While it may be true for Caltrain, Bart cannot be compared to Metro North. A commuter pass that I have used in the past from Long Beach to Grand Central (~30mi) was about $200/month ($250 now). A similar driving distance commute from concord to Powell St (~30mi) would cost you about $290 for 20 visits to the city since Bart doesn’t do commuter passes. Bart also charges you per trip and the min distance rides are very expensive, making it overall a more expensive option to Metro North. And unfortunately it’s the only commute option from the East Bay apart from the AC transit busses commuter busses that charge $7 regardless of the distance.