Four Alternatives To San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit System, Now That It's Idled By A Strike

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system was idle Friday due to a workers strike, the second strike in four months. Bay area commuters are no doubt pondering alternate transportation. Here are four ways, from most expensives to least expensive, to make the commute.

1. Sailboat

Most people's image of a sailboat does not entail something moving very quickly. But that's so old school. The recently completed America's Cup, which took place this summer on San Francisco Bay, demonstrated that sailboats can now top 50 mph. Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) and successful defender of the America's Cup, owns a couple of these nautical rockets, each of which costs upwards of about $10 million. If you can afford it, you can blast across the Bay in mere minutes.

2. Helicopter

For $1,975 an hour, you can fly with up to five other passengers in San Francisco Helicopters’s single-engine Bell 407. Upgrade to a twin-engine Bell 427 with club seating and a wide cabin for $2,400 an hour. Pick up your coworkers to become an instant legend (or a major tool) at the office.

3. Bicycle

Why not use the strike as an extra motivator to do some cardio? You can bike from Powell Street to Balboa Park in 30 minutes to 40 minutes, or get clear across the city from Ocean Beach to Evans Avenue and Third Street in an hour.

4. Walk

Should any of the above fail to work for you, try the lost art of walking. Leisurely walking from Ocean Beach to Evans Avenue will take a little under three hours without pausing, and walking from Powell Street to Balboa Park will take under two hours.