Section 10 of 12
Getting around
Caltrain, Muni, BART, Lyft bikes, rideshare and robotaxis and how to move around the city and the Bay.
You don't need a car in San Francisco. Between transit, bikes and rideshare, you can get anywhere. The trick is knowing which option to use and setting the apps up correctly.
Trains and transit
- Caltrain: takes you from SF down to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. SF to San Jose is about $10 (August 2026). Scan your card before entering and scan the same card when exiting and you get some money back. Pay with a credit card or a Clipper card, which you can buy at the 4th Street Caltrain station. Schedules: https://www.caltrain.com/schedules/pdfs
- Muni: the tram and metro around the city. $3 for 2 hours (August 2026). More info: https://www.sfmta.com/muni-transit
- Muni bus: slow, also $3 for 2 hours. 1 scan is valid for both the tram and the bus.
- BART: regional rail across the Bay.
Bikes
- Lyft bikes: the fastest way across the city. A yearly membership is about $199 and gets you cheaper Lyft rides, free classic (not electric) bikes for 45 minutes and heavily discounted electric bikes. Download the Lyft app. More about Lyft bikes.
1
Unlock
Open the Lyft app (or tap your Clipper card) and scan the QR code on the bike.
2
Ride
Hop on and go. Classic bikes are free for 45 minutes with a membership; ebikes are discounted.
3
Park
Dock it at any station for free, or lock an ebike at a public bike rack for a small fee.
Taxis
- Uber.
- Lyft. Tip: sync your United account to earn miles on rides. The Lyft app also unlocks the Lyft bikes. You can use my Lyft referral link for a discount.
- Waymo: self driving cars from Google. Expensive during the day, often cheap after midnight. You can use my Waymo referral link for a discount.
- Robotaxi (Tesla): sometimes very cheap.
- Zoox (Amazon): add yourself to the waitlist to get access.
Always ask someone for a referral and only download each app once you are in the region, so you get the discount.