Even taking that into account, I usually take the train when I'm going to SF on business. Even though the schedules are such that one time I had to freeze my butt of on a platform for 50 mins because there were no trains at all during this time to my direction. But at least the option is there, and at least in SF you can get somewhere with public transit. Somewhere in Santa Clara county, usually you don't have any imaginable option to use public transit unless you are ready to spend 2.5 hours on a trip that is 20-minute car ride otherwise.