No Ticket Needed To Ride: How To Navigate BART's New Oakland Airport Connector
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- BART's new service to Oakland International Airport may be quicker than AirBART, but only if you know what to expect ahead of time.
In a pre-BART connector world, passengers would take the AirBART bus shuttle, which required exact fare, a ticket from an airport vending machine or a $3 BART ticket.
Now with the official opening of the connector last Saturday, passengers leaving the airport simply cross the street and board the train -- but without a ticket
Once at the Coliseum BART station, passengers who already have a BART or Clipper card can proceed to the fare gates. Passengers who need a ticket will have to purchase one at a vending machine, which only accepts debit/credit cards and U.S. currency.
Currency exchange and ATM machines are not available at the Coliseum station, so international passengers should use these services at the airport before boarding the connector. Each person also must have their own ticket to exit.
WATCH: Step-By-Step Guide
Passengers continuing their trip on BART from the Coliseum station need to follow the ramp and take an escalator or elevator to wait at the platform for a connecting train.
Rides on the connector train cost $6 each way on top of the regular BART fare that you pay to get you to and from the Coliseum station.
Service is expected to run every five minutes during peak weekday hours, dropping down to every 10-20 minutes on non-peak hours and weekends. The connector runs from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, 6 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 8 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.
(credit: BART)
