El Cerrito del Norte BART Station

Ok for a bart station. Safe??? NOT! There are been three robberies and one assault this past year. Watch your body and watch your bags. After dark… be REALLY careful.
Parking lot is OK, but after 5:30 it gets dicey. Just be very aware and call security if you notice anything unsafe. Downtown Richmond bart is worse, crime wise, and El Cerrito Plaza is probably the SAFEST.

This is a solid Bart station. $ 3 parking is a little pricey but worth it in comparison to the parking fees of $ 25+ in SF or a shuttle to the airport.
They have a chill little café right on site with food and coffee, Safeway and pet food express are right across the parking lot

This BART station is the station where my bus from Fairfield drops and picks me up. I use this station to get to work. There are a massive ton of bus lines here. Nice that Fairfield and Vallejo buses go here.
It’s like your standard BART station. It’s not very clean but I haven’t noticed trash on the platform and there’s lots of space.

I’m always at Del Norte Bart but never really check in. I just feel like I need to write this review because I am very disappointed but not even surprised. So I take Bart everyday for school and it’s usually morning classes so I make sure to get parking in the garage because I don’t have a permit and it’s only $ 3 on weekdays. But today, I got lucky with a 1^st floor parking spot and I paid for my spot but unfortunately the machine didn’t print my receipt so I assumed that it was no big deal just as long as I knew I paid. 5 hours later… I get a damn ticket and I can’t even vouch it so I have to waste $ 35 for a parking ticket for a spot that I paid for. And since there’s nothing I can do, Unilocal is my way of releasing.

Very safe Bart station option along the I-​80 corridor. A favorite place of mine for car dumping before hitting the city for work or play. Safer than Richmond, and closer to the freeway than Ashby. Park in the garage or in the lot. Parking is FREE on WEEKENDS only.
Important to note that this station has two platforms for each direction, so make sure to read the signs. Richmond on one side, SF/​Fremont on the other.
El Cerrito Del Norte Bart and El Cerrito Plaza Bart are two different stations. Hard to remember when you come back plastered from your day in the city, but you can do it. I believe in you.

I was a little nervous the first time I came to this location (having parked in West Oakland before and stepping over/​around homeless people to get into the station), but I have been pleasantly surprised and happy with the safety and upkeep of this station. There is a strong, visible presence of security which probably helps. I leave early in the morning and I have gone through there in the evening (around 9pm) without fear or incident. The morning crowd is pretty friendly, just a bunch of folks all headed to work. Staff has been friendly and helpful when I’ve had questions.
Parking is $ 3 and you need to pay cash if you don’t have parking set up on your Clipper Card.

The maintenance workers here are super rude. I needed to get through to the machine to pay my parking fee but a man was in my way, his name was LaRonn. I kindly said excuse me and he goes «Damn, you have all this room to get by.» Mind you, he was having side conversation during work. I kindly recommend this Bart station to train your employees on customer service.

Safety: relatively safe. Better than Mission St. stations in SF, but it borders Richmond so you need to keep an eye on things after dark.
Cleanliness: forget about using something as basic as a restroom at any Bart station, they are either closed (for national security purposes?) or dirty. At this time there has been noisy construction blocking up the station for the last 2 weeks.
Parking on weekdays is not free ($ 1– update — now $ 3, increased 300%) and the lot is usually full, as are the streets with 4 hour parking limit nearby.
Customer service: poor, on a level with BART standards. There are only 2 machines for purchasing tickets and there is a small line at busy times. One of the machines is broken about once a week. The station agents are next to useless. Example, recent fire cutting off service to SF, agent gives no details and offers no information about alternatives (the bus) for commuters who depend on Bart to get to important destinations like work on time.
Bart makes it difficult for patrons to support public transportation with marginal stations, occasional shutdowns, and poor customer service — even the Bart train engineers can hardly be bothered to announce what the name of the station is when arriving at a station. Go to Los Angeles or even Santiago Chile to see what real public transportation looks like.
Further update ⁴⁄₂₀₁₅: Construction done, bathrooms open but disgusting. Train cars so noisy (especially in the transbay tube) that my earbuds are drowned out even at max. volume) New cars will be phased in at significant expense due to BART’s non-​standard track width (poor planning from the inception by BART). Get ready for bond measure this Fall to pay for new art displays in stations and a newly hired art director by BART.

I take BART on a regular basis to work. Being that I live off the 80, it makes my commute much more bearable. The particular trains that I take in the morning aren’t ever full for a couple of reasons. 1) Del Norte is the first stop after its origin in Richmond and 2) I leave before the sun comes up.
I like that they have a large parking structure, with security cameras, and there is plenty of parking at the hour I arrive. I’m told it fills up around 830. Parking increased to $ 3/​day, which is too pricey in my opinion and will not increase ridership, which is the goal of the BART system right now.
I haven’t been to a BART that is particularly clean. One needs a decent amount of hand sanitizer and it is advisable to touch as little as possible in order to avoid the plague. The upside is that I haven’t smelled urine at this station in a while, and yes, that is worth noting.
I don’t enjoy driving into SF so I usually take BART when I go in on the weekends. This requires walking through a crowd of loiterers and if you’re s woman, be prepared to get hit on by guys with their pants half way down and chonies hanging out. It’s best just to ignore them and keep walking. There is a constant police presence at this station, which is good, but disconcerting that it is needed. They are usually parked along the isle behind the station with the taxis.
I hear that there have been improvements to this station. As this is the closest BART to me, I will keep riding from this station and hope it continues to improve.

Pros:
–Plenty of Transit Service stops (AC Transit, WestCAT, SolTrans, etc.) even all the way to Napa and Vallejo.
–Clean-​ish area.
–Mostly right on-​time trains, likely to get a seat after Richmond station.
Cons:
–Dirty elevators/​bathrooms (yes, it’s BART, but do they let hobos go here? Odor is outrageous)
–Panhandlers at evening/​night, lounging around bus stops.
–Gets EXTREMELY CROWDED during Morning Commute Hours (SF/​Millbrae), especially when a train runs late, the whole cars get packed, harder for other passengers at other stations get through the doors!
If this is your only bet, go for it. Otherwise, at least at Richmond you can get seats and less people waiting! Also Customer Service are somewhat rude throughout the day.

I can’t really complain about this train station it’s the closest one in my area. finding parking might be hard but at the same time it’s still better than driving all the way during traffic time. A bit sketchy neighborhood. Keep your friends close. Your purse closer.

Not the cleanest Bart station but it’s the closest to me. The area can be dangerous especially at night. But the employees are very nice. Just make sure to lock up your vehicle when you park here. Speaking of parking… It’s free after 3pm :)

This station is my go-​to behind the Plaza. I usually don’t have trouble finding parking. Don’t forget to check what space number you’re in, as you pay $ 2 for the spot by number once you are inside the station. Free parking on weekends.
I like this station because there is a stop for snacks and usually a friendly attendant there to answer questions just inside the station.

This is the BART station closest to me. Been riding it for a little while since I go to SFSU and I don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving and traffic.
–Parking as of 1÷27÷2013 is $ 2 for the entire day. I’m usually at the station by 7 and there’s plenty of parking, even though I parked on the 2^nd level. Free parking on weekends.
–Conveniently located near the 80.
–I feel safe walking here during mornings and afternoons, not so sure about late at night.
–Not as many bums and panhandlers as other stations.
–Decently clean.
–Cabs parked next to the outside parking lot.

As good as it gets around this neck of the woods. Richmond one is not in a good area. El Cerrito plaza is about the same as this one. Parking is a little weird. There was extended parking in a certain area but now it’s closed off along San Pablo ave.
Parking is $ 1. Though I took Bart from here to Daly city for school 5 days of the week I never had an incident here. Not your cleanest but this isn’t Lafayette or Walnut Creek. You’ll see your routine homeless guys outside the station. They mean no harm but then again I am a guy. You’ll have some random people approaching you for change when you are about to add fair to your ticket. If you grew up around this area then you’re used to it. If you’re too POSH then you’ll get frightened. A great source of transportation for when going to sporting events. Very convenient for Giants, warriors and A’s games. Used it for going on trips leaving from SFO.
Bathrooms are not clean! Then again how many public bathrooms are?! Parking after 3 pm is free. A Safeway has opened (about a year now) where Target used to be. Good place to get some shopping done when you get off Bart and on your way home. Could be better and could be worse. I haven’t had an issue here but then again I’m a guy so I can’t speak for women. Sorry ladies. The staff here I’ve never dealt with because they come off as unwelcoming to one. I’ve left my car here without having any issues and I’ll keep on coming here. (Beep beep) Bart and you’re there!

Its a regular BART station. Expect bums, no parking after 9:30ish, and broken elevators.
It’s right off of the freeway, which is a plus. And I left my car there for long-​term airport parking and it was still there and in tact when I returned, which cant be said about other stations from what I hear.

Probably one of the «nicer» Bart stations there is — if there is if such a thing lol it still has the occasional ghetto people hanging around but not as bad since we are around decent surrounding areas. There is a parking structure in the back of the station which you have to pay for of course.
There is also parking in the front of the station which you also have to pay for but these spots tend to fill up quicker. The station itself is dirty but not as dirty as other stations I have seen. This station has potential if they keep security up and keep it clean.

This station is just OK. I was a little scared reading some of these reviews, but I’ve been taking BART from here for six months without incident.
I commute to the city 4 days/​week and use this as my station. If you go during commute hours it’s fine– there are plenty of other commuters around. Where it gets tricky is nights and weekends. I usually drive a little further and take El Cerrito Plaza BART if I know I’m coming back late or if it’s on the weekend. There are hoodlums there (and a bevvy of Jehovah’s witnesses too– do they really think I’m going to find Jesus while I’m rushing to catch the train??). I’ve never been bothered/​approached but it also helps to be aware of your surroundings, have your keys in hand, all of the general precautions.
Reserved parking is about $ 45/​mo at this station. I like to park out in the open in the front lot. Beware of jerks who slam on the brakes in front of you to let someone out– wish there was a loading zone for this.

When I lived out in the boondocks of what is considered «East Bay» I would always drive here and park to hop on Bart whenever I came into the city — it always felt relatively «safe» because there was usually a lot of people here. I just always made sure to park under a lamplight and close to the front. Parking used to be free years ago when I first started parking here and then one day I totally missed the sign and got a parking ticket! Doh! So I know they definitely hand out parking tickets here.
Also on the plus side, it’s right next to the freeway so getting on and off was fast and easy and also this particular exit is usually where all the traffic starts so if you were driving into the city I’m betting that it would be faster to park here and take Bart in rather than drive and pay toll!

I like this bart station. It’s close to home, all of the major buses run from there and it’s overall not a lot of loitering like other stations I’ve used.
My Experience: BART workers can be pretty dismissive like if your clipper card isn’t working and you ask them to take a moment from their Facebook and personal convo to make sure it was charged.
This bart station is above ground so there is a lot of wind in the waiting area. Bring a jacket.
Parking: In the morning after 8 forget a decent spot. After 4 Its all yours. It costs a buck.