2024 Transportation to UKIAH from the Bay Area-

If you live close enough, or enjoy road trips, the best way to get to campus is to drive. Of course, not everyone can drive here. The closest airport is Sonoma County Airport (STS) but is a small regional airport. Nearby international airports include:

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Oakland International Airport (OAK)

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest airport where most international flights land. Ukiah is located about 110 miles (177 km) north of San Francisco. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from SFO or OAK airports to Ukiah. There is no direct public transportation between the airports and DRBU. After you land, you’ll need to either rent a car, take a taxi/car service, or take public buses (requires transfers). We have outlined those options below.

Public Buses

There is no direct public transportation between San Francisco or Oakland airports and Ukiah. You can take the bus, but it will require that you transfer. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to take the buses.

Note: for most of the buses you don’t need to buy the ticket beforehand. You can pay with a card or cash.

From San Francisco Airport (SFO)

In this route, you take a bus from SFO airport to Sonoma County Airport and then transfer to a second bus that takes you to Ukiah. In order to make the second bus, you’ll need to arrive at Sonoma County Airport by 4:00pm on Saturday or 2:00pm on Sunday. Plan your flight arrival time accordingly.

Step 1: SFO to Sonoma County Airport

The bus company is called Groome Transportation.

1.1 Check the schedule here

1.2 Buy the tickets

Buy your ticket from Groome Transportation

Go to https://groometransportation.com/sonoma-county/

Choose SFO to Sonoma County, and then Sonoma County Airport.

Book
Find your Bus at San Francisco Airport

You can find the Groome Transportation stop on the Lower Level (outside Baggage Claim area) in the center island at the pillars marked "Airporters." If your flight is International, the pickup is at the Arrivals Level outside Customs in the outer roadway center island at the "Airporters" zone.

Step 2: Sonoma County Airport to Ukiah

The public transport company is called Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA). You’ll want to get on MTA Route 65 heading Northbound.

The next bus stop, for the MTA bus to Ukiah, is outside the Cousteaux On The Go cafe at the Sonoma County Airport (see bus stop location on the map below). This route has only two runs a day on Saturday and one on Sunday. You can check the Northbound schedule here.

Step 3: Ukiah Bus Stop to Campus

Get off the bus at the Ukiah Municipal Airport stop. You can ask the driver to let you know when you have arrived. Call a taxi or take an Uber the rest of the way to campus, either Sudhana Center or the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (2-3 miles / 4-5 km).

Taxi: Redwood Taxi

+1 (707) 462-9000

www.redwoodtaxi.com

From Oakland Airport (OAK)

You can use the same Groome Transportation (refer to the instructions above). Just choose Oakland Airport when buying the ticket. The rest of the route will be the same.

From San Francisco Airport (SFO)

Step 1: BART Train to Emeryville Amtrak station

1.1 Please check the guide to take the BART train from San Francisco Airport here.

In order to use the BART you need to use a Clipper card. Get a Clipper Card on your phone through Apple Pay or Android Wallet (instructions).
If you don’t have a smartphone, buy a Clipper Card for $3 (plus the cost of the ticket) at the machines in the station.

Once you are at the BART Station, find these machines to buy a physical Clipper Card (if you don’t have a smartphone)

1.3 Take the BART and get off at the Embarcadero station. You can board any BART train leaving SFO; they all pass through Embarcadero station.

This is an explanatory video that will be helpful for you (stop at 1:41 min).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptvhqtNuTxU

Step 2: Amtrak Bus to Ukiah

San Francisco does not have an Amtrak train station, but you can reach the city from three nearby stations: Oakland, Emeryville and Hayward. You may need to reserve an Uber to reach the Emeryville Amtrak station, which is 21 miles from SFO.

You can check the Amtrak Bus schedule and buy your ticket on the Amtrak website. Book from Emeryville (EMY) to Ukiah (UKH).

Step 3: Ukiah Bus Stop to Campus

Get off the bus at the Ukiah Amtrak stop. You can ask the driver to let you know when you have arrived. Call a taxi or take an Uber the rest of the way to campus, either Sudhana Center or the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (2-3 miles / 4-5 km).

Taxi: Redwood Taxi

+1 (707) 462-9000

www.redwoodtaxi.com

From Oakland Airport (OAK)

Step 1: BART Train to Jack London Square Amtrak Bus Station

1.1 Oakland has two Amtrak stations, one at Jack London and one at Coliseum. You would take the Bart airport connector exit at Coliseum station. The Amtrak platform is connected to BART by an elevated walkway, which also serves as the access route to the Coliseum stadium and the Oracle Arena. It is not that intuitive to get to, you are required to go all the way down to ground level, exit the BART fare gates, then walk across and back up two flights of stairs to the elevated walkway, then down two flights to get to the Amtrak.

1.2 Get off at the Coliseum or Jack London Square stop.

Step 2: Amtrak Bus to Ukiah

1.1 Once you get off the BART train, you need to walk to the Amtrak bus

And you may purchase your ticket.

2.2 You can check the schedule and buy your ticket here.

Step 3: Ukiah Bus Stop to Campus

Taxi: Redwood Taxi

+1 (707) 462-9000

www.redwoodtaxi.com

Rent a car

Things to consider for this option

Check you can drop off the car in a different location (Ukiah, CA)

If this is possible, check if you can drop off the same day or consider that you might have to cover the rent for more than one day, usually until Monday.

If you are under 25 years of age, the rental car is more expensive due to the insurance cost for this age.
You usually need a credit card to rent the car.
The companies we recommend are Enterprise ($160-$200) or Hertz ($210-$280)
Reserve your car ahead of time for the best rates and availability.

To rent a car at San Francisco International Airport, take the AirTrain Blue Line from the airport terminals to the Rental Car Center. The Rental Car Center is located on the fourth floor and offers counters for Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Fox and National, and Thrifty car rental companies.

Taxi / Car Service

*Call a couple weeks prior to travel to check availability*

• From SFO to Ukiah:

https://www.alliedyellowcab.com

http://www.247taxisfo.com ($400+)

• From City of Ukiah to DRBU:

Redwood Taxi: +1 (707) 462-9000

http://www.redwoodtaxi.com w Taxi 707: +1 (707) 272-1322

Uber (not always available, depending on the time of day)