SFO Airport is connected to BART subway lines to downtown San Francisco and Oakland.
Transportation to downtown is supplemented by the 292 bus line, as well as taxis including the Uber and Lyft mobile apps.
| Type of transportation | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro BART | 10 usd | 32 minutes | 4-9 minutes |
| Bus 292 | 2,25 usd | 80 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Taxi/Uber/Lyft | 35 usd | 50 minutes | Anytime |
Metro BART - San Francisco, Oakland
The fastest and most reliable service is provided by the BART subway system. The Red and Yellow lines connect the airport to downtown.
Official information, current fares and schedules can be found at bart.gov.
View San Francisco hotel rates
The station is located at the International Terminal (about a 3-minute walk). The fastest way to get to the domestic terminals is to take the free"AirTrain" airport train, which has a station right at the BART platform.
Lines and timetable
Downtown San Francisco and Oakland can be reached by both the Red and Yellow lines, which run interlaced, halving the resulting frequency.
- Red Line - San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Millbrae (transfer to Caltrain trains to San Jose)
- Yellow Line - San Francisco, Oakland, Oakland Airport, Fremont, North San Jose
Metro trains are fast and subway travel is safe in San Francisco.
| Stations | Lines | Fares | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balboa Park | Red, Yellow | 9,40 usd | 19 minutes | 4-7 minutes |
| Civic Center/UN Plaza San Francisco downtown |
Red, Yellow | 10 usd | 29 minutes | 4-7 minutes |
| Powell St. Downtown San Francisco |
Red, Yellow | 10 usd | 30 minutes | 4-7 minutes |
| Embarcadero Downtown San Francisco |
Red, yellow | 10 usd | 34 minutes | 4-9 minutes |
| West Oakland | Red, yellow | 10,25 usd | 41 minutes | 4-9 minutes |
| 12th St. / Oakland City Center Oakland Center |
Red, Yellow | 10,35 usd | 47 minutes | 4-9 minutes |
| Berkeley | Red | 10,70 usd | 59 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Richmond | Red | 11,35 usd | 72 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Concord | Yellow | 12,65 usd | 77 minutes | 9 minutes |
| Pittsburg | Yellow | 13,45 usd | 86 minutes | 9 minutes |
| Millbrae | Red | 4,95 usd | 4 minutes | 20 minutes |
The last trains from the airport to both San Francisco and Oakland run at 0:00 (Yellow Line) and 20:59 (Red Line) respectively.
The first train from Powell Station to the airport runs at 5:31 (up to 6:21 on weekends and holidays).
Tickets
Ticket prices are around 10 usd depending on the destination station.
Only single-use paper tickets valid for a single BART subway trip can be purchased at the airport.
Fares can also be paid via the Clipper mobile app, where you upload any amount of money. Simply place your phone with the Clipper app open on the reader at the turnstile when you enter the platform.
Buses
There are cheaper bus routes to the city centre and suburbs south of the airport. All lines stop just outside the International Terminal. The fastest way to reach the domestic terminals is by airport train "AirTrain" which has stations on both sides of the international terminal.
All buses to the airport are operated by SamTrans. Official information can be found on the website: samtrans.com.
Lines and timetables
The following lines serve the airport.
Route 292
The bus runs north directly to downtown San Francisco and south to San Mateo. The trip is significantly longer than BART, but cheaper.
- Travel time to San Francisco - 78 minutes
- Frequency - 30 minutes
- Last bus from airport to SF - 0:58
- First bus from SF to airport - 4:45 am (4:30 am on weekends and holidays)
- Timetable and map: samtrans.com/routes/292
Line 398 also runs only 4 times a day on a similar route.
Night service
During the night, the 397 runs about once an hour to downtown San Francisco as well as Redwood City and Palo Alto.
To view the schedule and route map, visit: samtrans.com/routes/397.
Tickets
Fares are the same on all routes. Fares are valid on SamTrans buses only and cannot be used to transfer to Muni buses or streetcars in downtown San Francisco.
- 2,25 usd - 1 ride (cash or SamTrans app)
- 2,05 usd - 1 ride (card or Clipper app)
Tickets can be purchased at the information booths in the airport arrivals hall, from the driver (cash only), or through the Clipper or SamTrans mobile app.
Car rental
Traveling by car outside of cities is the only practical transportation option in California. Even large cities prefer car transport entirely. However, historic downtown San Francisco is one of the places that is not worth driving into because of very limited parking options.
Prices for weekly rentals range from 250 usd to 350 usd, depending on the season, yet many rental companies charge no fee for returning them to another location, such as Los Angeles.
Car rental companies are located approximately 1.5 to 2.5 miles west of the airport campus. The Airport Blue Train AirTrain runs from all terminals to the rental car building with a frequency of 5 minutes. The train runs 24/7 and transportation is free.
Taxi, Uber, Lyft
Taxis or the mobile apps Uber and Lyft are the most popular transportation to San Francisco, Palo Alto and Oakland.
You'll find classic yellow cabs and Uber and Lyft outside all terminals.
Regular Uber/Lyft rates from LAX are as follows:
- Downtown San Francisco (Powell) - 35 usd
- San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf - 39 usd
- Golde Gate Bridge - 43 usd
- Ocean Beach - 34 usd
- Palo Alto - 47 usd
- Downtown Oakland - 60 usd
- Downtown San Jose - 58 usd
- Oakland Airport - 65 usd
- San Jose Airport - 65 usd
View rates for hotels in San Francisco
To Oakland Airport (OAK)
Getting to Oakland Airport couldn't be easier.
At the airport, hop on BART towards downtown San Francisco, where you'll transfer to the Pleasanton or Berreysa/North San Jose line at any station in the Daly City - West Oakland section. At the "Coliseum/Oakland Airport" station, just transfer to a short automatic train that will take you directly to the Oakland Airport terminal.
The ride takes about 50 minutes total and you pay for your ticket at 17,60 usd.
For timetables and connection information, visit: bart.gov.
To San Jose Airport (SJC)
Fastest: Hop on the BART subway, go one station to Millbrae (4,95 usd), where you transfer to Caltrain to San Jose (8,25 usd). This will take you to Santa Clara Station, where you will transfer to the number 60 bus, which will take you directly to the San Jose Airport terminal in 2,50 usd. The entire journey will take approximately 75 minutes.
- Metro BART - every 20 minutes, bart.gov
- Caltrain - 1-2 times per hour, caltrain.com
- Bus 60 - every 15 minutes, vta.org/go/routes/60
Cheapest: Get on the 292 bus (2,25 usd), heading towards Hillsdale. At the "Burlingame" stop, transfer to the Caltrain train heading to San Jose (8,25 usd). This will take you to Santa Clara Station, where you will transfer to the number 60 bus, which will take you directly to the San Jose Airport terminal for 2,50 usd. The entire journey will take approximately 90 minutes.
- Bus 292 - every 30 minutes, samtrans.com
- Caltrain - 1-2 times per hour, caltrain.com
- Bus 60 - every 15 minutes, vta.org/go/routes/60
