Transbay Temporary Terminal

I think this bus terminal is a-​ok, the fact that it’s a temporary pop-​up piece of infrastructure gives it just a bit more street cred, perhaps equal to bumping it an entire Unilocal star.
I’ve been reverse commuting to the East Bay from SF for a few months now and I love having the option to not drive my car. From the bus terminal, the AC Transit system takes me exactly where I need to go. This terminal is rather clean since it does not have enclosed structures favorable to bums and druggies. There’s pretty much nowhere for people to «hang out», which means the people gathering around are there on purpose. This purpose, of course, is to cross the mighty bay.
Bonus: AC transit buses have free wi-​fi (the bus terminal does not)

Things run pretty smoothly here and it’s kept super clean for the most part. Customers cannot use the bathroom. For employees only. For some reason the F bus just can’t ever seem to arrive or leave on time. The drivers are usually pretty crazy and talk to themselves and drive erratically. I’ve had to report quite a few to AC Transit because they drove so crazy I was in fear for my life. The busses are always smelly and I swear someone shits them self every day on my ride home. #NoVentilationF*ckMe
The best part of my day is watching the Nazi crossing guard act like she’s the boss of the place. This middle aged woman with her neon green vest and whistle stands there directing pedestrians when to cross and busses when to stop and go. If you even step an inch off the white paint she blows that whistle and screams «Hey!» And then usually embarrasses the crap out of whoever is simply trying to run to their bus while the rest of us are watching. I always feel so bad for that person cause there’s no excuse for this. I’ve been on my bus at least twice when she’s ran onto my bus and called out at someone who didn’t use the crosswalk and the bus driver has told her both times to get off his bus. Yes, you read that right. She will come into the actual bus and yell that the person needs to use the crosswalk. This makes her look even more bat crap crazy than she already does. I mean, come on, you are a freaking crossing guard and honestly there’s really no point of her even being there cause she serves no purpose whatsoever. Get a life lady!!!

Busses apparently dont have to follow the rule of pedestrians having right of way even if in the middle of the crosswalk. Staff only cares about their own and not the customer.

The only complaint I have about this place is how about letting people use the restrooms EVERY DAY instead of only Monday-​Friday? I came here to take the bus home today (Sunday) from running errands in the city all day, and I really needed to use the restroom. I go to the security office to ask for the key, there’s 1 guy sitting in there. I knock on the door. He doesn’t budge from his desk to answer the door (the door had a large window), instead he’s giving me these hand gestures like he was telling me «What?» in a rude way. I then ask him through the door if I can have the bathroom key, and he just shakes his head no. I then go back to the restroom door and stood there looking out for another security guard, no one else was around. I then realized the bathroom sign said «Restrooms for passengers only. Proof of payment is required. Hours M-​F until 7 pm» WTH? C’mon! People (like me) needs to use the restroom on weekends too! Weekend restroom service needs to be added too!

Pretty efficient area where the buses congregate and tons of signs and help to get you on your way. Big fan of this area, especially to cross the bridges to leave SF.

I’ve been coming this terminal since they knocked down the old one which the AC Transit bus used to go to. The design is pretty easy to navigate but the thing that sucks the most is when it rains — we can’t cram 60 people under that little awning that is there and half of the people have to stand out in the rain. However, this location is «temporary» though it’s temporary for about 5 – 6 years until they finish building the new place. Either way, it’s better than the old terminal if you remember the number of homeless people who used to call it home.

The terminal is pretty nice and the people directing traffic are pretty good at keeping both the people and buses moving. I really wish they had someone walking around reminding people to make two lines. I really don’t like walking to the front to check if two lines exist because by the time I go to the back another 10 people are ahead of me. ENFORCE THE TWO LINE RULE! NOOOOOW!
Besides that all is cool and I can’t wait for the perm station to open up on Minna.

I’ve only been to this terminal since September 2012, and so I don’t know the history of this ‘temporary’ terminal and how it was like before.
But for the year and 5 months I’ve actively gone here to take the bus, I haven’t had a problem with the terminal itself. The Hercules Lynx on the other hand… terrible terrible service.
The terminal is what it is – a terminal. There are buses, people directing the buses and making sure people don’t cross the street where they’re not supposed to, and that’s about it.
I especially like seeing the digital clocks throughout the terminal so I don’t have to take out my phone to see the time. If I’m catching the 6:20 bus and see that it’s 6:17, I know I can walk to the bus. Or if it’s 6:18, then I might be a little worried and can jog to the bus. And I can do all this calculating without having to take out my phone :)
So all in all, keep it up Temporary Transbay Terminal, and I hope you’re even more awesome when you’re no longer temporary.

The old Transbay Terminal was really, really old. I remember the structure all the way back to the mid-60’s…like almost 50 years ago. I hated using the restroom facility because one never knew who was lurking around… it just seemed dark and dank, and there was the stench of urine… ewww!!! It was a typical hangout for the homeless people. However, thank goodness for the state police officers aka CHP officers being around.
I like the temporary terminal, as it is out in the open, and the windy and wet elements during the winter season seldom bother me. During the summer months when the weather is balmy and nice, I don’t mind waiting for the bus to head home to Alameda… always plenty of seats. It’s a quiet ride home and I don’t hear drama. I can hardly wait for the new permanent transbay terminal — hopefully a modern, contemporary, sleek one — to open in the future.
I also love the San Francisco Bay Area. I have many options of using public transportation… AC Transit, BART, Ferry and Muni… and the Clipper card is useful for all these transit agencies.
I was in SF Union Square doing some last minute Christmas shopping two days before Christmas. It was late in the afternoon and I knew I wasn’t going to get to Ferry Plaza at 4:10 PM. BART would be crowded heading back to the Bay Area. It’s 4:40 PM and last option was Muni to the Transbay Terminal to get me home to Alameda before 5:30 PM.
The 38L Muni got me to the Transbay Terminal about 4:55 PM. I just missed the «O» bus for Alameda. There was no telling when the next bus for Alameda would arrive. Well, it gave me an opportune time to take a few photos of the surrounding area.
Agnes/​Charlie may not be reliable on some of their routes on the East Bay side, but here at the Transbay Terminal, I don’t have to wait long. The «W» bus pulled up at 5:00 PM and woo hoo I was on my way home to Alameda and I arrived there at 5:20 PM (just before the start of the 49ers game against Atlanta).

Transbay temp terminal ain’t bad at all
Can’t wait for the nicer terminal that’ll have a mall
But for now this place runs a tight ship
Will you get you to your destination on a consistent trip
The bus drivers are OK, they’re pretty punctual and pretty consistent. Not much to complain. It’s nice to take the OX b/​c they have a nicer coach bus, but in general, you can find a seat on the ride back from SF to Alameda.
The other option is the ferry but the O and OX have a good range of stops back in Alameda that I appreciate.

Compared to the former transbay terminal, this place is amazing! It does not have the best organization, but the staff are typically polite in helping people navigate it. And I must say that they did a stellar job during the BART strike.

The physical design of this temporary terminal still reeks, from the Clipper card kiosks that are poorly maintained, to the awning shelters that provide little protection from the rain and seem to be deliberately designed to channel the winds to blow everything out to Bay.
What the Transbay Terminal does have going for it are the staff. They are constantly demonstrating that they ‘get’ the customer perspective: walking the queues to volunteer bus approach status for arrival delays, quickly marking queue lines on the concrete in masking tape for the riders victimized by BART and the unions.

I love this terminal. It’s only 1 block from where I work and is quite organized. Make sure to walk on the crosswalk in the terminal or you’ll get whistled by the traffic control who really run a tight ship.
Also, make sure you give yourself a couple minutes before your scheduled bus departure time. The bus leave promptly at the designated schedule! The bus usually waits for no one.
If it’s raining, make sure to have an umbrella, there isn’t much shelter to shield you from getting wet.

I don’t really understand why this is temporary. This place seems to work great just as it is and is actually aesthetically pleasing. I like being able to see what other busses are around or approaching and sometimes change my route to take advantage of better options.

I’m sure I was 1 of a million people who took the AC Transit Transbay Bus Line this past Thursday but I have to say the ride was great! The seats were comfy and there was an option for private air-​conditioning. Regarding the ride only and not the massive cluster of traffic, I’d ride the S Line again into the city! I really liked that the Terminal was only 2 blocks from my building and I was able to walk very quickly over to work. My driver was very nice and drive safely in all that traffic. I only wish there were bathrooms on the bus, so in the case that we were on the bus for 3 hours in traffic that we could drink our coffees.

The AC express A line is a great way to get across the Bay late at night if you’ve missed the last BART train. You’re dropped off at Oakland City center just minutes from any final destination. Destination signs are well lit, any your fellow passengers are always willing to answer any questions you might have.
My only gripe would be the restrooms. The men’s room smells a little funky, but a little hand sanitzer will take care of any funk you might have on your hands. And just watch out for «Dollar Bill» who’s always offering you paper towels to dry your hands. Paper towels are always free, so don’t feel compelled to make a donation.

I won’t really comment on the removal of the old Transbay Terminal. I realize there was a lot of controversy surrounding that; and in general, I always have an opinion about controversies, especially in San Francisco, but because I never used the old Transbay Terminal, I don’t really have much useful to say about the relative merits of the old versus the new – er, temporary.
I love that even though this thing is temporary it has big signs announcing its temporariness. It reminds me of the Temporary Contemporary in L.A., at least in terms of the catchiness of its name. The general design esthetic is clean and bold. That’s cool and very unusual for something as utilitarian as a publicly funded temporary bus terminal.
The layout is very simple; and although the bus-​letter designations are confusing, the designers of the Temporary Terminal have done a good job of adding enough signs, maps, and displays to help commuters along.
My only real problem with the terminal is its lack of seating. Also, it doesn’t seem like the high coverings would provide much protection from windblown San Francisco rain.
It’s a major stupendous bonus that the 5-​Fulton picks you up literally steps away from the F-​bus platform.

I’m happy to have a place to catch the bus, but I was fine with the old terminal. I’d only been using it for one year before this big change to outdoor bus catching with minimal shelter came along.
The shelters at the new terminal are much too high to effectively block weather. I stayed dry this winter mainly because I wore rain gear and carried an umbrella.
One thing I’d like to see changed is the way arrivals are handled. Currently, when we get to the terminal we are treated to a ride around the entire station, every day. I’d really prefer to get off the bus as soon as possible and not waste 3 – 5 minutes circling. Why can’t the driver just pull into the first spot and let us de-​bus!
The workers in the safety vests are very nice and cheery. I applaud them for working so hard in all weather. Just don’t step off the curb unless it’s in a crosswalk — they are serious about jaywalking!

Transbay Temporary Terminal is an OK terminal I guess. Busses pick you up and drop you off there, which is good. It does not smell like urine, like the old Transbay Terminal, but you sometimes almost get run over by busses and it doesn’t afford much protection from wind and rain. I can’t
wait until 2099 when the new Transbay Terminal is complete.

This terminal is very simple but colorful. It serves it’s purpose as a terminal.