United States
San Francisco
A city of fog and hills. The cable cars are still working public transit, while BART and Muni do the daily grind.
Getting to and from SFO, OAK and SJC
Updated on August 2, 2026
How to ride
- 1Head for the BART stationBART's station is on the Departures level of the International Terminal; from other terminals take the free AirTrain to Garage G.
- 2Tap in at the fare gateHold a contactless bank card or Clipper against the reader on the gate. Paper tickets are not sold.
- 3Board a city-bound trainTake a city-bound Yellow Line or Red Line train; downtown is about 30 minutes away.
- 4Tap out with the same cardAt the gate of your destination station, tap the same card or device you used to enter.
- 5Change at Millbrae for the PeninsulaFor Silicon Valley, get off at Millbrae and change to Caltrain.
- 6For OAK take BART; for SJC, the busOAK has a BART station right outside both terminals. SJC has no rail - VTA route 60 links it to the nearest stations.
Fares
Single fares8
Card itself1
Add-ons & fees1
Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026
Payment
Tap to ride 
IC card 
App tickets 
Paper tickets 
Cash Quick facts
Fares
Muni Visitor PassportMuni only - not valid on BART or to and from SFO
Daily fare capBART is distance-based only - no day or weekly passes
Transfer discountsUp to $2.85 off transfers between operators within two hours of your first tap
Facilities
Lifts (step-free)Every BART station has elevators and extra-wide fare gates that take large luggage. AirTrain is wheelchair accessible and every AirTrain station has elevator service.
Suitcases & luggageAll BART stations have lifts and wide gates; keep bags at your feet or lap
Rules
Eating & drinking on board（Banned）Eating and drinking are not allowed on AirTrain
Smoking（Banned）Smoking is not allowed on AirTrain
Pets（Limited）AirTrain allows service animals and crated animals being shipped
Fare evasion fine（Banned）A $7.55 penalty fare if your entry and exit taps do not match
Apps & info
Journey planner app (Google Maps)For routing out of the airport - inside the terminals, follow the AirTrain signs rather than the app
English signageSigns and announcements are in English
Service info / card balance app (BART Official)BART's own app for the next departure from the airport, fares and service alerts
Operating hoursBART's first train out of SFO is 4:58 a.m. on weekdays, 5:47 a.m. on Saturdays and 8:08 a.m. on Sundays, with last trains around midnight. The OAK station runs 5 a.m.-midnight on weekdays, 6 a.m.-midnight on Saturdays and 8 a.m.-midnight on Sundays. SFO's AirTrain runs 24 hours a day as often as every four minutes, though maintenance between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. can stretch journey times. SamTrans runs from SFO 24/7, with limited late-night service on the ECR Owl and route 397.
Heads-up
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Night engineering work delays BART trains to SFO
On Sunday-Thursday nights from 9 p.m., expect delays of up to 30 minutes between Millbrae and SFO and in the surrounding area, caused by BART's train control modernization work running through summer 2026. Allow extra time for an evening flight.
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BART cannot get you to an early Sunday flight
BART cannot get you to an early Sunday flight. The first train leaving SFO is 4:58 a.m. on weekdays and 5:47 a.m. on Saturdays, but 8:08 a.m. on Sundays - BART itself tells riders to make other plans. Use the 24-hour SamTrans buses, a taxi or a ride-hail instead.
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The Terminal 3 AirTrain station is closed - use Terminal 2
The AirTrain station at Terminal 3 is closed until its replacement opens in 2027. If you are flying United, use the Terminal 2 station instead - it has been renamed the "Terminals 2 & 3 AirTrain Station".
Timetable
Editor Naotaka