We know someone who commutes to Foster City from the
Oakland Hills (near the zoo) and it sounds like an OK
commute.
My husband has many co-workers who live in places in 880
near the San Mateo/Dunbarton, such as Fremont, Union City,
etc. Castro Valley is also an option.
Good news is, you have other options. Best of luck.
EastBayCommuter
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