Know your commute plan in the event of a BART strike
BART unions have issued a strike notice and there may be no BART service as early as Monday, August 5. While we are working hard at the negotiation table to avoid a strike, in the event one is called by the unions, we urge Bay Area residents to plan ahead. Whether you ride BART, use other public transit services or drive, everyone needs to consider the alternatives and plan your commute. For transit options, carpool rideshare locations and traffic conditions visit http://alert.511.org . Here are some other alternatives:
Limited charter bus service - more service added
BART’s contingency plan includes offering limited bus service during the peak commute periods. Although BART is deploying limited bus service, it only has the capabilities to serve about 4,000 passengers each day, in each direction, depending upon traffic, which is a far cry from our normal 400,000 passenger load. BART will provide limited weekday round trip charter bus service at no charge:
- From El Cerrito del Norte, Walnut Creek, Concord, San Leandro, Dublin/ Pleasanton and Fremont stations into West Oakland Station and San Francisco from 5 am to 8 am and back from a stop near the San Francisco Transbay Terminal from 3 pm to 7 pm.
- From West Oakland Station into San Francisco from 5 am to 9 am and back from a stop near the San Francisco Transbay Terminal from 3 pm to 7 pm.
- There will also be a limited number of wheelchair accessible vans at these stations
- Download a map (.pdf) of the limited charter bus service.
This service will operate in the commute direction only. That means buses will go to San Francisco in the morning and to the East Bay in the evening for round trip ticket holders only. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis in the morning at those seven stations only. People without those round trip tickets from the morning will not be allowed to board in San Francisco to return to the East Bay in the afternoon/evening. This means, if you join a casual carpool in the morning and you do not have a round trip ticket, you will not be able to board an East Bay bound charter bus in the afternoon/evening. Please consult bart.gov after 3 pm for an update on charter bus service for the following day.
Adjusting work hours
Employers are encouraged to offer flexible schedules or other work arrangements during a BART strike. Workers are urged to ask their employer about adjusting work hours to avoid commuting during peak traffic periods.
Telecommuting
Ask your employer about working from home during some of the time you'd normally be in the office.
Carpooling
Join a carpool or temporary van pool and take advantage of "high-occupancy vehicle" (HOV) lanes. During a strike all BART parking lots at 33 stations will be available at no charge for use by carpools. Get more information on carpooling including a list of carpool lanes and other Park and Ride lots on your commute route. Casual carpoolers please note: if you join a casual carpool in the morning, you will not be able to board an East Bay bound bus in the afternoon/evening, only round trip ticket holders can board the limited charter buses. Download a map (.pdf) with casual carpool options from San Francisco to the East Bay and BART shuttle pickup and dropoff locations in San Francisco.
Taking alternate routes
You know which roads and freeways will be congested: check drive times before you leave home or work and go another way. Get FasTrak to minimize your wait at the tollbooth.
Transit
BART, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and regional transit partners have been working together weeks in advance of the contract deadline to give other public transit providers time to develop their response plans if BART unions strike; however, it’s clear the other systems cannot provide the resources to carry BART’s normal ridership. Download a map with an overview of supplemental Transbay Service (.pdf).
The BART Transit Information Center will be taking phone calls from 5am to 8pm for the duration of any disruption. We encourage customers to call 511 for alternative routes, but BART staff will be available to provide any assistance they can.
The BART website is your best online source of official, accurate information about BART service. Sign up for official BART news updates to receive the latest. For information about BART labor negotiations visit http://bartlabornews.com/.
Download a flyer (.pdf) with translations in multiple languages on getting to San Francisco International Airport and the East Bay from San Francisco's Transbay Terminal.