Bike the Strike: Plan Ahead Using These Bike/Transit Tips.

Here is your refresher on all of East Bay and Transbay commute options during the BART strike, using a combination of bikes and transit. Bike the Strike! (Image credit to SF Bicycle Coalition)

•Tips for New Bike Commuters

•Secure Bike Parking

•East Bay Transit

•Transbay Travel

Get Started:

If you have never commuted by bike before you can lessen the learning curve by:

• Reviewing the information on our New Cyclists page, and then signing up for our free Bike Buddy mentor program.

• Picking up an Bike East Bay map at your local bike shop, or one of the many free bike maps produced by cities around the East Bay.

• Mapping out your bike commute online at bicycling.511.org.

• Attending a free Bike East Bay skills and safety class to get tips from certified instructors and free safety gear.

• Joining Bike East Bay to help create better biking conditions in the East Bay, and to get all the latest news on what’s happening in your city.

Secure Bike Parking Options:

Make sure your bike is still there for your commute home at the end of the day with these parking tips:

• Ask if you can bring your bike inside your workplace. Your employer may even provide a bike room for extra secure parking.

• If you do lock up outside make sure you do so securely. Use a quality U-lock and cable, and follow these instructions on our website.

• Sign up for a BikeLink card to get access to all the secure bike lockers and bike rooms all around the East Bay for just 1-5¢ per hour! The BikeLink secure bike rooms at the Ashby and Embarcadero stations, as well as the Bike Stations in Downtown Berkeley and Fruitvale BART will still be open throughout the strike.

East Bay Bike/Transit Options:

• AC Transit: Every AC Transit bus has space for two bikes with 16″ or larger wheels via the front racks (watch the video below to see how they work). Keep an eye on your bike in the rack, however, as thieves have been known to just take a bike off and ride away. Locking your bike to the rack is not allowed, but you can lock your bike to itself (frame and wheel) before stowing it which makes it impossible to ride off with. If the front racks are full on a big, green commuter coach you can alternately ask the driver to open the cargo bay for you which can store two more bikes. Additionally, if between the hours of midnight and 5:30am on weekdays or midnight at 9am on weekends/holidays you are allowed to bring your bike on board a standard, two-door bus if the front racks are full and there is space on board. More details on the AC Transit bike policy can be found here and here. In the event of a BART strike please refer to these tips for AC Transit bus travel.

• Amtrak Capitol Corridor: Just roll your bike on board these trains with stops at Martinez all the way down to Fremont. Buy tickets in advance to avoid crowds at the station, board on the car with the bike symbol next to the door, and be prepared to stand during the trip if all of the bike parking hooks are taken. If you do stow your bike on a hook make sure to lock it up and take any valuables with you to your seat.

• Contra Costa County Connection Buses: Serving Central Contra Costa County the CCC will be providing additional stops at BART stations in the event of a strike. Each bus can accomodate two bicycles via front racks.

• Tri-Valley Wheels Buses: These Dublin/Pleasanton/Livermore buses can take two bikes each on the front racks, and inside the bus if space allows. Some Wheels service changes due to the potential strike are detailed here.

• WestCAT Buses: This West Contra Costa County transit service will be providing additional service to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station during the strike. Buses can accomodate two bikes each on the front racks.

• Alameda/Oakland Estuary Crossing Shuttle: This free shuttle takes passengers and bikes of all sizes from Lake Merritt BART to the College of Alameda and back during commute hours on weekdays.

• Additional transit operators include Union City Transit, the West Berkeley Shuttle, and various other shuttles which provide service from East Bay BART stations (many for free, and many of which provide bike access!).

Transbay Bike/Transit Options:

• Oakland/Alameda/SF Ferry. This ferry allows passengers with bikes on board for no additional fee beyond the normal ticket price. Carry a bungee cord to secure your bike to the rear railing in case the racks fill up. Ferry terminals are in Alameda at Harbor Bay and Main Street, in Oakland at Jack London Square, and in SF at Pier 41, the Ferry Building, AT&T Park, and South San Francisco. In the case of a BART strike, the ferry will be providing additional service as detailed here.

• Caltrans Bay Bridge Bicycle Shuttle: This shuttle takes 16 riders and bikes at a time between MacArthur BART to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco for just $1 each way. The shuttle runs both directions during commute hours only, is first-come first-served, and is only available to passengers with bikes.

• AC Transit: Every AC Transit transbay bus has space for two bikes with 16″ or larger wheels via the front racks (watch the video below to see how they work). Keep an eye on your bike in the rack, however, as thieves have been known to just take a bike off and ride away. Locking your bike to the rack is not allowed, but you can lock your bike to itself (frame and wheel) before stowing it which makes it impossible to ride off with. If the front racks are full on a big, green commuter coach you can alternately ask the driver to open the cargo bay for you which can store two more bikes. Additionally, if between the hours of midnight and 5:30am on weekdays or midnight at 9am on weekends/holidays you are allowed to bring your bike on board a standard, two-door bus if the front racks are full and there is space on board. More details on the AC Transit bike policy can be found here and here. In the event of a BART strike please refer to these tips for AC Transit bus travel.

• Limited BART Charter Bus Service: In the event of a strike BART will be running a small number of free charter buses from the El Cerrito del Norte, West Oakland, Concord, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Dublin/ Pleasanton, San Leandro, Hayward, and Fremont stations directly into San Francisco from 5 am to 8 am and back from a stop near the San Francisco Transbay Terminal (loading zone located at Howard Street between Fremont Street and Beale Street) from 3 pm to 7 pm.  BART will have 5-15 buses at each station during the weekday. The capacity will only be 6,000 passengers total, so they will likely be filled up pretty quickly.

• Amtrak Capitol Corridor Transbay Buses: Amtrak provides service from the Emeryville Station into San Francisco by charter bus. Bikes can be locked up at station racks or stowed in the bus luggage compartment (no charge) if there is room available. Buy your ticket in advance to avoid crowds at the station. Please note: State law requires that trips booked on Amtrak include at least one segment where you travel by train (rather than just by bus), so you must also select at least one other segment of your trip where you travel by train, even if you do not use it. (Cheapest ticket is from Berkeley to SF).

• WestCAT Transbay Bus: This line runs from Hercules to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. Buses can accomodate two bikes each on the front racks.

• Greyhound Bus: Greyhound has East Bay stops in Antioch, Hayward, Oakland, Pittsburg, and San Francisco. Purchase tickets online in advance as they are not available at many stops. Taking your bike with you is not recommended as bicycles can only be brought on as oversize luggage and must be packed in a substantial, securely fastened container, and an additional $30-40 fee might be applied.

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