This is the latest BART strike update: San Francisco-area public transportation remained shut down for a third consecutive day as negotiations continued to end a strike that began Monday.

Officials with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system have been meeting with representatives of the two striking unions, the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555. Negotiations on Tuesday night lasted eight hours, stretching into the early morning hours when they ended just before 3 a.m. local time.

Area commuters have been forced to cope with the shuttered public transit system, finding alternate routes to work. That has included getting an early start on rush hour, with cars already packing the Bay Bridge at 5:30 this morning.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that for many, “their patience had worn thin” because of all the inconveniences created by the strike. One woman was reported as having had to wake up two hours earlier than normal to reach her class in San Francisco, while a man commuting from Walnut Creek said his trip had increased by a full hour and a half.

But that man, Bryant Wolcomb, also said, “Give the workers what they deserve. Obviously a lot of Bay Area commerce depends on them showing up and doing their jobs. I’d say the market values them greatly.”

But Oakland’s Annette Lemone, who hasn’t been able to get to her new job since her boss told her to stay home until the strike ended, had a different take.

“I am really, really frustrated,” Lemone told the Chronicle. “It is just egregious, they [the unions] are being greedy. This whole thing has made me very cynical. They’re fighting over health care? I don’t even have health care.”

Another round of negotiating was set to begin at 1 p.m., with pressure increasing on all sides to reach a quick resolution and end the BART strike that has frustrated the city’s commuters and businesses.

The dispute revolves around the terms of a new contract for the unionized transit workers. The unions want a 4.5 percent annual pay raise as well as an annual 2.2 percent cost-of-living adjustment, while BART is proposing a 5 percent guaranteed raise and the possibility of another 3 percent depending on markers like ridership numbers. BART contends that the union’s plan amounts to a far greater 21.5 percent pay raise over the course of the four years in question. BART also wants employees to contribute more to their pension funds (they currently pay nothing) and health care costs (the current fee is a flat $92 per month).

SEIU Local 1021 negotiator Josie Mooney said Tuesday night’s marathon session resulted in “some progress.” BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said that the fact the meeting lasted so late was “a good sign.”

If you’re a San Francisco commuter needing an alternative for getting around, check out the tips at BART’s web site. Stay tune for more BART strike updates.