BART Fare Calculator

Q: What is the lowest fare I can pay on BART?

The lowest adult fare in the calculator is $2.55 . To enter a station you need at least $2.55 on a regular Clipper card, $1.20 on a Youth Clipper card, and 90 cents on a Senior or RTC Clipper card. 1

Q: Is the total for one person or for everyone?

The big number in the blue box is for your whole group . It is the per-person fare times the number of riders times 1 for one-way or 2 for round-trip. The smaller cards above show the per-person price.

Q: Do children under 5 need a fare?

No. Children 4 and under ride free. 1 Pick Child 4 and under and the total shows $0.00. Do not count free kids in your passenger number if the rest of your group pays adult fare. Run two searches instead.

Introduction

The BART Fare Calculator shows you what a Bay Area Rapid Transit ride will cost before you go. Pick your start station and your end station, and the tool gives you the fare for one person and for your whole group.

BART fares are based on distance traveled.¹ Short rides cost less and long rides cost more, and trips to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Oakland International Airport (OAK) cost more than trips of a similar length. The calculator uses BART's fare for each pair of stations.

You can also choose:

One-way or round-trip
Rider type: adult, senior or disability discount, youth, Clipper START, or child
Clipper or Tap and Ride: BART no longer sells paper tickets³
Number of riders: up to 10
Miles or kilometers for the trip distance

After you hit Calculate, you get your total fare, the steps used to find it, a table that compares the fare for each rider category, and a chart of the total trip cost. Use it to plan a trip, set a budget, or see how much a discount card saves you. If you are weighing BART against other ways to get around town, compare the result here with a Taxi Fare Calculator estimate for the same route.

How to use our BART Fare Calculator

Pick your start and end BART stations, then set a few trip details. The calculator shows your fare per person, your total cost, the trip distance, and a step-by-step breakdown of how the fare was built.

From (Origin Station): Choose the BART station where you will get on the train.

To (Destination Station): Choose the BART station where you will get off. It must be different from your start station.

Swap: Click this button to flip your start and end stations. Handy for checking the return leg.

Trip Type: Pick One-Way for a single ride, or Round-Trip to double the fare for the ride back.

Fare Type / Rider Category: Pick Adult, Senior (65+) or Clipper Access (disability), Youth (5–18), Clipper START (low income), or Child 4 and under. Youth 5 to 18 get 50% off with a Youth Clipper card, and children 4 and under ride free.²

Payment Type: Choose Clipper or Tap and Ride. Riders with eligibility-based discounts, such as Clipper START or youth and senior discounts, must keep using their Clipper card, so Tap and Ride pays the adult fare.¹

Number of Passengers: Type how many people are riding, from 1 to 10. The total fare is multiplied by this number.

Travel Date: Enter the date you plan to ride, in MM/DD/YYYY form. It is shown on your result for your records.

Distance Display Units: Pick miles or kilometres to change how your trip distance is shown.

Click Calculate Fare to see your results, or Clear / Reset to start a new trip.

How BART Fares Work

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the train system that connects San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and many other cities around the San Francisco Bay. Unlike a bus with one flat price, BART fares are based on distance traveled.¹ A short hop between two downtown stops costs much less than a long ride out to Antioch or Berryessa.

What Sets the Price

Distance: Longer trips cost more. You need at least $2.55 on a regular Clipper card to enter a station.¹
Crossing the Bay: Trips through the Transbay Tube between San Francisco and the East Bay cost more than trips of a similar length on one side of the bay.
Airports: Rides to or from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) cost more than trips of a similar length. If you are catching a plane, the Flight Time Calculator helps you work backward from your departure time.
How you pay: Riders pay with Clipper or Tap and Ride, and discounts are set up in advance through Clipper.¹

Clipper and Tap and Ride

A Clipper card is the Bay Area's all-in-one transit card, and it also works in a phone wallet.¹ Tap and Ride lets you tap a contactless debit or credit card or a phone at the fare gate.¹ BART no longer sells paper tickets. Tag Clipper at the fare gate when you enter and when you exit a station.¹

Rider Discounts

Adults: pay the full fare.
Seniors 65 and older: get 62.5% off with a Senior Clipper card.² Riders under 65 with qualifying disabilities get 62.5% off with a Clipper Access card.²
Youth ages 5 to 18: get 50% off with a Youth Clipper card.²
Low-income adults: earning 200% or less of the federal poverty level get 50% off through Clipper START.²
Children 4 and under: ride free².

BART vs. Driving

Before you decide to drive instead, price out the whole trip. Add up fuel, add bridge and highway charges, then check the road mileage and the trip length. Once parking is included, a two-person round trip on BART often wins.

Tips to Save Money

Get a Clipper card before your first ride. Check if your school or job offers a transit benefit or a Clipper BayPass. If a station one stop away is much closer to your start point, walking or biking that stretch can lower your fare. Weekly and monthly passes are not available, so a round trip is simply two one-way fares.¹

BART changes its fares from time to time, so check the BART Fare Calculator before you travel.

Formulas used

Straight-line distance between stations (shown for reference)

d = 2R\,\arcsin\!\left(\sqrt{\sin^2\!\left(\frac{\varphi_2-\varphi_1}{2}\right) + \cos\varphi_1\cos\varphi_2\sin^2\!\left(\frac{\lambda_2-\lambda_1}{2}\right)}\right),\quad R = 6{,}371{,}000\ \text{m}

Fare lookup from BART's fare table

F_{person} = \text{BART fare}(\text{origin},\ \text{destination},\ \text{rider category})

Tap and Ride fare

F_{\text{Tap and Ride}} = F_{\text{adult Clipper}}

Children 4 and under

F_{\text{child, 4 and under}} = 0

Rider categories

\text{category} \in \{\text{Adult},\ \text{Senior or Clipper Access},\ \text{Youth},\ \text{Clipper START}\}

Total fare

F_{total} = F_{person} \times n_{pax} \times t,\quad t = \begin{cases}2 & \text{round-trip}\\ 1 & \text{one-way}\end{cases}

Distance unit display conversion ⁴

d_{mi} = \frac{d_{m}}{1609.344},\qquad d_{km} = \frac{d_{m}}{1000}

Frequently asked questions

What is the lowest fare I can pay on BART?

The lowest adult fare in the calculator is $2.55. To enter a station you need at least $2.55 on a regular Clipper card, $1.20 on a Youth Clipper card, and 90 cents on a Senior or RTC Clipper card.¹

Why is every fare rounded to a nickel?

BART fares end in 5 or 0 cents. The calculator shows BART's own fare for your stations and rider category, so it does not need to round anything.

How much is the Transbay charge?

Trips through the tube under the bay, like San Francisco to Oakland, cost more than trips of a similar length on one side of the bay. That extra is already part of BART's fare for your two stations, so the total you see includes it.

How much extra does the airport cost?

Rides to or from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) cost more than trips of a similar length. The extra is already part of BART's fare for those stations, so it is inside the total you see.

Does BART cost more at rush hour?

No. BART fares are based on distance traveled, not time of day.¹ A 9 a.m. ride and a 9 p.m. ride between the same two stations cost the same. That is why the calculator does not ask for a departure time.

Does the travel date change my price?

No. The date is only a label. It does not raise or lower your total. Put in your real trip date so you can save or print the result and know which day it belongs to.

Is a round trip cheaper than two one-way rides?

No. Weekly and monthly passes are not available, and a round trip is just two one-way fares, so the calculator doubles the price when you pick Round-Trip.¹

Is the total for one person or for everyone?

The big number in the blue box is for your whole group. It is the per-person fare times the number of riders times 1 for one-way or 2 for round-trip. The smaller cards above show the per-person price.

How is the senior discount worked out?

Seniors 65 and over get 62.5% off with a Senior Clipper card, and riders under 65 with qualifying disabilities get 62.5% off with a Clipper Access card.² The calculator shows BART's discounted fare for your stations.

Do children under 5 need a fare?

No. Children 4 and under ride free.¹ Pick Child 4 and under and the total shows $0.00. Do not count free kids in your passenger number if the rest of your group pays adult fare. Run two searches instead.

Does the fare include parking at the station?

No. Station parking is a separate daily charge and is not part of this estimate. Add it yourself if you plan to drive to a BART lot.

Do bikes, strollers, or bags cost extra?

No. BART does not charge for a bike, a stroller, or luggage. Your fare only depends on distance, rider type, and how you pay.

What do the two charts show me?

The chart compares the total trip cost for each rider category, so you can see the savings side by side.

Why is the distance different from a driving map?

The distance shown is the straight line between the two stations, for reference. Trains run on their own tracks, and fares come from BART's fare table, not from this distance.

Can I use one Clipper card for my whole group?

No. Every rider needs their own card.¹ One card cannot open the faregate for several people. Use the passenger box here to see the group total, then load enough value on each card.

Sources

Paying Your Fare. Bay Area Rapid Transit. Accessed September 29, 2026.

Discounts. Bay Area Rapid Transit. Accessed September 29, 2026.

SFO inbound guide. Bay Area Rapid Transit. Accessed September 29, 2026.

NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement. National Institute of Standards and Technology. 2026;Units of Length, p. C-23. Accessed September 29, 2026.