Oakland runs on two systems that work together: BART for fast trips across the Bay and up and down the East Bay, and AC Transit for buses that reach the neighborhoods BART doesn’t. One regional card — Clipper — works on both, plus the ferry.
The basics
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the backbone — a regional rapid-transit train that connects Oakland’s downtown stations (12th St./Oakland City Center, 19th St./Oakland, Lake Merritt) to San Francisco, Berkeley, the airport, and beyond. Trains run frequently through the day on shared tracks serving multiple color-coded lines.
AC Transit runs the local bus network, including Tempo, the Line 1T bus rapid transit route along International Blvd. and E. 14th St. between Uptown Oakland and San Leandro BART, with bus-only lanes and level boarding. AC Transit also runs Transbay bus lines that cross the Bay Bridge straight to San Francisco without needing BART.
Down at Jack London Square, San Francisco Bay Ferry (operated by WETA) runs boats across the Bay to Downtown San Francisco and to Alameda.
How to pay
Everything in this guide works with the same card:
- Tap a Clipper card — the regional transit card, good on BART, AC Transit, the ferry, and other Bay Area systems. Buy a plastic card at a BART station vending machine (one-time $3 fee) or add Clipper to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet on your phone (currently free).
- Tap a contactless bank card or phone wallet — BART calls this Tap and Ride: tap your contactless Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover card (or Apple Pay/Google Pay) right at the fare gate, no setup needed. It only charges the full adult fare, so if you qualify for a discount, use Clipper instead. AC Transit buses also accept contactless tap payment at the same price as Clipper.
- Cash — BART station vending machines take coins and bills (not $50s or $100s) to load a Clipper card; paper BART tickets are no longer sold or accepted at the gates. On AC Transit buses, pay cash to the driver (exact change; cash fares cost a bit more than tapping).
BART uses fare gates — tap to enter and tap again to exit, since your fare depends on distance traveled. AC Transit buses are pay-as-you-board, with a reader by the front door.
Fares
AC Transit charges a flat fare with free transfers:
| Clipper / contactless | Cash | |
|---|---|---|
| Local single ride | $2.75 | $3.00 |
| Transbay single ride | $6.50 | $6.50 |
| Local day pass (cap) | $6.00 | $6.50 |
| Local weekly pass | $27.50 | — |
| Local monthly pass | $99.00 | — |
Local bus transfers are free for two hours when you tap Clipper or a contactless card. Youth, seniors, riders with disabilities, and Clipper START participants pay about half price.
BART fares are distance-based — there’s no flat fare or day pass. As a guide: a short hop within Oakland (like 12th St. to Lake Merritt or 19th St.) runs $2.55, while riding in from Oakland International Airport costs $10.50 to downtown Oakland or $13.45 into San Francisco. Discounted fares (Clipper START, senior/disability, youth) run roughly a quarter to half of the adult price. Check the exact fare for your trip with the BART Fare Calculator.
If you transfer between BART and AC Transit (or another regional agency) using the same Clipper card or contactless card within two hours, you get a credit of up to $2.85 toward the second fare.
Getting from the airport
Oakland International Airport (OAK) connects to BART via the Oakland Airport Connector, an automated train to Coliseum Station.
- Route: Board at the OAK BART station, ride the connector to Coliseum, then transfer to a BART train toward downtown Oakland or San Francisco.
- Time: About 9 minutes from the airport to Coliseum Station, then about 12 more minutes on to 12th St./Oakland City Center downtown.
- Frequency: Trains run often — the average wait to depart OAK is about 4.5 minutes.
- Fare: Distance-based, like the rest of BART — $10.50 to downtown Oakland, $13.45 to downtown San Francisco. There’s no separate day or weekly pass.
- Hours: Same as the rest of BART — 5am to midnight on weekdays, 6am to midnight Saturdays, 8am to midnight Sundays. There’s no overnight service, so a late-night arrival means a cab or rideshare.
- Pay: Tap Clipper or a contactless card/phone at the OAK station gate — you don’t need a separate airport ticket.
Apps to download
- BART — the official app for trip planning, real-time departures, and service alerts across the BART system.
- Clipper — the MTC’s official app for managing your Clipper card and adding it to your phone’s wallet.
- AC Transit — the official app for real-time bus arrival predictions and paying fares with Clipper.
- Google Maps — solid for planning trips that combine BART and AC Transit with live data.
- BART Watch — report safety or suspicious activity to BART Police discreetly, by text, with an optional photo (call 911 for emergencies).
When it runs
BART runs 5am to midnight on weekdays, 6am to midnight on Saturdays, and 8am to midnight on Sundays — there’s no 24-hour service, so plan your last ride before midnight any day of the week. AC Transit’s Tempo line and several bus routes run later into the night; check the AC Transit app or Trip Planner for the latest departure on your specific route.
Accessibility
Every BART station has elevators and level boarding, with wider fare gates near the elevators for wheelchair users and emergency phones inside elevators that connect to BART Central Dispatch. Discounted fares are available with a Clipper Access Card (formerly called the RTC card). East Bay Paratransit, jointly run by AC Transit and BART, provides lift-van, reservation-based service for riders who can’t use regular buses or trains, within about ¾ mile of an existing route or station — call (510) 287-5000 to book.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Tap in and tap out on BART, every time — your fare is calculated by distance, so forgetting to tap out can cost you more (or flag you for a proof-of-payment check).
- Bikes ride BART anytime, except in crowded cars or the very first car — use the marked bike-priority area with the lean bar and straps.
- On AC Transit buses, the front rack holds two or three bikes; bikes are only allowed inside the bus late at night (after midnight) when the rack is full, and never on commuter coaches.
- Tempo riders tap before boarding at the station, not on the bus — it speeds things up, since the bus has multiple doors.
- Don’t mix cards at the reader — holding a Clipper card and a contactless bank card together can cause a misread (“card clash”); pull out just the one you want to use.
Good to know
- Fare enforcement is real on BART. Fare Inspectors and police can ask for proof of payment inside the paid area. Adults without it face a civil citation of up to $120 (minors, up to $60), and a third offense within 12 months becomes a criminal citation.
- BART and AC Transit discounts carry over. A Clipper START (low-income), senior, disability, or youth Clipper card gets you a reduced fare on both systems, plus the ferry.
- No day pass on BART. Since fares are distance-based, there’s no cap to buy into — just tap the same card every ride.