3/1/26- Restroom out of service. They should have a sign at the fare gates so you know before entering. They should have restrooms outside the gates too. read more

I've not been here in a few years. It's still a haven for pidgins. For some reason, there is plenty of parking on the westside lot. The hotdog vendor and the Jehovah's Witnesses are gone. It's disappointing. Rideshare pickup is at Adeline Street. read more

Took Bart to SF tonight. It would be nice if security guards walked the trains. At one point there was an awful rap performer which we were all hostage to. People eating on the train. A lady boarded with a dog she gave a seat to(not a service dog). Then someone blasting their music all the way back and raising the volume in the already noisy tunnel. read more

nice town..college campus..visitors...west coast..sunny suburb...school spirit...success...fun...books...music...visiting from DC Boston..etc...west coast and east coast are not gangsters at college..or socials versus mechanics in old books from the aviation era..hahaha aviation times...hahahah...now is today and tomorrow is in Europe ha read more

Multiple machines for adding funds don't work. You Machine to add funds canceled transaction and didn't add funds. I miss the Bart train because the machines they have don't work. Had to walk to the front lobby area to find a working machine that would add money via debit card. No wonder people stopped taking Bart... The machines don't fucking work and the service is filled with homeless degenerates. read more

Street parking can be problematic and difficult in the busy Downtown Berkeley area. Good luck finding that parking space. I find it more convenient and easier to ride BART from the Lake Merritt Station to the Berkeley Station. Many years ago when I did not have a driver's license, I would catch the train to this station, just to make a pit stop at Arinel's Pizza, a college hangout, for lunch. It wasn't that bad of a walk up Bancroft to the UC Berkeley campus from the station and return. Well, I had a freebie from Ike's Love and Sandwich which I had to use on its last day (February 6). I also had a credit card bill with Chase Bank that needed to be paid. These two businesses are near the BART station. The Halal Guys is just a block away on Center Street. One thing I miss is the round structure at this station which had the entrance and exit. It was a reliable landmark that I used many times, so I would not get twisted around and end up on Addison and Shattuck. The plus to this station is a Peet's Coffee for the morning commuters heading to work. The minus is the humidity in this underground station. Otherwise, the station is okay for weekend outings to the Cal games, dining and shopping in Berkeley. read more

A friend invited me to a show at the Aurora Theatre Company. Since I was heading over after work, I decided to take BART. I left after work on Friday, December 14th and arrived around 6:15pm. I took the Richmond line from the Powell Street station to the Downtown Berkeley station. With the 8 stops, I was here in about 26 mins. And all for $4.60. The station itself was fine. Easy to find my way out and super close to the theatre. Only a 2 min walk. BART can be a hit or miss. I've had pleasant rides where I found a seat, crowded rides where I felt like a sardine, obnoxious rides where a commuter or two decided to be loud, etc. Still, not a bad deal since I hate driving and having to deal with traffic. read more

I'm sure if I reviewed this station this fall (2017) or shortly thereafter, I'd give it 4 stars instead of 3. Why? Because BART and the City of Berkeley have decided to give the Downtown Berkeley BART station a $7.6 million facelift. At the time of writing this review (winter 2017), the station is currently undergoing renovations. There will be new paving, landscaping, lighting, LED signs, and more. Construction is expected to be completed by September 2017 (they began August 2016). You can check out renderings of what the new street level main entrance will look like here: https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/dbp. As it stands now, Berkeley station is on par with the majority of BART's train stations -- dated and worn, yet functional. This is the busiest BART station in East Bay behind only the 12th Street/Oakland City Center station 4 stops to the south. Berkeley station is located one block west of UC Berkeley's campus. It's only a 10-minute walk from the station to Cal's basketball arena, Haas Pavilion. However, it's a hike from the station to the football stadium, California Memorial Stadium (about a 30-minute, 1.2-mile walk). On Cal game days, there's a free shuttle that picks up on Shattuck Ave in front of the Bank of America building. It drops fans off at the Greek Theater, which is just down the road from the stadium. After football games, shuttles pick up on Bancroft Way and drop fans off at the BART station. Traveling to/from Downtown Berkeley station to the Oakland airport costs $8.60 one-way per person and takes about 35-47 minutes. Traveling to/from Downtown Berkeley station to the San Francisco airport costs $9.55 one-way per person and takes roughly an hour. read more

BART - Downtown Berkeley Station - Inside. - Train Stations Near Me - Berkeley, California

This station is what it is. It has changed drastically over the last few years, but I love it because it is so close to downtown and UC Extension. I've been coming here since high school, when I would take the Humphrey GoBART up into the campus, but this is such a central location to reach downtown, the Gourmet Ghetto, UC, Vista College, the theaters, my gyms (24 hr and the Y), telegraph, the movie theaters and so on. And I really appreciated it. It's not the cleanest station, but not the dirtiest. They had a coffee place downstairs, that served Peets, but wasn't Peets. I miss the rotunda that used to greet me when I went up the elevator and because they've taken it down, I've missed this, one of the unique features of downtown Berkeley that makes it unique. But as long as they get me to downtown, I'm happy. read more

I haven't been on the Bart in over 20 years. Now that my son is to attend Berkeley we had to show him how to get around the city. The Bart was clean and easy to navigate. read more

I would give this place negative stars if I could. It seems like every day now trains are always delayed or canceled. The trains are often filthy, smell, and have belligerent people and well as homeless people sleeping on the trains. They have like 5 trains going into SF during the evening when everyone is coming back from SF and one Richmond like every 20 min. It shouldn't take me an hour I get to work read more

Please note the construction going on skews my view and rating of the Downtown Berkeley BART station. I love this BART station, even with all the construction going on and the renovations being completed. The ease of access points to the fare gates and station platform are amazing and plentiful, which adds to the best thing about this specific station. I am unsure of what the finished above ground portion of the station will be like, but the above ground portion was due for an upgrade. The fact it brings you street level into the heart of Downtown Berkeley is perfect for those living, residing or going to school at the university. The current access point closures are pretty inconvenient and force you into one of two that are open. Station / fare gate level of the station is confusing for those not familiar with the construction and the out of service access points to street level. The renovations being completed on this level hopefully will allow a more mainstream and simplified ability to access fare gates and getting down to platform level. Right now there is an access point on the Allston & Shattuck side of the station that has fare gates that only accept Clipper Cards for entering into the station, yet anyone can use it to exit. Train platform level allows access to both trains heading to Richmond from Track 1 and from Track 2 Daly City (including all of downtown SF stops) during heavily trafficked hours and also to South Fremont / Warm Springs at anytime of the day. The one aspect to keep in your head is that during commute hours trains tend to be 7-9 car trains and you can board most anywhere on the platform and yet outside commute hours trains tend to be 4 - 6 car trains that need to be boarded at the Center of the platform. I've noticed most people at this station congregate and board the train in the middle and rear cars of most trains, to get a less cramped train and a chance at a seat you might want to be waiting and board the forward cars, especially the pilot car of each train. Overall this is a great station that serves its purpose of easy and simple access to Downtown Berkeley and all it has to offer. Once the renovations and the upgrades to the street level and fare gate levels of the station are completed I bet that this will be one magnificent station once again! read more

This BART Station is the gateway to the People's Republic of Berkeley and Cal and it's a dump, despite it's central location. In fact, if I need to come down this way to dine, or to go to Berkeley Rep, I'd prefer to drive down and take my chances with the parking or walk from home, rather than use this Station. Better yet, if you're heading up to Cal - get off at Rockridge BART and enjoy a great walk down College Avenue. A nice stroll from North Berkeley BART works too. The street folks are who they are and I contribute accordingly. What I don't like are the wannabes, some of the aggressive behaviour, the pervasive urine smell and filth, the remote and potentially unsafe parts of the station, and the BART employees, who more often than not seem to be the snarliest in the system. read more

Besides the Civic Center station, this is the BART station I use the most. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the station setup is pretty straightforward, and there's plenty of room to wait on the platforms, even during rush hour. It's also really easy to catch a train pulling in even if you're at the top of the escalator--if you've got your BART card ready, you'll make that train for sure. On the other hand, it's pretty gross for a BART station. It's not as bad as the Mission Street ones, but it's not pleasant to hang out here. I also had a bad experience with a station employee a couple weeks ago. I was using a BART card that was crumpled but that had worked when I entered at Civic Center. When I couldn't get it out of the fare gate, she opened it and proceeded to chide me rather passionately for crumpling the card. (I didn't crumple it; I found it that way on the street and had it wedged in a book for two months so that it would work.) It also took a long time to get her attention even though she and her coworker were just standing in the booth talking about a TV show while I waited patiently at the window. This station's location, though, is absolutely perfect. read more

In the last week I've seen a man urinating on one end of the platform, and a couple engaging in sex acts at the other end. Wanna know why? NO CAMERAS at either end, and none of the BART employees ever actually go down to the platform to keep an eye on things. This station also has the most flagrant fare violation I've ever seen, with people constantly hopping over the railings or just walking down the unguarded stairs near the bicycle parking. Four days later, the stain from the urine puddle is still there. read more

This was my BART station during my college years...being a native NYer and having lived in the People's Republic, you tend to take mass transit for granted. BART is pretty darned good at moving people around and I've chosen my "home" station for my homage. Sure it is not the cleanest station and yes, there are panhandlers and smelly folks: it's BERKELEY. Quit your whining and appreciate that there's a Peet's, great food, shopping, theatre, sports and discovery a few blocks away. And, some pretty amusing free entertainment at entryway at times. After moving to a place that has limited Public Transportation at best, I've come to appreciate BART even more. Yes, the hours are limited, but you can get to SFO pretty hassle free for cheap! Sundays you will have to transfer to get to San Francisco, but wayyyy cheaper than a taxi. Some have said the BART workers are surly: found a super helpful one here on a day when system had been mostly down from a flash flood. So, while it is not as vast as NY, cool as London's Tube or fancy as the Metro in Paris; I love BART and always will for sentimental and practical purposes. Yelp 100 Challenge (8 of 100) read more

BART - Downtown Berkeley Station - Home sweet home in the Downtown Berkeley BART station - Train Stations Near Me - Berkeley, California

The station itself is a bit confusing, as it's a large station for so few trains. Lots of entrances and exits, a bit easy to get turned around. Really wish they would have better service. On the weekends you can sit here over half an hour without a train going by... and Berkeley isn't exactly an underpopulated area. Seems they could double the number of trains coming through from Richmond and they wouldn't be too empty. read more

Unbelievably rude and ghetto staff, bus drivers feel entitled to yell at you and name call. Don't take the bus here, you will be treated with disrespect and anger. read more

BART is far from perfect. There are several issues I wish I could fix and/or have the powers that be fix at the snap of my fingers. For instance, I do wish it was a little less crowded in the mornings. Slightly comforting are the faces of other students and workers onboard every day in commiseration. Others have touched on other legitimately irritating issues which I feel no need to expand on here. I am, nevertheless, optimistic that drastic improvements are on the way so long as people continue to voice their opinions in an organized, coherent, and persistent fashion through the appropriate avenues. There are pleasant upsides that those engaged in other forms of professional transportation, unfortunately, do not always benefit from. For instance, prices are posted up front, in station and online. There are no surprises at the end of the day as to how much one ends up paying, and no one is in hot pursuit for long periods of time (ie days, months, or even years afterwards). Customer service calls are greeted by the expected employee presumably located within the United States of America, who also speaks a universally recognizable form of English (or whatever other languages are presently offered to the public). So far as I know, equipment is subject to regular checks and are required to meet standards of public safety. Perhaps the most pleasant upside is leaving the BART station: greeted by fresh air and familiar scenery as I make my regular way up the Bancroft hill. Please feel free to email me with questions or concerns. Thank you for your time and consideration. read more

MODERN DAY SEGREGATION IN EFFECT: This year BART has been implementing "Clipper Only Entrances" and moving the entrances around. While I use both Clipper card and ticket, Ive been inconvenienced several times from unsuspectingly approaching a newly established Clipper Only entrance. Who does this serve? Already the Downtown Berkeley BART has multiple entrances closed down from construction, so why the further complication? read more

I seldom take BART from the El Cerrito Plaza station to Downtown Berkeley because it's easier to drive and offers me more flexibility. I generally have taken BART into San Francisco or other longer trips. But the current road construction on Shattuck convinced me to take BART when meeting a friend for lunch today because I was uncertain of finding parking. The trip was quick and easy and only 75¢ each way w/ my senior Clipper card. I found the Berkeley station well marked so it was easy to find the exit that would take me to Center Street. If there were escalators I didn't see them, so I climbed several flights of stairs to the street level. There was a faint smell of urine and I was quick to wash my hands when I reached the restaurant because I never know what germs are lurking on BART banisters. But I would certainly take BART here again if I were concerned about parking. read more

There are things that I love about this BART station...like the fact that it takes me to school...and that it has so many exits. Yeah...that's about it... What do I hate? -No public access to decent restrooms (although this is a problem that plagues the whole BART system). -They do nothing to prevent loitering at any hour of the day. -They make it a HUGE pain to take your bike in the elevator so you have to carry it up a million stairs. ...I'm sure other things will come to me. read more

DT Berkeley is one of the tamer bart stations in the bay area. It's not usually super dirty and there isn't usually an exorbitant amount of stray creepy people that wander into this station. It's conveniently placed in the heart of downtown berkeley on shattuck, which is good for Berkeley residents, especially those who need to get to the city. I use this station a lot to visit friends and family around the bay area and also use it to get to work. it's quite handy and isn't as dirty or icky as some of the other bart stations around. They're also redoing part of it. Perhaps that gigantic brown hexagon sticking up from the street won't exist any longer after they're done with constriction. it certainly does look rather sill and weird. Just like west oakland, i guess. They're modernizing to prepare for the new (and desperately neeeed) bart cars. read more

This is my usual Bart station, and I quite like it. It's clean-ish (for Bart), there's usually someone playing an instrument, and the machines are usually working. There's a few entrances/exits on Shattuck, the main one being across from Paris Baguette and having an up/down escalator. The machines to add money to you clipper card or buy a ticket are directly at the foot of the escalator. There's usually an attendant working in the glass booth should you need something. Note that they're renovating and bits will be under construction until 2018. The Bart lines are pretty comprehensive. There's a sign stating the direction (headed toward Richmond or SF/Fremont). If you need specifics, theses a few detailed maps around. Trains are generally on time, but the red line doesn't run late evenings or sundays, so you have to transfer at MacArthur if you're headed to SF (directly across the tracks and it's a timed transfer usually) or at 19th street if you're coming from SF and headed to Berkeley. There's been three different coffee shops downstairs in the three years I've lived in Berkeley. For whatever reason they just don't seem to survive. First it was a Peet's, then a Scooters, now something called Seismic. I haven't personally tried their drinks, but coffee/drinks are available should you arrive thirsty. In any case, it's a good Bart station, relatively safe, and easy to navigate. In the heart of downtown Berkeley, so close to lots of restaurants, shops, etc. read more

I'm disappointed w/BART's unprofessionalism & pathetic customer service. My bf & I have had some intense run-ins w/rude agents (2 women) at this station. There are some BART agents who really need to get off their high horse(s). And then they're raising fares?? We pay their salaries yet we are treated as tho disposable? If they are going to raise fares, they really need to clean BART up with some 409, Lysol, Resolve, even better-- BLEACH! This station in particular as well as the Balboa station reeks of piss and body odor. Train seats are stained with god knows what! All stations should have restrooms!!! And then there are those idiots riders have NO common sense! There really should be a"BART RIDING ETIQUETTE" manual for those dummies! read more

Downtown Berkeley BART Station is in the heart of Berkeley and conveniently located just a couple blocks from campus. It's great when there's a game because you get to explore campus before going to the stadium and you get a downhill run to the station when you're trying to catch the last train. There's also a lot of different characters you bump into when you're there. So keep an eye out! read more

Horrible. Filthy. Rude workers. Broken ticket machines. Just no. Fix this place and while you're at it BART people, tell the guys working here that when they work in a booth called "information," they should be prepared to give some, not just "I don't know." read more

Smelly, smelly, smelly! Dirty, dirty, dirty! Ugly, ugly, ugly! Okay, it gets 2 stars only because it gets me to work and prevents me from paying stupid parking fees. It does need a parking lot, however, as well as a staff person to constantly hose down the place to eliminate the urine smell. It is most awful in the elevators. You have to pass a whole bunch of unsavories to get to the elevators and then endure the terrible smell during the LOOOOONG elevator ride. The staff could be friendlier. I know it is just a job, but the same patrons ride the same time everyday. A little personal courtesy would be nice. Please, some philanthropic architectural firm needs to get up in this place and give it a makeover. HGTV anyone? Instead of my increased fares going to into the ether, why not put a few cents into sprucing up the place? read more

This is the BART station that I spend the most time in, because of its proximity to work, but I think it's better for people-watching then transportation. Because Shattuck is jam-packed with an awesome assortment of businesses, a lot of city characters hang out around the gazebo for this station. Pseudo gutter punks mix with what I gather to be REAL gutter punks make for an interesting mosh pit in front of the entrance. And if you enjoyed the woman playing guitar in between the escalators, she'll be here all week. A couple of times I've crossed the street to get here and caught a glimpse of the ass belonging to a person who hasn't been able to find a proper pair of pants . . . but for the most part the people who ask me for some spare change are nice enough to keep everything zipped and buttoned. I enjoy the fact that there are coffee shoppes and ATMs close by, but I don't understand the people that stand in the middle of the escalator when CLEARLY we've all developed a system where "runners" take the left-side, and "standers" take the right. Oh well, I still love BART, and I hear that there are some free days coming up. Sweet! read more

Dear President Obama, Please direct some of the CA stimulus money towards giving this station a good power wash. (And while you're at it, you might consider giving this station's awesome newspaper vendor guy a position in your administration.) Sincerely, A Concerned Citizen. read more

Honestly I'm the youngest child and perhaps I was spoiled. At the age of 25 I've never had to take BART alone. So it's about 4:00pm and after my transfer I was safely on board. It's crowded though, standing room only. But the train seemed clean, people kept to themselves and a couple of punk (dressed) teens were talking about their who***ish friend. Sweet. Short travel over and my train was right on time. This station was easy to navigate. As a person who is always lost, the signs didn't fail me and everything seemed super clean. Like more clean and smelling fine that I had anticipated. So cheers! Great job BART! I got to my destination, wasn't mugged and didn't get lost. Here is to growing up and forcing yourself to due stuff! Cheers! read more

Back when I lived in Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley BART was my public transit hub. I lived two blocks from this station, and it was awesome. Although I did not use the BART as a daily commuter, since I attended UC Berkeley, I used it frequently to hop over to San Francisco and other parts of the bay - not to mention the easy, convenient trip to the airport. Sure, it was a little of a pain, Downtown Berkeley BART. It was Jekyll and Hyde - sometimes the homeless guys would be nice and play me a little music while I waited, other times they'd yell at me. At rush hour, I'd grumble about the long wait to buy a ticket, cursing myself for not having just bought a $20 ticket at 3pm a different day. The station may have reeked sometimes, but I never ever felt unsafe and had on-time trains 99% of the time. Downtown Berkeley BART, I took you for granted when I lived in Berkeley. Sure, you smelled like rat-piss sometimes, but your convenience, accessibility, and glorious ride up the escalator made it all worth it. Now that I've lived in areas without the same access to public transit, I really, really miss you BART! read more

The center of everything Berkeley! Stop here to enjoy everything Berkeley has to offer. It's a highlight on the BART list of stations.

Love this BART station! Super convenient location, user friendly in order to obtain a BART pass, helpful staff, and clean. I was really impressed by how clean it is for a subway, considering others I've been on (Toronto and NYC). I had to ask a staff member in the booth a question and she was very helpful and friendly answering my question. There is also a Peet's coffee down there if you are looking for some coffee to go. read more

This is one of my most frequented Bart stations, namely because it is a hot spot for food, banks, and is the main station for the UC campus. The station itself smells of gusted-pee wind, but has a crisp touch of the fog chill during the winter. It is relatively clean, except by the ticket machines -- everyone seems to dump their receipts on the ground and totally missing the trashcan. This station also is one of the consolidating points to cash in all of those old Bart tickets with a mere five or ten cents on them. I often find these orphan tickets on the ground -- and consolidated them for an $80 Bart ticket. #winning From the street to the station, you are looking at about 2 flights of stairs, and from the station to the platform, there is an easy one flight. Elevators always seem to be functioning, and the station itself is placed among a myriad of coffee shops, banks, yoga, and food within a block. It is definitely a station I enjoy frequenting, and the street performers can be a treat! read more

Back in the day, when I was a teenager raising hell, my big sister lived out in Berkeley--lots of fun that was -- she would slip us change to add fair cuz we were poor teenagers and we would party it up in Berkeley. There was this homeless lady out front a 24hr store just across the street on Shattuck that would beg for change. "Spare any change, spare any change" as people pass by - in this specific monotone, boring, Ben Stein kind of way. I wonder if she is still there? Ya know panhandlers in NYC make approx 25k a year. Maybe she moved to NYC. For the record, I always gave her change. BTW- what the heck does it mean if you can SPARE some CHANGE? read more

Berkeley, Berkeley, Berkeley. I remember how I first used your station and the first site I saw above ground was Blondie's Pizza. I think it was a $1 slice back in the day. And this was before my actual college days. Out of all the stations, I have used you the most, probably at least 10,000 times in my entire life. You were the reason I saw the homeless for the first time. The reason I saw people just dump trash whenever they felt like it. The reason I saw guys urinate in the stairwells. The reason I once yelled at a woman in a wheelchair because out of my initial kindness to help her onto the platform, she dared presume that I was going to escort her to her door in the middle of Oakland from this station. You were also a convenient place for me to dump a jacket I had because I once forgot I had a fish wrapped in it for several days. You brought me to classes, you brought me home, you brought me to work, you brought me shopping, you brought me errands, you brought me food, you brought me entertainment. Tons of entertainment. I'm going to miss you when I move. read more

This is my home station these past few years. Cleanliness: It's not bad, but could be better. Ambiance: You get the real sense of the craziness of Berkeley! Location: CONVENIENT. I love that all the bus stops are less than a block away. Are you in a rush? There's also a LONG LINE of TAXIS at your service! Also, it's not a far walk to campus either! Service: Helpful. I once stuck my credit card into the BART ticket slot by mistake. Lovely, I was already running late, and in my haste, I didn't think where I was inserting my card! I was freaking out that my card was shredding in the machine! The lady at the counter assured me that my card would be okay, and she was able to quickly retrieve it (Yes, it was still in perfect condition). On a separate occasion, the guy at the counter helped me file a refund form when my pack of BART tickets got de-magnetized. Although the refund took ages to receive, I do appreciate the guy helping me. read more

Great bike lock up service that is attended (free, but you ought to tip), and generally pretty clean. You have to be alert late at night but if you keep to yourself you won't have any problems. Oh, and they've got a nice flower stand which is great for last minute gifts etc! read more

Free valet bike parking and an in-house bike mechanic on Wednesdays make this a great station. Also, the BART staff that work in this station are friendly and helpful. Oh, and there's an extra-wonderful bonus -- the station has free wireless (provided by the bike people). If you're waiting for a train, sit on the westbound side of the station, by the bike cage on the main floor above, for best reception. read more