Getting Around San Francisco
BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit provides efficient transportation to Oakland, Berkeley, Concord, Richmond, Fremont, Colma, and Martinez and other points. Trains also travel south from San Francisco as far as Daly City and Colma. Fares are low.
Taxi
Whenever possible, avoid using taxis. Rates are high, and it is almost impossible to hail a passing cab, especially on weekends. If you must use one, either phone or use the nearest hotel taxi stand.
Cable Cars:
There are three cable car routes in San Francisco. Two of these routes, the Powell-Hyde and the Powell-Mason, begin at the corner of Powell and Market Streets, and run north-south to and from Nob Hill and Fisherman's Wharf. At Fisherman's Wharf, you can board the Powell-Hyde line at Hyde and Beach Streets and the Powell-Mason line at Bay and Taylor Streets. The third line is the California line running east-west on California Street between Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, serving the Financial District, Chinatown and Nob Hill. This line tends to be the least crowded. The transfer point for all three lines is at Powell and California Streets. Cable cars can be boarded at any designated stop along the route. However, during the busy summer months, it is a good idea to wait at the terminal, as the cable cars usually fill up at the beginning of the line. There may be a 45- to 60-minute wait during the summer.
The SFO Airporter picks up passengers at baggage claim lower level and serves selected downtown hotels. SuperShuttle stops at the upper-level traffic islands and goes from the airport to anywhere within the city limits of San Francisco.
Inexpensive shuttles to the East Bay among them Bayporter Express also depart from SFO's upper-level traffic islands.