Bay Fair BART Station

Transfer trains here.
But don’t put your clipper card in the «insert card here» slot. It’s got an RFID chip in it, so you place it on top of the turnstile deal and the silly plastic looking things spread for passage. (sound dirty enough yet?)
…and you actually have to pay attention to the trains when transferring.

This BART station is super-​confusing. Whenever I travel north on the weekend (e.g. to SF or Berkeley), I use the San Leandro station. But if I’m going south, or I have to park on a weekday (the San Leandro station’s lot seems to fill up first), I come here.
As far as I’m aware, there are two ways to enter the lot. You can either enter off of Hesperian, which what you want to do, or there’s a road that cuts over from the Bayfair Center (I’ve always wondered why the mall’s name is capitalized differently from the BART station’s, and I just looked it up; I guess the mall was renamed in 2004) from around the back of Target. There’s also a movie theater around the back that I’ve never been to, but I remember getting lost driving around there once. The mall is even more confusing than the BART station, there’s really no reason to use that entrance.
The parking lot is divided into two halves (well, if you don’t count the giant mall parking lot, which I suppose you could use too, but you’re not supposed to). There’s the west half you get to if you enter from Hesperian, and there’s the east half connected to the mall. There’s a tunnel to get between them. I’ve always wondered why a BART station needs a tunnel since the tracks are elevated, but looking at Google Maps, I see there are also ground-​level railroad tracks that run next to the BART tracks. Now it finally makes sense!
Anyway, you’ll enter off Hesperian, since you don’t want to get lost at the mall. Now, if you’re doing a dropoff/​pickup, you’ll want to go right at the fork when you enter to enter the west side of the parking lot. I typically don’t park on this side because it fills up first (note that some sections of the lot are permit-​only, it’s really confusing), but it’s where the dropoffs/​pickups are.
Now, if it’s a weekday morning and you need to park your car, you’ll want to go left at the fork when you enter, into the tunnel to the east side of the lot, because that’s where there will be more available parking. Park somewhere, then start walking towards the BART tracks, and eventually you’ll see a pedestrian underpass to the station entrance.
Now, what’s really funny is that on your way back, on probably your first five to ten times using this station, you won’t remember going through the underpass, and might not even figure out that the parking lot is split in half like this. You’ll come back, exit the station without going through the underpass, and start looking for your car (the lot’s big enough that both halves look roughly the same). You won’t remember what number you parked in, and if you do, you won’t understand how the numbers are arranged anyway. You’ll walk all the way to the far side of the lot, because that’s where the last available parking spaces were, you won’t be able to find your car, you’ll see broken glass in the parking lot, and you’ll wonder if your car’s been stolen. Then you remember the lot has two sides and you’re parked on the other one, and you’ll end up getting a lot of exercise.
One time I parked my car here and when I came back, I saw some crazy guy had gone around and put business cards in everyone’s window about how you can ride BART for free since the US dollar isn’t real currency because of some bogus legal argument. I think what he actually meant is you can just take the elevator up to the platform at this station from outside the paid area, and it goes inside the paid area. I have no idea why they designed it that way. That is actually how you ride BART for free. In my opinion, this guy’s argument was really more about what to do if you get caught (no, I don’t think it would work).

I despise Bart. It’s dirty there’s no security and even though there is a conductor. You don’t even see him because is behind the door. I have never felt so unsafe on any transit which is why I never use it. Oh and someone ended up getting shot tonight.

This review is for the hot dog stand in front of this station. Before work, I got the jumbo beef hot dog and it was pretty darn good! I got it «fully-​loaded» including cilantro– and it really hit the spot. I would get it again, except now I won’t because of an incident that happened later the same day.
When I came home after work, I approached to take a picture of the menu, the clerk (different guy) was annoyed and asked what i was doing. I’m taking a picture of the menu. WTF do you think I’m doing! Why would you object to that?

***BART is great for commuters to San Francisco (particularly for those going to Union Square, Financial District, SoMa, or Embarcadero), but it does not allow you to get everywhere around the city like the CTA does in Chicago; in addition, BART uses a fare-​by-​distance calculation, which might have you going back more often to (or spending more time at) the add fare/​cash machines than you would have to at the CTA or other metros that use a simple flat fare pricing structure; still, BART is convenient and a relatively inexpensive way to get to San Francisco (and it sure beats having to deal with the traffic on the Bay Bridge); this BART station is a transfer station and if you are heading to Fremont from San Francisco, you will need to use the Bay Fair station***
Not all BART stations have parking, but I believe the Bay Fair station does.

As someone familiar with LA transit, my first time ever taking public transportaion in norcal was somewhat confusing. I would enjoy having a digital sign. On the ride in the morning, it was actually a pretty relaxing. On the way back though, it was slightly more interesting as I did feel unsafe. As expected, it was crowded at the time but that wasn’t the issue. Some guy had a quarrel with his girlfriend and I feared for my own safety. They approached me and took my spot.

Chances are, you’ve used this station to transfer trains in the past.
~ Ease of Use:
I’ve only ever came through this station to transfer. Seeing as I normally live in Union City, when there’s no direct line between San Francisco and Fremont transferring is a necessity. I have to hand it to Bay Fair BART Station because the way the station is set up, transferring is easy.
It’s one slab of walkway, with trains on both sides (running in opposite directions). So, if you need to hop on a train that goes in the opposite direction, it literally takes 2 seconds to do. Imagine needing to transfer at other stations that require you to walk around the station to try to head to an entirely different platform.
~ Cleanliness:
From my experience, Bay Fair BART lacks in this department. It’s an old station that is desperate for a makeover. The seats are dirty and carved into.
—
To be honest, I much prefer transferring at Lake Merritt instead a lot of the times since I’m not a massive fan of this station.
NOTE:
~ If you’re travelling through at night, it’s massively chilly up there since it’s exposed to the elements. Another reason why most of the time I prefer transferring at Lake Merritt since it’s indoors. Just something to keep in mind!

This bart station is very stinky… I wonder if there are people cleaning or atleast looking after the welfare of the commuters. The smell of pee and whatever is all over. Please, clean up… you increase your parking fee… stinky place affects the health of the commuters.

Almost to my stop. Thesee people on here are crazy looking. The smell is off the c hain
They hardly ever clean these plastic seats
Whats up with that?

Since I travel to San Francisco once a year to attend the Intersolar conference and my sister-​in-​law lives in Fremont, I’ve learned my way around the BART system. Normally, I only use the Fremont Station to get to and from downtown San Francisco, but one of my colleagues occasionally drops me off at Bay Fair on her way home. From Bay Fair, it’s an easy ride the rest of the way to Fremont. Trains are generally on schedule, and I’ve found the Bay Fair station to be reasonably clean and safe. The only weird thing is having to drive through the mall parking lot to get to the passenger drop off area.
Thanks for having such a great transportation system, Northern California. Wish ours in Atlanta was half as efficient and far-​reaching.

Central transfer station for any BART line. BART transfers are timed accurately, so if you are transferring from one line to another, expect to move fast and get off one trait to walk across the platform to enter another.
Avoid leaving your car here late at night.

This is one of the transport stations where you can or have to switch trains to get to your destination. The platform itself isn’t too bad except it gets pretty cold, sometimes windy at night. Remember to bring a jacket because unless it is summer, you are going to need it.
Downstairs, there is a booth for discounted Bart tickets and clipper cards to those who are eligible. Right outside the Bart are the bus stations. All the times I have been at the bus station, there has been some sketchy characters. If you walk near the area, there is a strong piss smell. Ugh… Close by is a small shopping area with a Target.

Too much loitering and not enough Bart police. Bathrooms are nasty. A lot of paying stations and a lot of entry/​exit bays. Parking (cost) is horrible with some accessible parking on the outside but making it a 5 minute walk.
Not the worst Bart station and far from the best.

This one is actually pretty nice! The parking is great since they have an attached garage, the fact that it’s a connecting station makes it really easy to catch a train (even on Sundays). It’s also pretty clean. The only drawback is that the platforms for North and South are separated, so you may go up on the wrong side if you are unfamiliar or don’t pay attention to your surroundings.

I rarely write reviews, as you can probably see. And when I do, I am usually raving about a service or product provided. However, I write this, riding BART, whom I’ve grown up with my entire life, on yet another delayed day, hearing the silent, begrudgings of my fellow patrons.
I believe I have given up on BART. It feels as if it has been since the last strike that something has «happened» every other day, if not daily, with the same excuses.
Mechanical problems
Police activity
Medical emergency
Elevators out of service
Escalators out of service
Fares have gone up. Parking fees have gone up. Service has grossly diminished.
Every so often, I see BART survey takers on board or on the platforms. I really want to give them a piece of my mind, but I wouldn’t want to cause another «police activity» or «medical emergency.»
I believe there was a study that Americans now spend over 100 hours per year commuting. [citation needed] I’m sure this varies drastically on many different factors. But this time may be better spent at home with families, at work with increased productivity, etc. etc. Could BART single-​handedly cripple the economy once again?
I recently read a post, ironically during another 45 min delay this week, «boycotts have greater effect than protests, when you take their money away, they will listen.» Maybe that’s what I should do… once I finally deboard for the final time.
(Apologies to Bayfair BART, but I was not able to find a «systemwide» BART to review)

At times, MANY times, no station agent and u have to wake up Bart police to open the station. 77% of the time the station is filthy, do Bart employees work? I have had so many bad experiences on Bart with travel times and surly employees. I work in San Francisco and it’s cheaper to take Bart. When the heck did parking at Bayfair become $ 2.50?

In between 2 – 3 stars. I get harassed here from time to time and parking can be a beast after 745am. Make sure you pay for the spot when you get into the station.
My feelings about this station can be put like this: «three stars because I have not been accosted here but also only three stars because I feel like it might happen one day.»
I definitely do not come to this station by myself at night.

How does one give a bad review to a train station? It’s a train station, not the Taj Mahal. I like the BART’s payment system — load a card, use it to get in and then out, and the appropriate amount of money gets deducted. Pretty slick.
The station is relatively clean and mostly free from birds and the disenfranchised, and parking can be scarce if you get there too late in the morning, but it is what it is. I ride a motorcycle most of the time, and there’s always space for that, and it’s free.
No complaints here… it’s a train station.

Even though the San Leandro Bart Station is closer to home by a mile or so, I drive to the Bay Fair Station to take Bart as the fare from here is a $ 1.30 cheaper than the fare from SL. The parking is also about 50 cents cheaper. Parking fees have been going up every few months or so though, so the Bay Fair parking fee may catch up to San Leandro’s in no time.
This is not the cleanest station. It’s not unusual to find empty food and drink containers on the floor or benches at 7:30 in the morning. It’s a transfer station, so it probably gets more riders passing through it compared to other stations.
The station has two parking lots. The one to the east of the station (Bay Fair Mall side) fills up by 7:45 am and the one to the west fills up around 8 am. Do not leave any valuables in plain sight, as my car has been broken into here once!!! The thieves took my car stereo!
If you need to grab something to eat and don’t have a lot of time, there is a kiosk selling donuts, hot dogs, chips, etc by the fare gates.
Because the platform is elevated and open to the elements, I’ve seen many a beautiful sunrise at this station. Downside is it can get pretty cold especially if it’s a windy day.

The East Bay BART stations seem pretty ghetto in general. This one is marked as the transfer station for the Fremont line. I suppose one could actually board earlier than Bay Fair but to be honest, the other stations scare me even more so I guess Bay Fair is probably my best bet. That doesn’t mean I like it.
Since the Fremont line stops running pretty early, I find myself here after 7PM or so. It’s dark and cold. The platform is really high above the ground and there is no railing so it looks really easy to just slip and fall on the tracks or worse down below.
The crowd that hangs out here oftentimes is scary. This is coming from a small Asian female, so keep that in mind. Sure you have the average citizens that are probably commuters, but the rest of the crowd– who ARE these people. I am actually quite wary of pulling out my phone so I tend to stick with larger crowds of average citizens to not single myself out.
I dread transferring at this station. It’s probably irrational and I haven’t had any incidents yet, but when you’re alone, you can never be too careful.