There's more involved than travel time and bridge fees. If you fly out of SFO, for example, you've got a fair amount of time in the airplane that will be spent getting in and out of the airport area. Just getting a clearance, taxiing, taking off, and departing the area is going to burn up a lot of your time, so an hour flight lesson, by the time you get to a practice area away from the airport and busy airspace, is going to have perhaps 10-20 minutes of actual practice time, the rest being consumed with flying in and out of San Fransisco.
If you're flying out of an airport where you have much less interference by airspace and a shorter flight to the practice area or at which you can do landings right at the airport, then you get more flying training and experience for your dollar, which means you progress faster and the cost may be less.
Keep in mind that while the FAA places a 40 hour minimum on getting a private pilot certificate (less hours if at a 141 school), it's just the minimum. The national average varies depending on location, between 65 and 80 hours, so about double what the FAA minimums are. That's what it takes many people to get through their training and solo, and get to the point of taking and passing a checkride. Other ratings and certificates are usually closer to the minimum hours, but not the private.
There's a lot you can do in the meantime, such as study for and take your knowledge exams ("written" tests). Join Civil Air Patrol and get involved that way. You'll get to know instructors and others in the area and may start flying as an "observer." CAP has very nice Cessna 182's that can't be used for primary flight training, but can be used for instrument, commercial, and other training, and are at a discounted price. Likewise, you can get involved with the Experimental Aircraft Association. The EAA may connect you with a number of local aviators, some of whom may be a help in accomplishing what you want. You may also find an opportunity to trade some wrench time for flight time, which is an "in" that most students don't have.
It's been a long time since I began flying, but as a kid that's exactly what I did; worked on airplanes in exchange for flight time.
If you run to Bakers, pick up that IA, if you don't have it, you've got a marketable skill with plenty of opportunity in your area that will let you do condition inspections, annuals, STC work, etc, that may open up an additional pathway to your goals and shorten that time. If you're staying ahead right now, or keeping up financially, then additional income outside your current pipeline might go directly to flying.
Reid Hillview, San Carlos, Palo Alto, Concord, Oakland, Livermore, and other airports in your area have schools, clubs, training facilities, etc, that have rentals, instructors, and potential future jobs, to say nothing of potential income on the side doing mx work, connections, CAP squadrons, EAA chapters, and so on.