San Francisco Municipal Railway
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SF Muni or Muni) is the public transit system for the city and county
of San Francisco, California
. In 2006, it served 46.7 square miles (121 km²) with an operating budget of about $700 million. In terms of ridership, Muni is the seventh largest transit system in the United States
, with 210,848,310 rides in 2006 and the second largest in California behind Metro
in Los Angeles
. With a fleet average of 7-8.1 mph, it is also the slowest major transit system in America.
Muni is an integral part of public transit in the city of San Francisco, operating 365 days a year and connecting with regional transportation services, such as Bay Area Rapid Transit
(BART), SamTrans
, and AC Transit
. Its network consists of 54 bus
lines, 17 trolley bus lines, 7 light rail
lines that operate above ground and in the City's lone subway tube (called Muni Metro
), 3 cable car
lines
, and a heritage streetcar line
known as the F Market & Wharves. Many weekday riders are commuters, as the daytime weekday population in San Francisco exceeds its normal residential population. Muni shares four metro stations with BART, which can lead to confusion amongst visitors. Travelers can connect to San Francisco International Airport
and Oakland International Airport
via BART.
Several routes operate 24 hours a day, such as the 38 Geary. Muni routes operate on a schedule, and the frequency of service varies at various times of day. Trip planning has been made easier by the implementation of GPS monitoring for most routes through NextBus
, allowing for easier predictions of arrival times.
Most bus lines are scheduled to operate every five to fifteen minutes during peak hours, every five to twenty minutes middays, about every ten to twenty minutes from 9 pm to midnight, and roughly every half hour for the late night "owl" routes. On weekends, most Muni bus lines are scheduled to run every ten to twenty minutes. However, complaints of unreliability, especially on less-often-served lines and older (pre-battery backup) trolleybus lines, are a system-wide problem. A February 20, 2007, article in the San Francisco Chronicle
noted that Muni was not able to meet its modest goal of 85% voter-demanded on-time service.
All Muni lines run roughly inside San Francisco city limits, with the exception of several lines that serve some locations in the northern part of neighboring Daly City
, and the 76 Marin Headlands line to the Marin Headlands
area on Sundays and various holidays. Most intercity connections are provided by BART and Caltrain
heavy rail, AC Transit
buses at the Transbay Terminal and Golden Gate Transit
and SamTrans
downtown.
Bus and car stops throughout the city vary from Metro stations with raised platforms in the subway and at the more heavily used surface stops, to small shelters to signposts to simply a yellow stripe on a utility pole or on the road surface. 70% of stops are spaced closer than recommended range of 800–1000 feet apart.
Muni is short for the "Municipal" in "San Francisco Municipal Railway" and is not an acronym; thus, when it is written in plain text, only Muni (not MUNI) is correct. However, many San Franciscans, including some of those who work for Muni, write it MUNI. The Muni metro is often called "the train" or "the streetcar". Most San Francisco natives reference 'Muni' when speaking about the system (Metro & buses) in general.
The F Market & Wharves line is referred to by Muni as a "historic streetcar line" rather than as a "heritage railway".
Muni's logo is a stylized, trademarked "worm" version of the word "MUNI". This logo was designed by San Francisco-based graphic designer Walter Landor
in the mid-1970s.
). Bus and trolleybus lines have number designations, rail lines have letters and the three cable car lines are typically referred to by name only (Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde and California). However, Muni maps abbreviate the cable car route names to PM, PH and C, and they are given route numbers 59, 60 and 61, respectively, for use within Muni operations.
(POP) is handled through a transfer slip, either a piece of newsprint-like paper, torn to indicate expiration time (buses and streetcar) or machine-printed on thicker tag stock at subway stations and a few outdoor stops such as the one at San Francisco State University
, any of which can be checked by fare inspectors. These transfer receipts allow travel on almost any Muni vehicle for at least 90 minutes but no more than 2 hours from the time of issue. The exception to this is for cable car lines which require a $6.00 one-way fare with no transfers unless the rider has a Fast Pass. This monthly pass is $62 for adults ($72 with BART
functionality within city limits), $30 for low-income residents ("Life Line Pass"), or $20 for youth and seniors, as of January 2010. Persons with disabilities who have obtained a Regional Transit Connection discount card may purchase a $20 disabled monthly sticker. Fast Passes are valid on all Muni lines—including cable cars—and the $72 adult Fast Pass allows BART transit entirely within San Francisco (between Embarcadero
and Balboa Park). Other passes and stickers are valid on all Muni lines, including cable cars, but not on BART (with the exception of BART-Plus ticket types).
Cable car fare is $6 per trip, with no transfers issued or accepted. "Passports" are folding scratch-off passes that can be purchased by mail, or at various places throughout the city; they are good on all regular-service lines without surcharge, including cable cars, and cost $14 for a 1-day pass, $21 for a 3-day pass, or $27 for a 7-day pass, as of July 2011.
Special round-trip fares are set for buses going to Candlestick Park during football games. They are $12 for adults, $9 for children and seniors, and $7 for anyone with a pass. Riders are given a special pass once they pay the fare, which they can then use on the return trip from the park.
Muni has implemented a dual-mode smart card payment system known as Clipper (formerly TransLink). The transponders have been in use since at least 2004 and are currently in the process of phasing out paper monthly passes in favor of passes loaded onto Clipper cards. TransLink was expected to be rolled out in summer 2008 on Muni, but this expansion has suffered delays. BART, Caltrain, and Golden Gate Transit now also utilize the Clipper system.
Muni operates 15 express
lines, 5 Limited lines, and 12 Owl
lines, which run between 1 am and 5 am. During sporting events, additional lines go to Candlestick Park.
Express lines only run during peak hours (with the sole exception of the 8X Bayshore Express); during mornings they run towards downtown (the Financial District
) and during the evening they run away from downtown. All express lines have an "X", "AX", or "BX" following the line's number. Some lines are divided into A and B Expresses. The B Express line is shorter and has stops that are closer to downtown, while the A Express makes stops further away from downtown and will make few or no stops in the area where the B Express stops.
Limited lines also provide fast service along their routes. They make fewer stops than the standard line to achieve faster travel, but the stops are interspersed at greater intervals along the entire line. Express buses make frequent local stops near the origin and destination, but not in the middle. Limited buses take the same route as the regular line, while Express buses take a bypass route. All limited-stop lines have an "L" following the line's number.
Muni operates about 1,000 vehicles: diesel, electric, and hybrid electric transit bus
es, light rail
vehicles, streetcars
, historic streetcars, and cable cars
. Many buses are diesel
-powered, but more than 300 are zero emission
s trolleybus
es powered by overhead electrical wires
. The electricity to run all of Muni's trolleybuses and streetcars comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
in Yosemite National Park
.
In 2006, Muni purchased 86 hybrid electric transit buses from Orion Bus Industries that are diesel-fueled but feature lower emissions and 19% reduced fuel consumption.
All Muni lines except for cable cars are wheelchair
accessible. All bus lines have bicycle
racks, but streetcars and cable cars do not.
The longest Muni line is the 24.1 miles (38.8 km) 91 Owl, a nighttime-only route that blends several other routes together, while the longest daytime route is the 17.4 miles (28 km) 29 Sunset. The shortest route is the 88 BART Shuttle at 1.4 miles (2.3 km). The steepest grade climbed by Muni vehicle is 23.1% by a diesel bus on the 67 Bernal Heights line, 22.8% by a trolleybus on the 24 Divisadero line, and 21% by a cable car on the Powell-Hyde line.
The busiest Muni bus line is the 38 Geary, which travels 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in the east–west direction along the Geary corridor, and has an average speed of only 8 miles per hour (12.9 km/h). Door to door, it takes over 50 minutes to traverse the distance from the Richmond District
to the Transbay Terminal when operating on schedule.
At Powell and Market Streets and California and Market Streets, three types of rail gauge
s come within a few hundred feet of each other: Bay Area Rapid Transit
's broad gauge
(which is underground in the lower level of the tunnel
s), Muni Metro
's (also underground in the upper level of the tunnels), and the San Francisco cable car system's
narrow gauge (at street level a few hundred feet away to the north of Market Street in both cases). The F Market
heritage railway
is also present here, at street level on Market Street. The rail lines, however, do not physically intersect.
The F Market and Wharves line uses the same standard gauge
as the Muni Metro, and in fact uses the J Church tracks to travel between its regular route and the storage facility near Balboa Park Station.
Since the passage of Proposition E in November 1999, Muni has been part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), a semi-independent city agency created by that ballot measure. The agency, into which Muni, the Department of Parking and Traffic, and the Taxicab Commission were merged, is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors.
The executive director and CEO of the SFMTA since August 15, 2011 has been Edward D. Reiskin, who previously headed the San Francisco Department of Public Works. He replaced Debra A. Johnson, the acting executive director and CEO who replaced Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. upon his resignation.
. Until then the city had been served by a number of commercial horsecar
, cable car and electric streetcar operators. Many of these had been amalgamated into the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR) company. In 1909, voters approved a municipal rail line down Geary. Three years later in 1912, the city declined to renew the franchise that bestowed cable car operator Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway
the privilege of operating on Geary Street, and converted the line into a municipal electric streetcar line, the first line of Muni. In 1912, the average speed of the city's public transit was approximately 8.5 miles per hour -- slightly faster than the average speed of 8.1 in 2007.
Muni soon started on a large building program. On December 29, 1914, the new Stockton Street
Tunnel under Nob Hill opened, allowing streetcars from downtown to go to North Beach
and the new Marina District. On February 3, 1918, the Twin Peaks Tunnel
opened, making the southwestern quarter of the city available for development. On October 21, 1928, the Sunset Tunnel
opened, bringing the N Judah
streetcar line to the Sunset District. These improvements plunged Muni into direct competition with the URR on the entire length of Market Street. The two operators each operated their own pair of rail tracks down that thoroughfare, which came to be known as the "roar of the four".
, successor to the URR, was in financial difficulties. Thus, at 5 am on September 29, 1944, Muni acquired its commercial competitor. Along with the routes and equipment, Muni adopted its competitor's more expensive seven-cent fare. Following national trends, Muni replaced most of its rail lines with trolleybus service in the succeeding decades. A few lines with dedicated right-of-ways (including those serving the Twin Peaks
and Sunset
tunnels) continued as rail lines running 1930's-era PCC streetcar
s into the 1970s. These lines became the foundation of the Muni Metro.
Construction on BART's Market street tunnel started in 1967, with two decks tracks - the upper intended to provide local service. Major cost overruns in the BART project forced the state legislature to rescue the project in 1969: curtailing local service in San Francisco and converting the partially-constructed stations into the basis of a new light-rail Metro to connect the downtown stations to the Twin Peaks Tunnel and continuing a subway to St. Francis Circle. Construction on the metro began in 1970, but the design suffered from further cuts and design changes throughout the 1970s. The Muni metro finally opened in July, 1980, but the many design compromises and piecemeal planning lead to long-term operational challenges and inefficiencies.
In 1970 Muni also suffered a severe diesel bus crisis. In 1982, the cable car system was shut down for 18 months for rebuilding, and there were massive line reorganizations due to diesel bus issues.
In 1983, Muni temporarily ran streetcars down Market Street as part of the San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival. The service became so popular over the festival was repeated for several years following. Anticipating permanent streetcar service on Market, Muni began rehabilitating tracks in 1987, a process that culminated in the opening of the F line in 1995.
representing transit riders formed to organize concerns and press for change. A controversial aspect to their work was to endorse riders using emergency levers to open doors for trains stalled in tunnels and near designated stops. In an effort to improve service, Muni began to replace its troublesome fleet of Boeing-Vertol
streetcars
with newer Italian Breda
streetcars. In 1998, San Francisco residents witnessed a protracted malfunction of Muni Metro during the switch to automatic train control, culminating in an event that is known as the Muni Meltdown. The decade old fleet of New Flyer
trolleybuses were mostly replaced with ETI Skoda trolleybuses in the early 2000s. Likewise, the diesel bus fleet saw an infusion of 45 new NABI
buses from AC Transit
in 1999.
Meanwhile, the F line was reintroduced in 1995 as a heritage railway
. Initially designed as a temporary tourist attraction to make up for the closure of the cable car lines, the F has become a permanent fixture.
signs were awarded the AdWheel Award as the best in print promotion by the American Public Transportation Association
. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of Muni, said that the "marketing group has done an outstanding job making the key boarding areas more attractive and inviting for residents and our guests."
On November 15, 2007, city officials announced that they were looking into the possibility of adding double-decker buses to the Muni fleet, which would be operating mostly on the 38 Geary and the 14 Mission routes. The test period started on December 12, 2007, and ended on January 8, 2008.
On December 1, 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom
announced that the entire city fleet, including all of Muni buses, are henceforth powered with biodiesel
, a combination of 80% petroleum diesel fuel and 20% biofuel
, to reduce carbon emissions. Muni's current hybrid bus fleet currently runs on biodiesel.
On July 17, 2009, a Muni LRV rear-ended another at West Portal Station
. That accident injured 50 people.
On December 5, 2009, the Muni system underwent its most extensive changes in over 30 years, in an attempt by the SFMTA to reduce its budget shortfall. This involved changes to over 60 percent of its bus and light rail routes, including the elimination of six bus routes. Changes included reduced frequency of service, shortened or altered routes, and earlier termination of service, although a few of the busiest lines, such as the 38 Geary, saw service increases.
Construction on a sixth light rail line from Caltrain Depot in Mission Bay
to Visitacion Valley
and Bayview/Hunters Point
was completed in December 2006. The new line, named the T Third Street, consists of 19 new high-platform stations at street-level, including at least one within walking distance of Candlestick Park.
A further underground expansion for the T line is being planned. Dubbed the Central Subway
, four proposed new underground stations at Moscone Center
, Market
and Stockton Streets, Union Square, and Chinatown are being studied for a possible target date of 2016. A future extension into North Beach
and Fisherman's Wharf
or to the Marina District and The Presidio
may be built in a third phase. This project is expected to cost about $1.4 billion. A critical problem with the proposed subway is that the stations will be much narrower and shorter in comparison to existing Muni Metro stations on Market Street; ridership projections reveal that the line will run at near capacity from the start of operations with little or no ability to increase capacity. Some activists have criticized these long-term plans as catering to the needs of visitors at the expense of city residents, asserting that Muni's resources would be better spent on a seventh light rail line running along (or under) Geary Boulevard
into the densely populated Richmond District
. Currently, a bus rapid transit
("BRT") line is being planned for Geary Boulevard, possibly as a precursor to a light rail line.
Expected smaller changes to service include rerouting the 22-Fillmore and extending either the 30-Stockton or 45-Union-Stockton into Mission Bay
when the area becomes developed, and a new E Embarcadero
historic streetcar line is expected to begin operation along the Embarcadero from Fisherman's Wharf to the Caltrain
station at 4th and King Streets, with a possible future extension into Mission Bay.
Additionally, there are plans to expand trolleybus service in several parts of the city. Several extensions to existing trolleybus lines are planned, including 14-Mission service to the Daly City BART station
, 6-Parnassus service to West Portal Station
, 33-Stanyan service across Potrero Hill
to Third Street, 45-Union-Stockton service to the Letterman Digital Arts Center
in the Presidio
and 24-Divisadero service into the former Hunters Point
shipyard. Other expansion plans include electrification of some diesel bus lines, with the most likely lines for conversion being the 9-San Bruno, 10-Townsend and 47-Van Ness. Electrification of the 10-Townsend line would likely be joined by an extension of the line across Potrero Hill to San Francisco General Hospital
. Other lines that may be electrified are the 2-Clement, 27-Bryant, 43-Masonic and 71-Haight-Noriega.
However, the average speed of Muni vehicles has been slowly declining over the years due to increasing vehicular congestion and is now merely 8 miles (13 km) per hour. In response, Muni has launched plans to make its transit vehicles move faster through the city. The Transit Effectiveness Project was launched in May 2006 to take a comprehensive look at the entire Muni system and to see where service can be improved or streamlined to provide faster and more reliable service. Twenty-five years have passed since the last comprehensive review, and travel patterns have changed, traffic congestion has increased, operating costs have risen and on-time performance has dropped since then. Automatic passenger counters will help to provide an accurate picture of where riders get on and off. In addition, bus rapid transit
is currently being proposed on the Geary and Van Ness corridors.
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
of San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 2006, it served 46.7 square miles (121 km²) with an operating budget of about $700 million. In terms of ridership, Muni is the seventh largest transit system in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with 210,848,310 rides in 2006 and the second largest in California behind Metro
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. With a fleet average of 7-8.1 mph, it is also the slowest major transit system in America.
Muni is an integral part of public transit in the city of San Francisco, operating 365 days a year and connecting with regional transportation services, such as Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
(BART), SamTrans
SamTrans
SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
, and AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. Its network consists of 54 bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines, 17 trolley bus lines, 7 light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
lines that operate above ground and in the City's lone subway tube (called Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
), 3 cable car
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
lines
San Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
, and a heritage streetcar line
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
known as the F Market & Wharves. Many weekday riders are commuters, as the daytime weekday population in San Francisco exceeds its normal residential population. Muni shares four metro stations with BART, which can lead to confusion amongst visitors. Travelers can connect to San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
and Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
via BART.
Several routes operate 24 hours a day, such as the 38 Geary. Muni routes operate on a schedule, and the frequency of service varies at various times of day. Trip planning has been made easier by the implementation of GPS monitoring for most routes through NextBus
NextBus
NextBus is a vehicle tracking system which uses global positioning satellite information to predict when the next bus will arrive at any given bus stop, thereby eliminating wait times and any need for schedules for all transit riders...
, allowing for easier predictions of arrival times.
Operations
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
noted that Muni was not able to meet its modest goal of 85% voter-demanded on-time service.
All Muni lines run roughly inside San Francisco city limits, with the exception of several lines that serve some locations in the northern part of neighboring Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
, and the 76 Marin Headlands line to the Marin Headlands
Marin Headlands
The Marin Headlands is a hilly area at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Headlands are located just north of San Francisco, immediately across the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
area on Sundays and various holidays. Most intercity connections are provided by BART and Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
heavy rail, AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
buses at the Transbay Terminal and Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It mainly serves Marin and Sonoma Counties, and also provides limited service to San Francisco and Contra Costa County.Golden Gate Transit is one of three...
and SamTrans
SamTrans
SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
downtown.
Bus and car stops throughout the city vary from Metro stations with raised platforms in the subway and at the more heavily used surface stops, to small shelters to signposts to simply a yellow stripe on a utility pole or on the road surface. 70% of stops are spaced closer than recommended range of 800–1000 feet apart.
Name and logo
The F Market & Wharves line is referred to by Muni as a "historic streetcar line" rather than as a "heritage railway".
Muni's logo is a stylized, trademarked "worm" version of the word "MUNI". This logo was designed by San Francisco-based graphic designer Walter Landor
Landor Associates
Landor Associates is a San Francisco-based brand and creative design consultancy. Founded by Walter Landor and his wife Josephine in 1941, Landor pioneered many of the research, design and consulting methodologies that are now standard in the branding industry.-Operations:Landor offers brand...
in the mid-1970s.
Route names
All Muni routes, except the cable cars, have two parts to the name, and are most often referred to by both, for example, the "1 California". The word(s) on the end generally refer to the street encompassing the plurality of the line. This does not mean that the line runs solely on that street (e.g., the 1 California runs on Sacramento and Clay Streets east of Pacific HeightsPacific Heights, San Francisco, California
Pacific Heights is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California.-Location:Pacific Heights is located in one of the most scenic and park-like settings in Northern California, offering panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz and the Presidio...
). Bus and trolleybus lines have number designations, rail lines have letters and the three cable car lines are typically referred to by name only (Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde and California). However, Muni maps abbreviate the cable car route names to PM, PH and C, and they are given route numbers 59, 60 and 61, respectively, for use within Muni operations.
Fares
Fares are $2.00 for adults and $0.75 for seniors over 65, youth aged 5–17, and disabled persons. Proof-of-paymentProof-of-payment
Proof-of-payment or POP is an honor-based fare collection approach used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, proof-of-payment requires that each passenger carry a ticket or pass proving that they have paid the fare. Ticket...
(POP) is handled through a transfer slip, either a piece of newsprint-like paper, torn to indicate expiration time (buses and streetcar) or machine-printed on thicker tag stock at subway stations and a few outdoor stops such as the one at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, any of which can be checked by fare inspectors. These transfer receipts allow travel on almost any Muni vehicle for at least 90 minutes but no more than 2 hours from the time of issue. The exception to this is for cable car lines which require a $6.00 one-way fare with no transfers unless the rider has a Fast Pass. This monthly pass is $62 for adults ($72 with BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
functionality within city limits), $30 for low-income residents ("Life Line Pass"), or $20 for youth and seniors, as of January 2010. Persons with disabilities who have obtained a Regional Transit Connection discount card may purchase a $20 disabled monthly sticker. Fast Passes are valid on all Muni lines—including cable cars—and the $72 adult Fast Pass allows BART transit entirely within San Francisco (between Embarcadero
Embarcadero Station
Embarcadero is a BART and Muni Metro station in the Financial District of San Francisco. The easternmost stop on the Market Street Subway, Embarcadero acts as a major hub for passenger movement throughout the San Francisco Bay Area...
and Balboa Park). Other passes and stickers are valid on all Muni lines, including cable cars, but not on BART (with the exception of BART-Plus ticket types).
Cable car fare is $6 per trip, with no transfers issued or accepted. "Passports" are folding scratch-off passes that can be purchased by mail, or at various places throughout the city; they are good on all regular-service lines without surcharge, including cable cars, and cost $14 for a 1-day pass, $21 for a 3-day pass, or $27 for a 7-day pass, as of July 2011.
Special round-trip fares are set for buses going to Candlestick Park during football games. They are $12 for adults, $9 for children and seniors, and $7 for anyone with a pass. Riders are given a special pass once they pay the fare, which they can then use on the return trip from the park.
Muni has implemented a dual-mode smart card payment system known as Clipper (formerly TransLink). The transponders have been in use since at least 2004 and are currently in the process of phasing out paper monthly passes in favor of passes loaded onto Clipper cards. TransLink was expected to be rolled out in summer 2008 on Muni, but this expansion has suffered delays. BART, Caltrain, and Golden Gate Transit now also utilize the Clipper system.
| Year | Fare | Price of adult monthly pass | Cable car fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $2.00 | $72 with BART access, $62 without BART access | $6.00 |
| 2010 | Usually $2.00, occasionally $2.25 for a single-use Clipper Card | $70 with BART access, $60 without BART access | $5.00 |
| 2009 | $2.00 | $55 | $5.00 |
| 2008 | $1.50 | $45 | $5.00 |
| 2006 | $1.50 | $45 | $5.00 |
| 2005 | $1.25 increases to $1.50 | $45 | $5.00 |
| 2003 | $1.00 increases to $1.25 | $45 | $3.00 increases to $5.00 |
| 2002 | $1.00 | $35 | $2.00 |
| 1999 | $1.00 | $35 | $2.00 |
| 1998 | $1.00 | $35 | $2.00 |
| 1993 | $1.00 | $35/$45 | $2.00 each way |
| 1992 | $0.85 increases to $1.00 | $32 | $3.00 round-trip |
| 1991 | $0.85 | $30 | $2.00 |
| 1988 | $0.75 increases to $0.85 | $28 | $2.00 or $2.50 |
| 1987 | $0.75 | $25 | $1.50 |
| 1986 | $0.60 increases to $0.75 | $23 | $1.00 increases to $1.50 |
| 1985 | $0.60 | $24 | $1.00 |
| 1984 | $0.60 | $20 | $1.00 |
| 1982 | $0.50 increases to $0.60 | $16 increases to $24 | $1.00 |
| 1981 | $0.50 | $16 | $0.50 |
| 1980 | $0.25 increases to $0.50 | $16 | $0.25 |
| 1979 | $0.25 | $11 | $0.30 |
| 1976 | $0.25 | $11 | $0.25 |
| 1975 | $0.25 | $11 | $0.25 |
| 1974 | $0.25 | Monthly passes introduced at $11 | $0.25 |
| 1970 | $0.20 increases to $0.25 | $0.25 | |
| 1969 | $0.15 increases to $0.20 | $0.25 | |
| 1961 | $0.15 | $0.05 | |
| 1952 | $0.10 increases to $0.15 or $0.10 | $0.05 or $0.10 | |
| 1951 | $0.10 | $0.05 | |
| 1950 | $0.10 | $0.05 | |
| 1949 | $0.10 | $0.05 | |
| 1947 | $0.10 per ride, or $0.25 for three tokens | $0.05 | |
| 1946 | $0.07 increases to $0.10 | $0.05 or $0.07 | |
| 1945 | $0.07 | $0.05 or $0.07 | |
| 1944 | $0.05 increases to $0.07 | $0.05 or $0.07 | |
| 1937 | $0.05 | $0.05 | |
| 1932 | $0.05 | $0.05 | |
| 1912 | $0.05 | $0.05 |
Special service
Express bus
An express bus service is a bus service that is intended to run faster than normal bus services between the same two commuter points....
lines, 5 Limited lines, and 12 Owl
Night bus
A night bus service or owl service is a public transport bus service which operates through the night time hours. Many cities operate such services, either in addition to or in substitution for ordinary daytime bus services or rapid transit rail services which may shut for maintenance or due to...
lines, which run between 1 am and 5 am. During sporting events, additional lines go to Candlestick Park.
Express lines only run during peak hours (with the sole exception of the 8X Bayshore Express); during mornings they run towards downtown (the Financial District
Financial District, San Francisco, California
The Financial District is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, that serves as its main central business district. The nickname "FiDi" is occasionally employed, analogous to nearby SoMa.-Location:...
) and during the evening they run away from downtown. All express lines have an "X", "AX", or "BX" following the line's number. Some lines are divided into A and B Expresses. The B Express line is shorter and has stops that are closer to downtown, while the A Express makes stops further away from downtown and will make few or no stops in the area where the B Express stops.
Limited lines also provide fast service along their routes. They make fewer stops than the standard line to achieve faster travel, but the stops are interspersed at greater intervals along the entire line. Express buses make frequent local stops near the origin and destination, but not in the middle. Limited buses take the same route as the regular line, while Express buses take a bypass route. All limited-stop lines have an "L" following the line's number.
Statistics
Muni operates about 1,000 vehicles: diesel, electric, and hybrid electric transit bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
vehicles, streetcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, historic streetcars, and cable cars
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
. Many buses are diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
-powered, but more than 300 are zero emission
Zero emission
Zero emission refers to an engine, motor, or other energy source, that emits no waste products that pollutes the environment or disrupts the climate.-Zero emission engines:...
s trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es powered by overhead electrical wires
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
. The electricity to run all of Muni's trolleybuses and streetcars comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a reservoir in Yosemite National Park, about northeast from the city of Merced, California. The reservoir has a capacity of and is formed by the concrete gravity O'Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley on the Tuolumne River...
in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
.
In 2006, Muni purchased 86 hybrid electric transit buses from Orion Bus Industries that are diesel-fueled but feature lower emissions and 19% reduced fuel consumption.
All Muni lines except for cable cars are wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
accessible. All bus lines have bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
racks, but streetcars and cable cars do not.
The longest Muni line is the 24.1 miles (38.8 km) 91 Owl, a nighttime-only route that blends several other routes together, while the longest daytime route is the 17.4 miles (28 km) 29 Sunset. The shortest route is the 88 BART Shuttle at 1.4 miles (2.3 km). The steepest grade climbed by Muni vehicle is 23.1% by a diesel bus on the 67 Bernal Heights line, 22.8% by a trolleybus on the 24 Divisadero line, and 21% by a cable car on the Powell-Hyde line.
The busiest Muni bus line is the 38 Geary, which travels 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in the east–west direction along the Geary corridor, and has an average speed of only 8 miles per hour (12.9 km/h). Door to door, it takes over 50 minutes to traverse the distance from the Richmond District
Richmond District, San Francisco, California
The Richmond District is a neighborhood in the northwest corner of San Francisco, California.-Location:Lying directly north of Golden Gate Park, "the Richmond" is bounded roughly by Fulton Street to the south, Arguello Boulevard and Laurel Heights to the east, The Presidio National Park and Lincoln...
to the Transbay Terminal when operating on schedule.
At Powell and Market Streets and California and Market Streets, three types of rail gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
s come within a few hundred feet of each other: Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
's broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
(which is underground in the lower level of the tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s), Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
's (also underground in the upper level of the tunnels), and the San Francisco cable car system's
San Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
narrow gauge (at street level a few hundred feet away to the north of Market Street in both cases). The F Market
F Market
The F Market & Wharves line is one of several light rail lines in San Francisco, California. Unlike the other lines, the F line is operated as a heritage streetcar service, using exclusively historic equipment both from San Francisco's retired fleet as well as from cities around the world...
heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
is also present here, at street level on Market Street. The rail lines, however, do not physically intersect.
The F Market and Wharves line uses the same standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
as the Muni Metro, and in fact uses the J Church tracks to travel between its regular route and the storage facility near Balboa Park Station.
Governance
The executive director and CEO of the SFMTA since August 15, 2011 has been Edward D. Reiskin, who previously headed the San Francisco Department of Public Works. He replaced Debra A. Johnson, the acting executive director and CEO who replaced Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. upon his resignation.
History
Early years
Muni has its origins in the period following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. Until then the city had been served by a number of commercial horsecar
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
, cable car and electric streetcar operators. Many of these had been amalgamated into the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR) company. In 1909, voters approved a municipal rail line down Geary. Three years later in 1912, the city declined to renew the franchise that bestowed cable car operator Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway
Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway
The Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railway was one of the first cable car operators in San Francisco. Operation commenced in 1880, and the route soon proved quite popular. The line was purchased by the Market Street Railway in 1887. In 1912, the city declined to renew the franchise and instead...
the privilege of operating on Geary Street, and converted the line into a municipal electric streetcar line, the first line of Muni. In 1912, the average speed of the city's public transit was approximately 8.5 miles per hour -- slightly faster than the average speed of 8.1 in 2007.
Muni soon started on a large building program. On December 29, 1914, the new Stockton Street
Stockton Street (San Francisco)
Stockton Street is a north-south street in San Francisco. It begins at Market Street passing Union Square, a major shopping district in the city. It then runs under the Stockton Street Tunnel, through Chinatown and North Beach, and ends at Beach Street near Pier 39...
Tunnel under Nob Hill opened, allowing streetcars from downtown to go to North Beach
North Beach, San Francisco, California
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's Little Italy, and has historically been home to a large Italian American population. It still holds many Italian restaurants today, though...
and the new Marina District. On February 3, 1918, the Twin Peaks Tunnel
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a long light rail transit/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California, United States, running under Twin Peaks. When it was opened on February 3, 1918, it was one of the longest railway tunnels in the world . It was the longest U.S...
opened, making the southwestern quarter of the city available for development. On October 21, 1928, the Sunset Tunnel
Sunset Tunnel
The Sunset Tunnel is a tunnel in San Francisco, California, used by the N Judah Muni Metro line. It opened on 21 October 1928 in a ceremony presided over by Mayor James Rolph, and lies directly beneath Buena Vista Park and the steep hill that the park is located on. The western entrance to the...
opened, bringing the N Judah
N Judah
The N Judah is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, so called as it runs along Judah Street for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downtown San Francisco to the Cole Valley and Sunset neighborhoods. It is the busiest line in the Muni Metro system...
streetcar line to the Sunset District. These improvements plunged Muni into direct competition with the URR on the entire length of Market Street. The two operators each operated their own pair of rail tracks down that thoroughfare, which came to be known as the "roar of the four".
1940s: The first trolleybuses
In 1941, Muni introduced its first trolleybus line, the R-Howard line. By 1944 the Market Street Railway CompanyMarket Street Railway Company
The Market Street Railway Company was a commercial streetcar and bus operator in San Francisco. The company was named after the famous Market Street of that city, which formed the core of its transportation network...
, successor to the URR, was in financial difficulties. Thus, at 5 am on September 29, 1944, Muni acquired its commercial competitor. Along with the routes and equipment, Muni adopted its competitor's more expensive seven-cent fare. Following national trends, Muni replaced most of its rail lines with trolleybus service in the succeeding decades. A few lines with dedicated right-of-ways (including those serving the Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a long light rail transit/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California, United States, running under Twin Peaks. When it was opened on February 3, 1918, it was one of the longest railway tunnels in the world . It was the longest U.S...
and Sunset
Sunset Tunnel
The Sunset Tunnel is a tunnel in San Francisco, California, used by the N Judah Muni Metro line. It opened on 21 October 1928 in a ceremony presided over by Mayor James Rolph, and lies directly beneath Buena Vista Park and the steep hill that the park is located on. The western entrance to the...
tunnels) continued as rail lines running 1930's-era PCC streetcar
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
s into the 1970s. These lines became the foundation of the Muni Metro.
1970s and '80s: Construction and reorganization
In the 1950s and 60's, the neighboring BART system had been conceived on a grandiose level (described as one of the "great planning disasters" of the 20th century ), operating express trains through San Francisco, and local service within San Francisco. Because it was assumed BART would provide local rail service, investment in Muni infrastructure failed to keep pace with major urban redevelopment projects. For example, BART was intended to provide Richmond district and Western Addition service as part of its Golden Gate Bridge/Marin line. This leaves a legacy of the inadequate 38-Geary bus serving these neighborhoods.Construction on BART's Market street tunnel started in 1967, with two decks tracks - the upper intended to provide local service. Major cost overruns in the BART project forced the state legislature to rescue the project in 1969: curtailing local service in San Francisco and converting the partially-constructed stations into the basis of a new light-rail Metro to connect the downtown stations to the Twin Peaks Tunnel and continuing a subway to St. Francis Circle. Construction on the metro began in 1970, but the design suffered from further cuts and design changes throughout the 1970s. The Muni metro finally opened in July, 1980, but the many design compromises and piecemeal planning lead to long-term operational challenges and inefficiencies.
In 1970 Muni also suffered a severe diesel bus crisis. In 1982, the cable car system was shut down for 18 months for rebuilding, and there were massive line reorganizations due to diesel bus issues.
In 1983, Muni temporarily ran streetcars down Market Street as part of the San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival. The service became so popular over the festival was repeated for several years following. Anticipating permanent streetcar service on Market, Muni began rehabilitating tracks in 1987, a process that culminated in the opening of the F line in 1995.
1990s: the "Muni Meltdown"
During the late 1990s, with aging equipment and poor management, Muni developed a reputation for poor and erratic service. In 1996 a group called Rescue MuniRescue Muni
Rescue Muni was founded in 1996 by transit riders in the U.S. city of San Francisco seeking to improve the reliability, service, and safety of the San Francisco Municipal Railway...
representing transit riders formed to organize concerns and press for change. A controversial aspect to their work was to endorse riders using emergency levers to open doors for trains stalled in tunnels and near designated stops. In an effort to improve service, Muni began to replace its troublesome fleet of Boeing-Vertol
Boeing Helicopters
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems is a US aircraft manufacturer, now part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security...
streetcars
US Standard Light Rail Vehicle
The US Standard Light Rail Vehicle was an attempt at a standardized light rail vehicle promoted by the United States Urban Mass Transportation Administration and built by Boeing Vertol in the 1970s...
with newer Italian Breda
Ansaldobreda, S.P.A.
AnsaldoBreda S.p.A. is a rail transport engineering company based in Italy. The company designs and manufactures railway and mass transit vehicles.-Company details:...
streetcars. In 1998, San Francisco residents witnessed a protracted malfunction of Muni Metro during the switch to automatic train control, culminating in an event that is known as the Muni Meltdown. The decade old fleet of New Flyer
New Flyer Industries
New Flyer Industries Inc. is a bus manufacturer in North America, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It also has factories in Crookston and St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA.-History:...
trolleybuses were mostly replaced with ETI Skoda trolleybuses in the early 2000s. Likewise, the diesel bus fleet saw an infusion of 45 new NABI
Nabi
Nabi may refer to:* Prophets of Islam, humans who, in the Islamic faith, have been chosen as prophets by God**Nabi * Butterfly in the Korean language** Nabi , a 2001 South Korean film** The Korean language title of Mr...
buses from AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
in 1999.
Meanwhile, the F line was reintroduced in 1995 as a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
. Initially designed as a temporary tourist attraction to make up for the closure of the cable car lines, the F has become a permanent fixture.
2000s
On October 8, 2007, SFMTA's notable cable carCable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
signs were awarded the AdWheel Award as the best in print promotion by the American Public Transportation Association
American Public Transportation Association
The American Public Transportation Association is a non-profit organization which serves as an advocate for the advancement of public transportation programs and initiatives in the United States. Since its founding in 1882, APTA has educated the public about the benefits of public transportation...
. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of Muni, said that the "marketing group has done an outstanding job making the key boarding areas more attractive and inviting for residents and our guests."
On November 15, 2007, city officials announced that they were looking into the possibility of adding double-decker buses to the Muni fleet, which would be operating mostly on the 38 Geary and the 14 Mission routes. The test period started on December 12, 2007, and ended on January 8, 2008.
On December 1, 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
announced that the entire city fleet, including all of Muni buses, are henceforth powered with biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
, a combination of 80% petroleum diesel fuel and 20% biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
, to reduce carbon emissions. Muni's current hybrid bus fleet currently runs on biodiesel.
On July 17, 2009, a Muni LRV rear-ended another at West Portal Station
West Portal Station
West Portal Station is a Muni Metro station in the West Portal neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is built around the entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which connects with the Market Street Subway and runs through the city to the Embarcadero...
. That accident injured 50 people.
On December 5, 2009, the Muni system underwent its most extensive changes in over 30 years, in an attempt by the SFMTA to reduce its budget shortfall. This involved changes to over 60 percent of its bus and light rail routes, including the elimination of six bus routes. Changes included reduced frequency of service, shortened or altered routes, and earlier termination of service, although a few of the busiest lines, such as the 38 Geary, saw service increases.
2010s
On February 26, 2010, the SFMTA board, which oversees Muni operations, voted for Muni to undergo further extensive changes in a further attempt to reduce its budget shortfall.System expansion
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Mission Bay is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.-Location:Mission Bay is roughly bounded by Townsend Street on the north, Third Street and San Francisco Bay on the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and 7th Street and Interstate 280 on the west.-History:It was created in 1998 by the...
to Visitacion Valley
Visitacion Valley, San Francisco, California
Visitacion Valley is a neighborhood located in the south eastern quadrant of San Francisco, California.-Location:Visitacion Valley is roughly defined by McLaren Park and Gleneagles Golf Course to the West, Mansell Blvd to the North, Bayview Hill and Candlestick Cove to the East, and the San...
and Bayview/Hunters Point
Hunters Point, San Francisco, California
Bayview-Hunters Point or The Bayview, is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of San Francisco, California, United States. The decommissioned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is located within its boundaries and Candlestick Park is on the southern edge....
was completed in December 2006. The new line, named the T Third Street, consists of 19 new high-platform stations at street-level, including at least one within walking distance of Candlestick Park.
A further underground expansion for the T line is being planned. Dubbed the Central Subway
Central Subway
The Central Subway is an extension of the Muni Metro light rail system in San Francisco, California, from the Caltrain commuter rail depot at 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The subway is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project...
, four proposed new underground stations at Moscone Center
Moscone Center
Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street...
, Market
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
and Stockton Streets, Union Square, and Chinatown are being studied for a possible target date of 2016. A future extension into North Beach
North Beach, San Francisco, California
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's Little Italy, and has historically been home to a large Italian American population. It still holds many Italian restaurants today, though...
and Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street...
or to the Marina District and The Presidio
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
may be built in a third phase. This project is expected to cost about $1.4 billion. A critical problem with the proposed subway is that the stations will be much narrower and shorter in comparison to existing Muni Metro stations on Market Street; ridership projections reveal that the line will run at near capacity from the start of operations with little or no ability to increase capacity. Some activists have criticized these long-term plans as catering to the needs of visitors at the expense of city residents, asserting that Muni's resources would be better spent on a seventh light rail line running along (or under) Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard is a major east-west thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, beginning downtown at Market Street near Market Street's intersection with Montgomery Street, and running westbound through downtown, the Civic Center area, the Western Addition, and running for most of its length...
into the densely populated Richmond District
Richmond District, San Francisco, California
The Richmond District is a neighborhood in the northwest corner of San Francisco, California.-Location:Lying directly north of Golden Gate Park, "the Richmond" is bounded roughly by Fulton Street to the south, Arguello Boulevard and Laurel Heights to the east, The Presidio National Park and Lincoln...
. Currently, a bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
("BRT") line is being planned for Geary Boulevard, possibly as a precursor to a light rail line.
Expected smaller changes to service include rerouting the 22-Fillmore and extending either the 30-Stockton or 45-Union-Stockton into Mission Bay
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Mission Bay is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.-Location:Mission Bay is roughly bounded by Townsend Street on the north, Third Street and San Francisco Bay on the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and 7th Street and Interstate 280 on the west.-History:It was created in 1998 by the...
when the area becomes developed, and a new E Embarcadero
E Embarcadero
The E Embarcadero is intended to become the San Francisco Municipal Railway's second heritage streetcar line in San Francisco, California. Trial service first ran during the Sunday Streets events on The Embarcadero in 2008 , and the line will begin operating permanently once additional historic...
historic streetcar line is expected to begin operation along the Embarcadero from Fisherman's Wharf to the Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
station at 4th and King Streets, with a possible future extension into Mission Bay.
Additionally, there are plans to expand trolleybus service in several parts of the city. Several extensions to existing trolleybus lines are planned, including 14-Mission service to the Daly City BART station
Daly City (BART station)
Daly City Station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station located in extreme northern San Mateo County, California, in suburban Daly City, less than one block outside the San Francisco city and county limits. Interstate 280 and California Route 1 run along the immediate west side of the station...
, 6-Parnassus service to West Portal Station
West Portal Station
West Portal Station is a Muni Metro station in the West Portal neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is built around the entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which connects with the Market Street Subway and runs through the city to the Embarcadero...
, 33-Stanyan service across Potrero Hill
Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California
Potrero Hill is a hilly neighborhood in San Francisco, California.-Location:Potrero Hill is located on the eastern side of the city, east of the Mission District and south of SOMA and the newly designated district . It is roughly bordered by 16th Street to the north, Potrero Avenue and U.S...
to Third Street, 45-Union-Stockton service to the Letterman Digital Arts Center
Letterman Digital Arts Center
The Letterman Digital Arts Center , located in the Presidio, San Francisco, is the combined home of Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units....
in the Presidio
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
and 24-Divisadero service into the former Hunters Point
Hunters Point, San Francisco, California
Bayview-Hunters Point or The Bayview, is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of San Francisco, California, United States. The decommissioned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is located within its boundaries and Candlestick Park is on the southern edge....
shipyard. Other expansion plans include electrification of some diesel bus lines, with the most likely lines for conversion being the 9-San Bruno, 10-Townsend and 47-Van Ness. Electrification of the 10-Townsend line would likely be joined by an extension of the line across Potrero Hill to San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...
. Other lines that may be electrified are the 2-Clement, 27-Bryant, 43-Masonic and 71-Haight-Noriega.
However, the average speed of Muni vehicles has been slowly declining over the years due to increasing vehicular congestion and is now merely 8 miles (13 km) per hour. In response, Muni has launched plans to make its transit vehicles move faster through the city. The Transit Effectiveness Project was launched in May 2006 to take a comprehensive look at the entire Muni system and to see where service can be improved or streamlined to provide faster and more reliable service. Twenty-five years have passed since the last comprehensive review, and travel patterns have changed, traffic congestion has increased, operating costs have risen and on-time performance has dropped since then. Automatic passenger counters will help to provide an accurate picture of where riders get on and off. In addition, bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
is currently being proposed on the Geary and Van Ness corridors.
See also
- Key SystemKey SystemThe Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
- Market Street Railway CompanyMarket Street Railway CompanyThe Market Street Railway Company was a commercial streetcar and bus operator in San Francisco. The company was named after the famous Market Street of that city, which formed the core of its transportation network...
- San Francisco cable car systemSan Francisco cable car systemThe San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
- Trolleybuses in San FranciscoTrolleybuses in San FranciscoThe San Francisco trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving San Francisco, in the state of California, United States...
External links
- Route map in PDF format (1.12MB)
- NextBus for Muni, a GPS system that predicts arrival times for most routes, except cable cars and express buses.
- Muni Metro On-time Performance Statistics
- Market Street Railway
- Muni's top 10 busiest corridors
- Muni's Trolley Bus History