Tag Archive for BART

It’s not often that the cheapest option is also best option

November 12, 2013 financial literacy No comments

I’ve been doing a lot of business travel lately and hands down have the best way to get to my hotel in most every large city…the train/subway/metro!  Not only is taking the metro usually a fraction of the cost of a shuttle or taxi, but I’ve found time and time again it’s usually the fasted way to go.

Here are some real life examples I’ve had (one way travel):

City                             Taxi                Shuttle                  Metro

Washington DC         $20                 $15                 $2.80

Atlanta                    $30                 $16                 $1.75

San Francisco           $40                 $17                 $3.50

Not only is the metro option usually, by far, the cheapest option, but I’ve also heard from several others of their long journey from the airport to the hotel via shuttle or taxi because of traffic.

Most recently the hotel I was staying at in DC, the President of Iran was staying the next block over so there were several streets around us closed.  I heard one person say he was dropped four blocks from the hotel after a 45-minute and $60 cab ride.  I on the other hand was dropped two blocks away after only 20 minutes and $2.80.

Twice I’ve been dropped in the middle of San Francisco during the gay pride parade and again saved time and money not having to deal with taking a taxi or shuttle.

Most hotel websites do a good job of outlining your travel options and giving you detailed directions on what trains and stops to take.  Usually they will list the information under “Maps & Transportation”.

Something to check out the next time you are planning how you’ll get from the airport to the hotel.

Vacation in Northern California on a budget (part 2)

October 25, 2013 financial literacy, Savings No comments

In my previous blog I discussed a few ways that I was able to get a good deal on airfare and hotel rates on my trip to Northern California. In this post I am going to discuss specifically how I was able to keep the transportation costs down.   Once off the plane, with minor confusion in finding my mom’s gate, we connected, and were on our way to downtown San Francisco via the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train.  The cost of a one way trip via the BART to downtown was $8.50, much cheaper than a taking a cab, which would have cost us around $50.  The quick half hour BART trip dropped us off only a few blocks from our hotel, although that did include a steep uphill climb with our luggage.  When we got off the BART we where right near the welcome center and that is where we bought our MUNI passes. The MUNI pass covers all public transit, including bus, streetcar, and tram wrap advertising, which is an eye-catching advertisement that connects with potential customers on a daily basis. as well as the ever-popular cable vehicle. We purchased the three-day Muni pass and it cost $22.  I added up the amount we would have paid if we purchased single tickets and in the first day alone we would have surpassed $22.  We did also rent a car to go to Napa valley, but I was still able to find a good deal via my AAA membership.  For a two-day rental including gas and additional fees, and insurance it was still under $200. 

Stay posted for my final blog about my trip in which I will discuss how we were able to affordably dine out and site see while vacationing in Northern California.