Best Ways to Get to an Oakland Raiders Game Without Driving
Want to focus on the pigskin instead of the parking when you're heading to an Oakland Raiders game? Fortunately, you can let someone else be the quarterback for your trip to and from O.co Coliseum. Steering clear of traffic headaches isn't the only reason to ride a bus or train to the coliseum. Parking your car or motorcycle at the Coliseum during a Raiders game costs $35. Here are three public transportation options for home Raiders games.
AC Transit
On game days, AC Transit buses take passengers to and from BART's Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station. The game-day routes are 45, 46, 49, 56, 58 and 98. The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District operates the bus system, which serves 13 East Bay cities and neighboring unincorporated communities. For more information, including fares, visit www.actransit.org or call (510) 891-4700.
BART
Trains in the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) rail and subway system stop outside the gates on the east side of the coliseum. A pedestrian bridge connects BART's Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station to the coliseum. A writer for StadiumJourney.com praised BART as "the most convenient way" to reach the Coliseum.
Going to the game from Richmond, your best bet is to hop on the Fremont line. From Pittsburg/Bay Point, get on the Daly City line, then switch at MacArthur to the Fremont line. From Dublin/Pleasanton, use the Daly City line. And from San Francisco, your two top options are the Dublin/Pleasanton line and the Fremont line.
One reviewer on Yelp called BART a "great option" for Raiders games and other Oakland events. However, this reviewer and others warned that you'll be confronted at the BART station by ticket scalpers, panhandlers, street performers and food and merchandise vendors. And while reviewers said BART police do patrol the area, one critic described this station as "dirty and sketchy." For more information, including fares, visit www.bart.gov or call (510) 464-6000.
Capitol Corridor
Amtrak's Capitol Corridor train route, which runs between Sacramento and San Jose, stops at the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART Station on Raiders game days. The 170-mile Amtrak line helps relieve congestion on Interstate 80, Interstate 680 and Interstate 880. It serves 16 stations in eight counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Placer, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano and Yolo. One benefit of riding a Capitol Corridor train is its free Wi-Fi service. The service debuted in November 2011.
For more information, including fares, visit www.capitolcorridor.org or call 877-9-RIDECC. Use the code H842 to score a 25-percent discount for advance-purchase Capitol Corridor tickets to and from Raiders home games.
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John Egan is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
