Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre BART Station

We set out on an outing last Saturday with our grand daughter and mother in-​law in tow and decided to try taking Bart to San Francisco. We were new at this and went to the booth to ask a few questions. The women in the booth explained what we should do and told us to wave our hands if we needed her to come over and help. She must have thought we had that VERY CONFUSED look on our faces and she came over with a BIG smile on her face and walked us through getting our tickets, told us which way to go etc. On the way back through the station Debbie (we finally found out this amazing women’s name) greeted us with a big smile asking how our day was. Debbie is quite an asset to your company!!! If everyone I ran across has this women’s personality, the world would be a brighter place! THANK YOU, Debbie… you made our outing such a joy!!!

They have 2 banks of elevators, I think 7 total, ONLY ONE HAS BEEN WORKING! And they don’t put up a sign or cones, really Bart, really station agents? You can do better than that, make a little effort. Bart generally is so badly run it makes commuting traumatizing.

I like this station so much I’ve started coming (slightly) out of my way for it rather than going to Walnut Creek in the mornings. It’s cleaner, less crowded, and has a cute little café selling coffee and snacks, in case you have a hankering for a slice of pizza before your morning commute.
The Contra Costa Centre community and Iron Horse Trail make this feel like an especially safe and well-​surveillanced station. I enjoy walking here via the Contra Costa Canal trail in the mornings, and will often make the overhead bridge on Treat my destination during trail runs on the weekends.
There seems to be plenty of parking, and the drop-​off process is a lot cleaner and less traffic-​y than other stations. Glad I finally figured out that I live close to this station — it’s made my mornings a whole lot less crappy!

Damn BART, seriously?
I pose it to the people reading, does this sound reasonable?
I park. I scan in with my clipper card. I scan for parking — see attendant.
Hmm, that’s a new one. Better just be sure. I talk to the attendant.
«have you changed your credit card lately?»
«yes, but I have like $ 150 credit on the clipper card»
«oh, but the card is linked to your clipper account for fare and then your cc for parking»
«um…ok (how on earth should I know this? I scan the card, it subtracts money… that’s about as interested as I am in the inner workings of BART). so what do I do?»
«pay cash for parking»
«I don’t have cash and the machines don’t take card»
«then go out and buy a ticket for your fare plus parking»
«but ive already scanned in»
«here is a sticker, take that to the other bart side, tell them what happened, then you get out with your current ticket you just bought and then back in with your clipper card»
sounds straight forward-​ish, but im trying to get this order of operations right… cause, well, BART’s crazy wonderful system isn’t exactly 2^nd nature to me.
So, I buy my ticket.
«Hey, um, I have to know my parking space for this, don’t I?»
«yes, you can go out the gate, go back to your car, get the number and come back»
sweet, how helpful! Thanks! Checking in at 15 minutes behind schedule at this point…
I get to Oakland and, of course, there is no one at the kiosk I exit at. (saw her walking back with a snack or something. Gotta keep that blood sugar up!)
I talk to another woman half way down the terminal and try to explain my 12 step procedure, of which I’m only about 75% clear on. Before I can finish, she snatches the card out of my hand and starts to peel the sticker off. I say, «whoa, whoa whoa! Hold on!»
She says, «NO, YOU hold on»
10 polite fucking excuse me’s?!
How is it my problem that your impatient ass didn’t even wait for me to explain and then proceed to do the WRONG. GODDAMN. THING. How bout you earn your bloated salary and pension and provide some listening skills to a customer fighting through this train-​wreck of a system. If I was a betting man, I would wager that an item in your job description probably reads something like «attends to customer issues and provides resolution.» Empathy; 0. Understanding; 0. Remote interest in solving my problem; 0. Attitude; ¹¹⁄₁₀. Well done!
After finishing my explanation, she amends her recommendation and sends me on my way.
20 minutes late to work.
As a small business owner, I wouldn’t last 6 months if I put my customers through this bloated, convoluted system of poor communication to achieve simple ends. This is a public SERVICE.
On a day to day basis, BART gets a «meh» with its late trains, high prices, last minute amending of train destinations, antiquated equipment, infrequent service, limited range and barely functioning air conditioning (seriously, Board of Directors, visit Asia and find out just HOW BAD bart stacks up). When the stakes are up and the system doesn’t function as intended (hey, shit happens, nothing is perfect), a big fat fail.
I might recommend some mandatory customer service training, but that probably isn’t negotiated into the MOU, is it? SMH.

Staff there was helpful in hiding me on which way to go to get to my destination. The place was clean for the most part and I didn’t have any complaints.

Large garage, centralized location, close to freeways and shops. Excellent station and the one I use the most often when I’m BART into the city.

We’ve been sitting on BART for 20 minutes with no update or reason. Just one more example of Union Employees taking their sweet time and making $ 40/​hr.

This is probably the best BART station for those heading to San Francisco from the Sacramento Valley. The station is closer to Interstate 680 than Walnut Creek with easier access to 80 for residents of Fairfield, Vacaville, Sacramento, and beyond. This station allows for «one seat» service to downtown San Francisco and the SFO airport and runs all night long.
There is a huge parking garage for easy parking, although the station itself is old and needs a facelift. There are restrooms which are not the best, but they are the only option heading downtown. If you time it right, you can be in the City nearly as fast as driving without the hassle!

No more farmers’ market on Wednesdays; however, there are a few food trucks around on Thursdays during lunch and a few food trucks around on Friday evening. Also, this station and Walnut Creek also has cabs parked outside.

I don’t think I can ever give a BART station 5 stars — why you ask? Because for the most part they are pretty dirty and just very old and aged. That being said, it’s very convenient so i give it the 4 stars. We always travel to this BART station to go to the airport (we drive from the Sacramento area) and for the most part the trains are always on time and there’s always seats at this stop because it’s one of the first stops when you are heading into SF.
Prices have progressively gotten more expensive over the years but $ 10 per person to get to the airport from here — to avoid the hassle of traffic to get to S. San Francisco, the mileage/​gas for your car and the tolls — it’s worth it if you have 3 – 4 or less people. If you have more, it may be more effective to hire a car service — because you also have to lug your own luggage on and off and into the airport.
All in all — decent BART station — will continue to use it! it’s easy access right off of 680 too :)

I grew up in Walnut Creek, about a mile from PH BART. This was the station I took to get to the airport, punk rock concerts in sf, and even once to visit a friend in Millbrae. I could walk the short distance from my parent’s home if I didn’t want to park in their lot.
This is easily my favorite BART station. Parking here is still free and usually pretty easy to find a spot (outside of weekday commuter hours — I’m sure all BART stations have limited parking at those times.)
In recent years they’ve built a community around this station so there are a handful of businesses and coffee shops nearby. There is also a small snack/​coffee room on their property near the ticketing machines. I’ve never used the public restrooms here, but I have interacted with the employees and they’ve generally been very helpful and nice.

The Pleasant Hill BART is actually in Walnut Creek, not the city of Pleasant Hill and it’s near several of the hotels on the I-​680.
One of the important parts of this station is the it is accessible by several frequently running buses in Pleasant Hill, Concord, Walnut Creek, Martinez and so on. The station has a convenience store and several ticket machines.
There is a great big parking garage.
The platform could have more seating and it sometimes will leave you in the uncomfortable sun in the Summer.
One line, although the one line you would want to have, goes through here.
The Pleasant Hill BART station is okay. It does serve a solid regional purpose though.

Not a big fan of this stop, seems there are not too many options to get to the main level once departing the train. The layout is not too convenient, in my opinion.

This is my BART station. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
This BART station is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My BART station, without me, is useless. Without my BART station, I am useless.
My BART station and I know that what counts in this commute is not the filthy trains, the noise of the tracks, nor the smoke it makes. We know that it is the timeliness that counts. We will be on time…
My BART station is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its sights and its sounds. I hope they keep my BART station clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…
Before the BART gods, I swear this creed. My BART station and I are the defenders of my Dukedom. We are the masters of our commute.
So be it, until retirement and there is no more commute.
BART for me is the easiest way to get to and from work unless the ungrateful employees decide to strike like cobras or something breaks down causing mass commuter chaos. The soon to be as of January ’14 $ 2 parking fee is total BS. They lose a star or two on that alone since they just increased it to $ 1.50 last July. I guess somebody has to pay to line the pockets of the insatiably greedy board members.

What can I say, except the BART Stations out in the suburbs are much cleaner and nicer looking than the ones I have seen in Oakland (from the Coliseum to the MacArthur Stations). The only exception of the Oakland stops is the Rockridge Station on College Avenue.
Last month my husband and I were heading to the CALPERS office. Unfortunately, we got off at the wrong station, Walnut Creek.
I did not want to make the same mistake again and decided to take photos of the buildings near this station; thus, I would not get lost.
It’s not that often that we travel out this way via public transportation to take care of business at the Pacific Plaza Building at 1340 Treat Blvd., which is approximately 2 to 2.5 blocks from the Pleasant Hill BART Station.
The surroundings of the Pleasant Hill Station seem serene and calm compared to the busier stations in San Francisco and Oakland… less drama and less noise.
I will have to come back out here in the future. I saw something on the Pleasant Hill platform that is somewhat antiquated these days… a public telephone with the telephone book dangling on a chain… and I did not take a photo of it, but I was chuckling to myself.

This Bart station is really nice and everything around it seems to be in place as close to each other. There is a parking lot right next to the entrance of the entrance which is great when you are on your way to catch a train or on your way home. The parking is huge, 5 stories, so plenty of parking. There always seems to be a group of cabs out there in case you need one.
The freeway is also super close. There is also a Starbucks walking distance from the Bart station. There aren’t creeps around here so it’s not eerie at 1am. This Bart station is also right off the freeway which is nice and easy to find.

Ive just recently moved from NJ to northern CA. NYC, NJ Transit, and all public transit available in the tri-​state area stomps out all transit options I have dealt with in CA since moving here in July.
However, I am very pleased with the service I have received thus far at this BART station. Not only is it clean, but it also can be very welcoming– even at night when the nearby colorful fountains are on. Also, you see the locals walking their dogs, or playing with their children, which makes me feel comfortable. The attendants at the info desk are SUPER helpful and very kind and friendly. The little mini mart has nice women working there, and I have never been rushed or treated unfairly– even one time when I was short 10 cents. Nothing is gourmet but I must say their blueberry bagels hit the spot every time.
Commuting 5 days a week to SF has been hectic for me, but I feel safe here and really enjoy the brief time I spend at this station.

Very nice station. Bathrooms are not only clean, but spacious.
And they have a hot food café, and today I had a slice of the vegetarian pizza and it was VERY good. Had artichokes on it, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, and plenty of cheese. Huge slice for $ 2.75. They also serve french roast coffee. They have many other menu items.

Seemingly the only BART station in the east bay with parking past 8am, I’ve never had a problem finding a spot to leave my car.
If only BART could figure out a way to make other stations feature as many parking spots. But they can’t even figure out how to negotiate a new contract for themselves so I’d put the odds of maximizing parking spots at other stations in the «you’ve got a better chance of catching a fish with just your teeth» category.
Extra bonus: no hobos at this station!

TL;DR: They have bathrooms that are reasonably clean and good sized parking lots. parking $ 1 during the week.
This is my station of choice for my commute. I come here every M-​F without fail, and head into the city.
You’re usually safe to find parking up until about 8:15 am, anything beyond that is a little dicey. The lots are well lit, and the daily fee (anywhere in the lot from 10 – 4 I believe) is 1 dollar, which is very respectable considering the prices for parking in the city.
Early mornings there’s a train coming almost every 7 – 10 minutes, one to Daily City, the other to the Airport. Its rather convenient, then about ~8:30ish it scales back to 1 every 15 minutes.
The bathrooms are usually clean (at least the men’s, at any rate), and I’ve never had issue with my car there or other riders, etc. etc.
I also highly suggest investing in a Clipper Card, as it makes travel on the Bart trains super convenient, and you’re not always waiting for a ticket if you pre/​auto load your card with a credit card. Mine gets deducted directly from my paycheck with Clipper Direct, which is even better cause its taken out pre-​tax =)
Its also apparently a major bus hub, so if you are completely public transit, then this is definitely your station of choice.