BART Strike: Your Survival Guide For Alternate Transportation

Patch editors have pulled together as much information as possible to help commuters in the event of another BART strike on Monday.

Transportation agencies throughout the Bay Area are gearing up to provide extra service if BART employees walk off the job.

BART Buses

BART plans to secure up to 95 charter buses to take commuters into San Francisco during the morning rush hours and then return them to the East Bay in the evening hours.

The buses will pick up passengers at the Concord, Walnut Creek, Dublin/Pleasanton, Fremont, San Leandro and El Cerrito del Norte stations between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.  Riders will be taken to the West Oakland station, where they will change buses and be transported to San Francisco. Commuters can also get on buses at the West Oakland station between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m.

The BART buses will carry people back to the East Bay in the evening, departing from the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Parking will also be free at BART parking lots for bus riders and commuters who are sharing rides.

Ferry Service

If there’s a strike, San Francisco Bay Ferry will increase the numbers of boats operating during commutes hours from the normal eight to 13.

The ferry system is increasing its number of trips in the morning and evening from Oakland Jack London Square, Alameda Main Street and Harbor Bay in Vallejo. It’s also starting ferry service earlier in the East Bay and running boats later in the evening from the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

AC Transit

AC Transit plans to increase seating capacity on its local and transbay lines. It might add extra buses on its transbay routes, depending on driver and vehicle availability.

Driving

If you’re carpooling, you can hook up with other commuters on the ridenow.org website. They also have information on carpool etiquette and common practices. The site rideshare.511.org also has information on carpooling and commuting.

If you’re driving, you can check traffic conditions here before you head out the door. Caltrans is expanding the carpool lane hours on the Bay Bridge. Transit officials warn other transbay crossings such as the San Mateo Bridge or Richmond-San Rafael Bridge may also jam up as motorists seek alternative routes.

Cities

Cities are also trying to ease the crunch. Alameda, for example, is increasing the availability of parking for cars and bicycles. San Leandro also has alternative transportation information on its website. That city's library is also offering stranded commuters free work space areas with Internet access.

Let us know in the comments section what you think about the labor negotiations and what you plan to do if BART workers go on strike again.