Photo above: Fairfield Transportation Center bus station in Fairfield, California, May 2019. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

It depends on where you work and when you leave. Fairfield sits on I-80 between the Bay Area and Sacramento, with I-680 splitting off at Cordelia. Driving to the Bay Area means bridge tolls and peak traffic, but you can also take the train from two Capitol Corridor stations or an express bus to BART.

We won’t give you a made-up drive time. Here is what each option looks like on paper, with sources, and how to test it yourself before you buy.

What are my commute options from Fairfield?

Four main ones: drive I-80, drive I-680, take the Capitol Corridor train, or take a SolanoExpress bus to BART. You can mix them day to day.

  • Drive I-80 west through Vallejo and over the Carquinez Bridge toward Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco.
  • Drive I-680 south from Cordelia over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge toward Martinez, Concord and Walnut Creek.
  • Drive I-80 east toward Vacaville, Davis and Sacramento. No bridge toll that way.
  • Ride the train from Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station on Vanden Road or Suisun-Fairfield station on Main Street in Suisun City.
  • Ride an express bus from the Fairfield Transportation Center to El Cerrito del Norte BART.

How long is the drive from Fairfield to San Francisco or Oakland?

We found no official source that publishes a typical drive time, so we won’t guess one. Traffic on I-80 and I-680 changes a lot by hour and day. The honest test is simple: check 511.org or a map app at the exact time you would leave, on a weekday, for two weeks before you write an offer. Then drive it once for real.

What we can tell you is the fixed cost. The Carquinez Bridge and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge tolls are each $8.50 for a two-axle car in 2026 (Bay Area FasTrak, checked September 24, 2026).

  • Carquinez Bridge (I-80): tolls are paid eastbound, so you pay on the way home to Fairfield.
  • Benicia-Martinez Bridge (I-680): tolls are paid northbound, again on the way home.
  • Bay Bridge: paid westbound, into San Francisco. Drive to San Francisco on I-80 and you pay both the Bay Bridge and the Carquinez tolls on a round trip. Check the Bay Bridge rate on bayareafastrak.org.

Carpools of three or more with a FasTrak Flex tag set to 3 pay $4.25 in the carpool lane during weekday commute hours (Bay Area FasTrak, Carquinez Bridge and Benicia-Martinez Bridge pages, checked September 24, 2026).

What are the new I-80 Express Lanes?

They are toll lanes on I-80 between Red Top Road in Fairfield and Vacaville, one in each direction, about 18 miles each. Caltrans says operations began in December 2025, and the project cost $244 million (Caltrans District 4, Solano I-80 Express Lanes Project page, checked September 24, 2026).

Tolls apply every day from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. You need a FasTrak tag to use them. Carpools of three or more with a FasTrak Flex tag set to 3 ride free, two-person carpools with the tag set to 2 pay half price, and solo drivers pay the full posted toll (511.org, I-80 Express Lanes page, checked September 24, 2026). The toll changes with traffic, so there is no single price to quote.

Can I take the train from Fairfield?

Yes. The Capitol Corridor stops at two stations that serve Fairfield, and trains run toward Oakland and San Jose one way and Davis and Sacramento the other.

Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station is at 4921 Vanden Road, Fairfield, CA 94533. It has 139 regular parking spaces plus 5 accessible spaces, bike racks and BikeLink eLockers. It is unstaffed and has no ticket kiosk, so buy your ticket on your phone before you board. SolanoExpress buses and Napa Vine Route 21 connect there (Capitol Corridor, Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station page, checked September 24, 2026). The city says the station opened in November 2017 (City of Fairfield, Train Station Specific Plan page, checked September 24, 2026).

Suisun-Fairfield station is at 177 Main Street, Suisun City, CA 94585. It has two ticket kiosks, an indoor waiting area, and the Lotz Way Park and Ride Lot with 256 free regular spaces. FAST local buses stop there (Capitol Corridor, Suisun-Fairfield station page, checked September 24, 2026).

How long does the train take?

Here are a few real weekday trains from the Capitol Corridor schedule effective December 8, 2025 (Capitol Corridor weekday train schedule, checked September 24, 2026):

  • Toward the Bay Area, train 525: leaves Fairfield-Vacaville at 6:39 a.m., Suisun-Fairfield at 6:45 a.m., reaches Richmond (BART transfer) at 7:32 a.m. and Emeryville at 7:45 a.m. The connecting bus from Emeryville is scheduled into San Francisco’s Salesforce Plaza at 8:25 a.m.
  • Toward Sacramento, train 520: leaves Suisun-Fairfield at 6:36 a.m., Fairfield-Vacaville at 6:42 a.m., and reaches Sacramento at 7:32 a.m.
  • Toward Sacramento, train 526: leaves Fairfield-Vacaville at 10:12 a.m. and reaches Sacramento at 11:00 a.m.

Schedules change. Check capitolcorridor.org for the current timetable and fares before you count on a train.

Is there a bus from Fairfield to BART?

Yes. SolTrans runs SolanoExpress Routes 60 and 90 between the Fairfield Transportation Center and El Cerrito del Norte BART station. The adult cash fare for a SolanoExpress trip outside Solano County is $5.00, an adult out-of-county day pass is $10.00, and riders 6 to 18 ride free (SolTrans, Routes and Fare Table pages, checked September 24, 2026).

SolTrans redesigned its routes on August 2, 2026, then adjusted Routes 40, 70 and 90 again on September 1, 2026 (SolTrans news release, August 28, 2026). If you read an older guide that talks about the Red, Green or Blue Line, check the new route numbers and times on soltrans.org.

How do I get around inside Fairfield without a car?

FAST, the City of Fairfield’s bus system, runs local Routes 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8T, plus FAST Connect on-demand rides in two zones: Northeast Fairfield and Cordelia/Green Valley. Buses and FAST Connect run Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (FAST, Routes page, checked September 24, 2026).

A single adult ride is $2.00 on both, a 31-day adult pass is $80.00, and riders 6 to 18 ride the fixed routes free with a school or government ID. Youth pay $1.75 on FAST Connect (FAST, Fares page, fares effective January 6, 2025, checked September 24, 2026). There is no Sunday service listed, so plan around that.

Is the I-80/I-680 interchange still under construction?

Parts of it, yes, in phases. The first big pieces are done. Caltrans finished Package 2A in October 2022, adding a two-lane connector from eastbound Highway 12 to eastbound I-80 and new Green Valley Road ramps, for $93.7 million (Caltrans District 4, October 20, 2022).

The next phase, Package 3, would realign southbound I-680 to the west and add a new partial I-680/Red Top Road interchange. The Solano Transportation Authority’s project page lists no construction dates yet (STA, Package 3 page, checked September 24, 2026). If you are looking at homes near Cordelia, Green Valley or Red Top Road, ask what construction might mean for your street.

How do I test the commute before I buy?

Do it on a normal workday. Two tries, not one.

  1. Put the home address and your work address into 511.org or a map app at your real leave time, every weekday for two weeks. Write down the range, not the best day.
  2. Drive it once at that hour. Then try the train or bus once.
  3. Add up tolls, parking and fares for a month.

If the number bugs you, compare a home near Hannigan station on the northeast side with one near Cordelia on the west side. Same city, very different starting points.

Questions people also ask

Does Fairfield, CA have BART?

No. Fairfield has no BART station. SolTrans runs SolanoExpress Routes 60 and 90 from the Fairfield Transportation Center to El Cerrito del Norte BART, with a $5.00 adult cash fare for the out-of-county trip, per SolTrans, checked September 24, 2026. You can also ride the Capitol Corridor train to the Richmond station, where BART stops next to the platform.

Where is the Fairfield train station?

Fairfield has two Capitol Corridor stops nearby. Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan station is at 4921 Vanden Road in northeast Fairfield, with 139 regular parking spaces. Suisun-Fairfield station is at 177 Main Street in Suisun City, next to downtown Fairfield, with a 256-space park and ride lot, per Capitol Corridor station pages checked September 24, 2026.

How much are the bridge tolls from Fairfield?

In 2026 the Carquinez Bridge on I-80 and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge on I-680 each cost $8.50 for a two-axle car, and both collect the toll heading north or east, so you pay on the way home. Carpools of three or more in the carpool lane with a FasTrak Flex tag set to 3 pay $4.25, per Bay Area FasTrak, checked September 24, 2026.

Are the I-80 Express Lanes in Fairfield free?

Only for some vehicles. Carpools of three or more with a FasTrak Flex tag set to 3 ride free, two-person carpools with the tag set to 2 pay half, and solo drivers pay the posted toll, which changes with traffic. Tolls apply daily from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. between Red Top Road and Vacaville, per 511.org, checked September 24, 2026.

Your next step

Send us the homes you’re looking at and where you work. We’ll lay out the drive, the train and the bus for each address, with the tolls, so you can test it before you commit. Talk to a Fairfield agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.

More on Fairfield: Is Fairfield, CA a good place to live? · What to check before buying a house in Fairfield · Search Fairfield homes · What’s my home worth?

By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Fairfield, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.

Sources

  • Capitol Corridor, Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan (FFV) station page: capitolcorridor.org/stations/fairfieldvacaville (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Capitol Corridor, Suisun-Fairfield (SUI) station page: capitolcorridor.org/stations/suisunfairfield (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Capitol Corridor, weekday train schedule effective December 8, 2025: capitolcorridor.org/schedules (checked September 24, 2026)
  • City of Fairfield, Train Station Specific Plan page: fairfield.ca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Bay Area FasTrak, Carquinez Bridge and Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll pages: bayareafastrak.org (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Caltrans District 4, Solano I-80 Express Lanes Project: dot.ca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
  • 511.org, I-80 Express Lanes: 511.org/express-lanes/I-80 (checked September 24, 2026)
  • SolTrans, Routes 60 and 90, Fares, and “Schedule and Routing Improvements for Routes 40, 70 and 90,” August 28, 2026: soltrans.org (checked September 24, 2026)
  • FAST (Fairfield and Suisun Transit), Routes and Fares pages: fasttransit.org (checked September 24, 2026)
  • Caltrans District 4, I-80/I-680/SR-12 Interchange Package 2A completion, October 20, 2022: dot.ca.gov
  • Solano Transportation Authority, I-80/I-680/SR-12 Interchange Project Package 3: sta.ca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)