Photo above: Yellow Line BART train at the Concord station platform, 2024. Mariwlqs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Most people take BART. From Concord station, a weekday morning train is scheduled to reach Embarcadero in 44 minutes with no transfer, and the adult Clipper fare is $7.70 each way (BART schedule and fare data for Thursday, October 1, 2026, checked September 24, 2026).
Concord has two BART stations, Concord and North Concord/Martinez, both on the Yellow Line. Driving works too, but you’ll pay the Bay Bridge toll and deal with Highway 4, Highway 242, I-680 and Highway 24 traffic. Here’s how each option stacks up.
How long is the BART ride from Concord to San Francisco?
About 45 minutes to the first San Francisco stops. BART’s weekday schedule for October 1, 2026 shows these morning trips to Embarcadero, all direct on the Yellow Line (Antioch to SFO/Millbrae):
| Leaves | Station | Arrives Embarcadero | Ride |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:32 a.m. | North Concord/Martinez | 8:20 a.m. | 48 min |
| 7:36 a.m. | Concord | 8:20 a.m. | 44 min |
| 7:47 a.m. | Concord | 8:31 a.m. | 44 min |
| 7:56 a.m. | Concord | 8:40 a.m. | 44 min |
| 8:07 a.m. | Concord | 8:51 a.m. | 44 min |
Source: BART official schedule data, checked September 24, 2026. That’s a train roughly every 10 minutes in that window. Add the walk or bus to the station and the walk from Embarcadero or Montgomery St. to your desk. Schedules change, so check BART’s trip planner at bart.gov for the day you’ll actually ride.
What does BART cost from Concord?
$7.70 each way on Clipper from Concord, $7.95 from North Concord/Martinez. Same fare to Embarcadero or Montgomery St. (BART fare data, checked September 24, 2026):
| Fare type | From Concord | From North Concord/Martinez |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Clipper | $7.70 | $7.95 |
| Clipper START or Youth Clipper | $3.85 | $3.95 |
| Senior or disabled Clipper | $2.85 | $2.95 |
A round trip at the adult fare runs $15.40 a day from Concord station before parking.
Should I use Concord or North Concord/Martinez station?
Pick the one closer to your door. The ride from North Concord/Martinez is about 4 minutes longer and 25 cents more, since it’s one stop farther out on the line. Here’s how the two compare, per BART’s station pages and County Connection’s routes page, both checked September 24, 2026:
- Concord station is at 1451 Oakland Avenue, near downtown. It has 64 on-demand BikeLink lockers and 18 free Bikeep smart racks. County Connection serves it, including weekend Routes 310 and 320.
- North Concord/Martinez station is at 3700 Port Chicago Highway, next to Highway 4 on the north side of town. It has 16 BikeLink lockers. BART says County Connection serves it on weekdays.
If you’re comparing homes, measure each one to both stations. A house in the middle of town can be closer to one than you’d guess.
How much is BART parking in Concord?
$3.40 a day at both stations, and BART lists both lots with capacity available at all times (BART station pages, checked September 24, 2026).
| Parking option | Concord | North Concord/Martinez |
|---|---|---|
| Daily fee | $3.40 | $3.40 |
| Single or multi-day reserved | $5.00 per day | $4.50 per day |
| Monthly reserved | $93.80 | $93.80 |
BART says to pay through the BART Official app. Carpool to BART is also $3.40 a day at both stations.
Can I take a bus to Concord BART?
Yes. County Connection runs local routes into Concord station, so you can skip parking. A few that reach it, from County Connection’s routes page (checked September 24, 2026):
- Route 10, Concord BART to downtown Clayton along Clayton Road, weekdays 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., every 15 to 30 minutes. Route 310 covers it on weekends.
- Route 20, Concord BART to Diablo Valley College by way of Willow Pass Road and Sun Valley Mall, weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., every 15 to 30 minutes. Route 320 runs on weekends.
- Route 17, Concord BART to North Concord BART by way of Solano Way and John Muir Medical Center-Concord, weekdays about every 50 minutes.
An adult County Connection ride on Clipper is $2.00, or $2.50 in cash. Coming off BART onto the bus with Clipper, the adult transfer is $1.00 (County Connection Fares page, checked September 24, 2026). Check countyconnection.com for current schedules before you count on a connection.
What does it cost to drive from Concord to San Francisco?
The big fixed cost is the Bay Bridge toll, $8.50 for a two-axle car in 2026. With a FasTrak tag it rises to $9.00 in 2027 and keeps climbing each January through 2030 (MTC, the Bay Area regional transportation agency, “New Bridge Toll Rates Now in Effect,” January 2, 2026). Carpools need three people for the half-price commute-hour toll, the same MTC release says. Then add gas and San Francisco parking.
From Concord, most drives start on Highway 4, Highway 242 or I-680 and head west on Highway 24 through the Caldecott Tunnel toward the bridge. Which on-ramp you use depends on your part of town.
How long is the drive?
We won’t give you a number. No official source publishes a typical Concord to San Francisco drive time, and it swings hard by hour and day. Check it yourself: open 511.org, the region’s official traveler information site, and look at live speeds on Highway 24, I-680 and Highway 4 at the time you’d actually leave. Then drive it once on a weekday before you buy.
How do I test the commute before I buy?
Ride it once for real. Park at the station you’d use, or take the bus, and leave at your normal time on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Time it door to door, both ways. One real round trip tells you more than any table on this page.
Questions people also ask
Is there BART in Concord, CA?
Yes, two stations. Concord station is at 1451 Oakland Avenue and North Concord/Martinez station is at 3700 Port Chicago Highway, per BART’s station pages, checked September 24, 2026. Both are on the Yellow Line between Antioch and SFO/Millbrae, so trains run straight to downtown San Francisco and the airport with no transfer.
How much is BART from Concord to San Francisco?
The adult Clipper fare from Concord station to Embarcadero or Montgomery St. is $7.70 each way, per BART fare data checked September 24, 2026. From North Concord/Martinez it is $7.95. Clipper START and youth riders pay $3.85 from Concord, and senior or disabled riders pay $2.85. Parking at either station is $3.40 a day.
Is parking easy at Concord BART?
BART lists both Concord stations as having parking capacity available at all times, as of September 24, 2026. Daily parking is $3.40 at each. A monthly reserved permit is $93.80. Single or multi-day reserved parking is $5.00 a day at Concord and $4.50 at North Concord/Martinez. Pay through the BART Official app.
What bus goes to Concord BART?
County Connection runs several local routes into Concord BART. Route 10 comes from Clayton along Clayton Road, and Route 20 comes from Diablo Valley College along Willow Pass Road, both on weekdays, per County Connection’s routes page checked September 24, 2026. Route 17 links Concord BART and North Concord BART. Weekend service runs on Routes 310 and 320.
Your next step
Tell us where you work and when you need to be there, and we’ll map the homes that fit that commute, with the distance to each BART station and the recent sales. Talk with our team about Concord or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Concord: Living in Concord, CA · Concord market update · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Concord, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- BART, official schedule and fare data (api.bart.gov) for weekday trips on Thursday, October 1, 2026: bart.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART, Concord station page: bart.gov/stations/conc (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART, North Concord/Martinez station page: bart.gov/stations/ncon (checked September 24, 2026)
- County Connection, Routes page and Fares page: countyconnection.com (checked September 24, 2026)
- MTC (Bay Area regional transportation agency), “New Bridge Toll Rates Now in Effect,” January 2, 2026: mtc.ca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- 511.org, Bay Area traveler information (checked September 24, 2026)