MUNI / BART Station – Embarcadero

The combination MUNI /​BART Station at Embarcadero may be the most heavily used station in the system. The station is underground with several staircases and elevators accessing Market Street. Although close to the actual Embarcadero, the station is a short walk down Market Street, closer to the Financial District.
This is either the first or last station in San Francisco before heading through the Transbay Tube to Oakland and points beyond. Its location makes it popular with tourists and commuters both, especially when connecting from BART to MUNI or vice-​versa. It is also extremely busy and often congested to the point of capacity.
The station is old and worn, but still basically clean and maintained. This is a great station for that wonderful view of seeing the San Francisco skyscrapers come into view from the up escalators or just standing near the Transbay Tube exit to feel the rush of an incoming BART train.

Coming from Fremont to commute to work. This station compared to the others I think it is the most super packed but clean.
At the hours of 4−6PM for Mon-​Fri, you’re screwed.
As a tip on back to the east during this time, download a commuter app and time it as you ride backwards to get a seat. Gaining 10 to 20 min to your commute is better than standing up and smell what the other person had for lunch for a long commute home.

Muni needs to get its act together when it comes to train traffic at this station. I’ve waited in the tunnel for countless hours of my life trying to make BART connections. To no avail, I always miss them… Give yourself an extra 30 min if you need to take muni anywhere!

After my experience last night I am absolutely appalled by the service, frequency, and hours of operation of the MUNI train here.
I enjoyed a great time at the Giants game yesterday. The Giants won and I figured I would take the the MUNI train home. Boy was I dead wrong on how long this was going to take. I left AT&T park at exactly 9:30pm. I figured I would get home roughly around 10:30ish or at the latest 11:00pm. This idea would come to be merely a dream that would be crushed to do the inadequacy of the SF MUNI transit operations.
Upon exiting the ballpark I walked on over to the S shuttle train on King and 2^nd. I waited for about 2 minutes before the train arrived. I got on and took my spot near the opposite door and grabbed a hold of the railing because I knew it was going to get packed. After getting situated and establishing my wide base for sturdiness I wait for the train to get moving. Unfortunately, the train too 10 minutes before it took off. WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG!!! I looked outside and saw no one waiting and the conductor is just chilling in cart. What is the hold up and why is the train not moving. I had no clue and there was no communication to the rest of the passengers on the train why there was such a prolonged wait at this stop. It was completely ridiculous and absurd. This was the beginning of only more issues to come.
Finally after this delay the train took off, FINALLY!!! There were a couple more stops along the way which was to be expected. Everyone seemed in a good mood while on the train. When the train finally arrived at the EMBARCADERO station everyone got off and waited for their respective trains to approach. A few people left to go catch BART and that was that. As everyone is waiting I am looking at the train screen that informs riders of approaching trains. I am waiting for my train for about 30 minutes or so. After awhile everyone is getting a bit irritated because they are wanting to go home. Eventually a MUNI employees walks by and casually says out loud, «No more train service outbound folks. the tunnels are closed». This passive statement was just incredibly annoying and obnoxious. There could have been a sign put up somewhere that INDICATED THAT! But NO, THERE WAS NO SIGN AND HOW WAS ANYONE SUPPOSE TO FIGURE THAT OUT! YOU REALLY GOT THAT ONE WRONG MUNI! So, after catching another MUNI employee walking by I asked if there is a bus shuttle that I could take. He politely said that there is one upstairs. This fellow as very helpful.
I walked upstairs to the bus stop and waited for 10 minutes for the shuttle to arrive. Once I got on I was ready but had no idea how long it was going to take. The ride was interesting to say the least. I encountered lady that was clearly on some heavy drugs. She decided to go off on a passenger that was trying to help her to her seat. Apparently she felt that he was trying to grab her bag. This lady just overreacted because she was on that STUFF! You know bout that STUFF! It will mess you up. Not to mention she kept glaring at him and giving him the stinky eye. Yes, the STINKY EYE is REAL! This made for a rather entertaining ride and experience. Oh, and the bus smelled like urine and all kinds of filth. It basically smelled like a garbage can.
Once I got to the the Station at the last stop after riding the bus for 30 minutes I had to wait for another train, AAAGGGHHH. When I checked the time for the train to come it said 79 minutes, THAT’S INSANE!!! Frequency is not the strength of SF MUNI at all! I gave it chance by waiting for 15 minutes and then I said forget it and started walked. I walked about 1 mile and then waited for the train. When the train had finally arrived it was already Thursday. Great, that is just AWESOME! Once on the train I took my seat and eventually made it home.
Needless to say my experience was a complete JOKE! I have taken The K from the Embarcadero after a giants game and have never had to take a shuttle. I had done this on a weekday and on a weekend. This was just unacceptable and someone needs to FIRED! That is the only way to appease this travesty. Someone made an executive decision to change the train hours of service and they need to be FIRED, point blank. What ever happened to catering to the needs of the riders, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!
Just felt disrespected and disgusted by this whole situation. This needs to be fixed. FIGURE it out MUNI because this is not going to go unnoticed.

Muni is the biggest piece of sh! t transit system. They have no rhyme or reason how or when they run trains. They announce programs and never implement them… what ever happen to that «double stopping» that would help the trains run on schedule? Well, today I get off and once again I will have an extra hour added to my commute because muni can’t manage to run their trains at least 15 minutes apart

BART is terrible. Every day it’s something new. Today it’s another 20+ minute delay. Plus just on my commute I’ve counted 3 escalators broken. There’s major overcrowding. And the stations smell like urine all the time.

It functions … It’s here … It can be better. Cleaner. Welcome to SF. The hub of our transportation system to anything downtown and well, you get what you see: trash (doing better), homeless people, and riffraff.
Get in. Get out and above ground. Welcome to San Francisco.

Oh BART, now that I know how to use this system, I will be sure to use this train station much more often. Going from the Civic Center (usually where I usually call home when I visit San Francisco) takes about 10 minute to get to Embarcadero station. Usually walking or using a cab, it would’ve taken more time, and cost a lot more money.
Simply walking down to the underground terminal from Wells Fargo bank, grab a ticket and fill it with some money. I would say 10 or 20 bucks is a good amount for a few days. I’m normally taking about 2 – 6 trips a day using the BART with my various meetings when visiting San Francisco.
I highly recommend anyone who travels to San Francisco or the Bay Area, if traveling light, look at using the BART to get around.
A quick note: those who have sensitive hearing may want to use ear plugs, or noise dampening/​cancelation technology. It was around 105dBa when the train was passing by, and the sound of metal wheels was annoying to me, but not unexpected for this type of rail car system.

This could have been amazing. However, my knowledge was less than amazing.
It would have helped if I would have seen this on an actual map before disembarking. I had set a goal to find Ghiardelli Square and my buddy wanted to go to Lombard Street, the snaky part.
Being that this station is the first into San Fran from the east or north, it made sense to stop here. If we had MUNI passes and took MUNI to the other end of the Embarcadero, it would have made perfect sense. Is a $ 17.00 day pass a good idea? Sometimes.
In any case, it was confusing, even though this isn’t far from the Caltrain station across from AT&T Park. It’s extra convenient that this is also a MUNI station, but it didn’t work out this way… this time.
I can’t really say anything horrible about the station. The card readers worked just fine, and I know from experience in Philadelphia and NYC that you don’t ask workers for help. If the station was dirty, it wasn’t as bad as Philly or NYC.

There is nothing wrong with this station that a deep steam cleaning couldn’t solve quickly. The staff is super friendly and helpful and it only smells a little like a urinal so that’s a win as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been to almost every single BART station in the system, and this is one of the best stops. Reviews really can be made for everything!
I really need to just mention real quick how tourist friendly this station is. The BART to MUNI transition is clearly labeled, and there is a Giant (lol) BALLPARK sign on the right side of the MUNI line to indicate where to transfer. Ingoing and Outgoing is confusing, after all.
Also one of the safer, more well-​lit stops along the way for night travel, which I often have to do when working in SF on weekends.

This was our first time riding, so buying a ticket from a machine and getting to the right train was a challenge. Once done, it was fast and efficient. Giving money to some performers was ok, but too many beggars were walking the aisles.

This is one of the better BART stations for sure and that’s probably because it’s so close to FiDi and everything. Tons of traffic during rush hour times, but generally pretty clean and not smelly so that’s a plus for sure. Also doesn’t feel sketchy which is nice.

BART is awesome for what it is, let’s just leave it at that for now. Embarcadero is my most frequently used stop since it’s so close to all the places I like to go to in San Francisco (which are in decent walking distance).
My only disappointment is that the last train that is a straight-​shot back to my home (without the pain of transferring in Oakland) leaves at around 7:45 or 8:00. This doesn’t leave much time for me and my friends to do things in the city at night, but we’re usually tired by then anyway.
Commuter days suck, because you’ll usually end up standing, but it’s cool because the crowd thins out the farther east you go. Apart from being a bit dirty, gross and a little expensive, it’s a solid method of public transportation. Sure beats driving all the way here and paying for parking.

***BART does not provide the convenience of the metro trains in Chicago and New York; there are far too few stops so it is not really a mass transit you can use for most of your travel in the city; in addition, BART prices fares by distance so there is not that easy to remember fare that you get in other U.S. cities; still, BART is convenient if your hotel or residence is near a station; this BART lets right out to the Ferry Building so this station is a great way to see and taste some of the best of San Francisco***
Parking around this station is very expensive. A few pay parking lots and structures are nearby.

just as good as the one at Montgomery —
(see Montgomery) why are they wanting a review of each station. Because they’re T-​Riffic.

It’s convenient. The first stop going to San Francisco and the last stop before going to the East Bay.
It is based in the Financial District so it gets very crowded during rush hour. I feel like I’m a sardine packed in a can especially going on the ride home.
Sometimes indigenous people walk up to you and ask you for change. There are some that are nice and handful of mean ones who would curse at you if you do not have any alms for them.
Murphy’s Law is in full effect such as short trains during rush hour. Mystery smells of funk coming from the trains, seats, upholstery. Sometimes there is no air circulation in the cars so the funk stays until the door opens again.
The highlight of my day? If I get a seat on my commute home.
4 stars? The convenience.

It’s the first stop in SF if you’re coming from the East Bay or the last stop in SF if you’re commuting to the East Bay. All of the lines that traverse through SF stop by here (goes without saying). Conveniently this is also a MUNI stop and I only have to go down a floor to go to BART.
This stop takes you a few blocks from the actual Embarcadero and the Ferry Building. Drops you right off Market and a block from Spear. Quite a few hotels and restaurants are within walking distance of this BART station so I’ve been visiting this station more than Powell.
When I was doing my daily commutes to SFSU from the East Bay if I have to transfer from the Fremont line to any train going to SF I couldn’t get any seats until I get to Embarcadero. It is after this stop that many commuters get off.
PROS
Clean most of the time
Doesn’t smell
Less rowdy at night than Powell
Surprisingly there is good wifi penetration
CONS
Almost all the times I’ve stopped by here at least one of their machines to deposit more money are never working. This is a non-​issue for me as I have a Clipper card, but it sucks for my out-​of-​town friends who have to deposit money for the fare.
The occasional homeless person sleeping or panhandling, but not as much as Civic Center.

Leads to financial district area and embarcadero shopping/​eating area.
Overall it’s okay and it’s where you should get on if it’s rush hour so you don’t have to crowd as much when it hits montgomery, powell, civic center as it heads outbound.
Most times rush hour screws up how often the munis come. Example be N Judah coming every 10 minutes but rush hour has it come every few minutes/​five minutes and all of a sunday be a 15 – 20 minute wait. WEIRD YEA.

Unfortunately, it’s my daily stop.
The only great thing about this place is convenience. Right when I get out it’s steps away from the office — rainy days are no longer an issue to my hair!!! My curls stay intact. Ha.
1) the escalator is so narrow, it’s a hotmess going up during peak hour. I timed myself to be at the closest door to the escalator and speed walk to beat the masses.
2) Bart employees here are lazy. The strike brought them a raise (they didn’t need). When in need of help, they are sitting there taking their sweet time doing nothing. One dude was so rude to me when I had asked a question, I flipped him the finger after.
3) the entrance near Fremont street hella smells like piss and poo. Ok, all BART are like that but this ones in the FiDi, I’d expect it to be just a tad bit cleaner.
I kind of miss getting off Montgomery, did it for 9yrs.