Checked luggage to San Francisco? Bus options?

[neroden]

I've never gone to San Francisco by Amtrak before.

I'm trying to figure out the checked luggage situation. I'll be arriving in San Francisco on the California Zephyr. It looks like the only options for checked luggage are

(a) the Emeryville station, and (b) The Temporary Transbay Terminal bus stop.

This is a little annoying as my hotel is right next to the SF Shopping Center bus stop, aka the Powell St. BART station, and I don't really want to hoof it from the Transbay Terminal.

Is it viable to get a ticket for the bus, but get my checked luggage at Emeryville and carry it on the bus? (I'm assuming not... has anyone done this?)

If not I may have to figure out how to do the trip with no checked luggage. The most natural route is to get off at Richmond and take BART, but of course Richmond doesn't have checked luggage either.

Or maybe I just get a taxi from Emeryville.

Thoughts?

 

[BCL]

You can definitely ask to have your baggage marked to claim at EMY. There's no checked baggage at any of the other stops in San Francisco because they're all unstaffed bus stops. There's no Amtrak employees to unload and store the baggage except for one stop.

I'm pretty sure a lot of passengers do exactly what your suggesting to avoid having to deal with baggage during the train ride. You'll need to be under the limit though. There's plenty of room in the bus holds.

 

[the_traveler]

I'm not certain, but I take it that "technically" you can check your bags FROM SFC to ___, but you can check them from ___ TO EMY. They'd are "claimed" bus side, then loaded in the bus baggage holds, and you go. At each stop, that passenger's bags are removed and given to the person disembarking.

 

[gregoryla]

Get your ticket on the CZ to San Francisco - Shopping Center. Get off at Emeryville (last stop on the CZ). Your checked baggage will be brought around to the front of the station for you to claim and then loaded onto the bus. The shopping center is, as I recall, the third stop in San Francisco (after Ferry Bldg and Fisherman's Wharf), and the driver will unload your baggage from the hold.

Caution: make sure your baggage is distinctive, so that a passenger at an earlier bus stop does not accidentally take it. I recall one poor girl who got off at the Shopping Center and her bag was not in the hold -- the driver asked her to describe it and she said "well, it was black." Imagine someone else's surprise when they discovered they had taken her bag instead of their own (hopefully she had bag tagged with her cell phone number). I always try to get a seat on the right side of the bus and keep an eye out for someone taking my bizarrely colored luggage.

 

[neroden]

Get your ticket on the CZ to San Francisco - Shopping Center. Get off at Emeryville (last stop on the CZ). Your checked baggage will be brought around to the front of the station for you to claim and then loaded onto the bus.

Thanks. So everyone claims their luggage before getting on the bus. Excellent. That should work.

The shopping center is, as I recall, the third stop in San Francisco (after Ferry Bldg and Fisherman's Wharf), and the driver will unload your baggage from the hold.

Excellent.

Caution: make sure your baggage is distinctive, so that a passenger at an earlier bus stop does not accidentally take it. I recall one poor girl who got off at the Shopping Center and her bag was not in the hold -- the driver asked her to describe it and she said "well, it was black." Imagine someone else's surprise when they discovered they had taken her bag instead of their own (hopefully she had bag tagged with her cell phone number). I always try to get a seat on the right side of the bus and keep an eye out for someone taking my bizarrely colored luggage.

Mine is quite distinctive. I think practically nobody uses soft-sided non-rolling suitcases any more, and mine are festooned with colored tape.

 

[neroden]

If I can ask another question -- how do I identify the bus on my way *back*? I assume it stops at the same location. Does the bus always look the same, or do I need to watch out for a different livery? Is it Amtrak-branded on the sides?

 

[the_traveler]

I believe it is an Amtrak California branded bus.

 

[Gemuser]

If I can ask another question -- how do I identify the bus on my way *back*? I assume it stops at the same location. Does the bus always look the same, or do I need to watch out for a different livery? Is it Amtrak-branded on the sides?

In 2012 The Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf stops (at least) had Amtrak Bus stop signs, I assume the others do too. We just stood under the sign and the bus pulled up along side us.

 

[BCL]

If I can ask another question -- how do I identify the bus on my way *back*? I assume it stops at the same location. Does the bus always look the same, or do I need to watch out for a different livery? Is it Amtrak-branded on the sides?

They can be plain white on occasion. However, they'll have EMERYVILLE AMTRAK clearly displayed on an electronic sign or placard. There was also a time when they removed the Amtrak California markings, but I think it's back. The blue livery is pretty distinctive.

On arrival in Emeryville a baggage cart receives all the checked in baggage and is driven to the bus loading area. The baggage destined for SFC is automatically transferred. For your purposes the baggage can be claimed there and then handed over to the driver to place in the hold.

It might not work in reverse though. I wonder if it's possible to check in at SFC if you have the time and take a bus from another location.

 

[chakk]

The bus driver at Emeryville will ask what stop in San Francisco you will be disemvarking. He then puts yogr bag in a special hold for that stop. At your stop you will get off and be standing by the bus as he/she unloads the bags.

For returning to Emeryville . So long as you are at your boarding location before scheduled departure you will have no difficulties identifying your bus.

 

[neroden]

Well, I *can* carry all my bags if I need to, so on the way back I can just wrassle them onto the bus if necessary. There should be time to check the one bag when I get to Emeryville, right?

 

[BCL]

Supposedly the bus arrives 45 minutes before departure of the train. Don't know if that's enough if the bus is delayed, but checked in baggage from SFC is of course given priority. I think more often than not the bus arrives early, but if there's a breakdown on the bridge then ho knows. It is the reverse commute though.

Also, there's a chance that multiple buses are split up if there's enough passengers.

Worst case is that you need to take it on board.

 

[chakk]

I rode the bus from SF to an LD train at EMY last month. Several passengers had time to check bags at EMY. And the driver said that if the bus is somehow delayed by city traffic, he can call ahead and the train will be held. The regular scheduled arrival provides plenty of time to check bags.

The driver(s) have manifests of passengers boarding at each stop, so always send more buses if necessary.

 

[the_traveler]

Any large bags will be (and any small "carry on" bags can be) placed in the bus luggage holds for the trip from SF to EMY. Remember there is not much room at your seat on the bus. At EMY, you can then check any bags you wish.

 

[neroden]

Thanks everyone. I'm expecting to have a total of three bags, one of which I have absolutely no need for on the train trip.