Take a hard look at the bus pass on your Cal ID card. Yes, it’s free, it’s shiny, and we get one every semester, but that doesn’t mean we should only use it to get to and from campus and our apartments. Believe it or not, but Berkeley is a diverse and exciting place to explore, and it’s a great idea to take advantage of our free bus passes to take a break from studying and go outside on an adventure. Plus, a monthly bus pass sticker can cost upwards from $75, so we need to take advantage of this opportunity while we still have access to free bus pass stickers.

Below, I’ve listed the bus routes I have personally taken, as well as well-known routes, and where they can take you.

• 51B (towards Berkeley Amtrak) – At the end of the line, you can visit the Berkeley Aquatic Park, located across from the railroad tracks around the parking lot. It’s a great place to go for a jog, as well as see volunteers from the Berkeley Animal Care Services animal shelter walking dogs.
• 51B (towards Berkeley Marina) – After you cross the freeway, you can get off to visit the Berkeley Marina and enjoy breathtaking views of the bay. Also a great place to go jogging.

For the above locations, you can also stop off in Downtown Berkeley for shopping and food.
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• 51B (towards Rockridge Bart) – If you get off at College Avenue once you start seeing the shops, you can enjoy great shopping, food, and ice cream (namely Ici’s and Tara’s Organic Ice Cream). You can also study at cafés such as Sacks and Elmwood Café.
• 18 (towards University Village) – You can make a grocery trip to Safeway for good deals, visit Cheeseboard for delicious vegetarian pizza, and try other great restaurants such as Crepevine and Chez Panisse (if your wallet can handle it).
• 65 (towards Euclid) – You can take this bus all the way up to the base of the famous Tilden Park, where you can enjoy nature as well as feed farm animals (or so I’ve heard).
• F (towards San Francisco) – Need I explain further? The ride takes about an hour and a half, but it’s a more affordable option to get to SF without taking BART. The F will drop you off at the transbay bus station in the city, but if you want to get off earlier, you can stop by the Emeryville shopping center to shop at stores like Sephora, Old Navy, H&M, and Gap.

This is a very rudimentary list of bus routes, so I definitely encourage you to explore Berkeley further!