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Photo Exhibit Event: Vintage Bus Display and Tour By Jeremy Menzies Join us Saturday, Jan. 27 at a special event for our exhibit, " 120 years: SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-2023 ." Based at the Harvey Milk Photo Center , the exhibit showcases the last 120 years of San Francisco's transportation history.  This Saturday, we hope you'll join us at a two-part event as the exhibit nears its final week. Hop inside a restored vintage Mack bus to experience a beautiful piece of our transit history. Then, take a tour of the photo exhibit with the curators. Learn the details below.  Vintage Bus Display   Photo Exhibit Tour  One of the 52 images featured in the ”120 years: SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-2023” exhibit. Vintage Bus Display   Where: Duboce Park, by the outbound N Judah stop on Duboce Avenue and Noe Street  When: Saturday, Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.   A striking Mack bus, featuring its original green and cream paint scheme, will be...

The SFMTA’s Year in Numbers By Madhu Unnikrishnan The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way transit systems – and cities – across the country function, but with the worst of the pandemic now behind us, the SFMTA is focused on the future. In our latest annual report , we announced that Muni ridership had recovered to 63% of pre-pandemic levels, but our ridership has continued to recover, ending 2023 at 71% of its pre-pandemic level.  The reason for the discrepancy? Our annual report, Moving San Francisco Forward , reflects the fiscal year, which ends on June 30. So, our most recent annual report covers the period from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023. In the six months since the data for the SFMTA annual report was collected, ridership has continued to recover.  Where we have made transit priority investments, the numbers are even better. Ridership on the new Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit corridor is exceeding pre-pandemic levels, at 131% of 2019 ridership. Similarly, the 22 Fillmore i...

Taken with Transportation Podcast: Breaking Glass Ceilings Halfway to the Stars By Fannie Mae Barnes smiles at the crowd while being recognized at a cable car 150th anniversary event in August 2023. Fannie Mae Barnes made history in January 1998 when she became San Francisco’s first female cable car grip. We hear her story in the latest episode of Taken with Transportation , “Breaking Glass Ceilings Halfway to the Stars.”  “I started working at Muni as a bus operator in 1981,” Barnes tells Taken with Transportation host Melissa Culross. “[But] I was kind of getting tired of the bus situation because it’s pretty difficult operating a bus in San Francisco because you have to deal with a lot of hazardous situations, people as well as the traffic. And so, I was about to quit my job.”  Instead of quitting, Barnes moved to the cable car division where she worked as a conductor for about six years before training to become a grip. The grip heaves the lever that grabs hold of the...

New State Laws Are Coming to the Streets of San Francisco By Melissa Culross As of Jan. 1, 2024, bicyclists in California legally can cross a street on a pedestrian walk signal, instead of waiting for a traffic light. Several new state laws that took effect on Jan. 1, 2024, will have an impact on transportation in San Francisco. Some of these impacts will be more widespread and immediately felt than others, but all are expected to make San Francisco streets safer.   Street Safety and Vision Zero AB 251 (Ward) - This law requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to study the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. Vehicles have been increasing in size and weight in recent years, while pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. reached a four-decade high in 2021. The CTC will also study the possible costs and benefits of a passenger vehicle weight fee and how the funds created by such a fee might be...

It’s Time to Modernize the Technology that Keeps Muni Metro Moving By Mariana Maguire Upgrades will replace the current train control system in the subway and extend the modern system to street-level Metro operation for faster, more reliable service.  Muni Metro, San Francisco’s light rail system, serves hundreds of thousands of people daily throughout the city. Since 2019, we have greatly reduced the delays and subway congestion that had plagued the Metro in the past. This success is due to a combination of advances in how we manage service and conduct ongoing maintenance.   But we need to fundamentally modernize to overcome Metro’s structural and technological limitations. With San Francisco projected to grow significantly in the next decade, there’s no better time to invest in the future of Muni Metro.  Current Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) Limitations  Despite being third busiest light rail system in the U.S., Muni Metro is the last to funnel ...

Jan. 20 Muni Service Changes Add New Caltrain Connection, Service on School Routes By Brian Haagsman The 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express route will add new stops in Hunters Point and SoMa.  Beginning Saturday, Jan. 20, the SFMTA will be adjusting Muni service on some routes to address crowding, including for school travel times. We’re also making several stop changes based on rider feedback and our own observations to add new connections and make Muni more reliable.  New Connections on the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express   Since it launched in early 2021, the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express route has been a key connector between neighborhoods. Connecting Bayview-Hunters Point, Dogpatch, Mission Bay, SoMa and the Financial District, the route was initially designed based on community input. Now we’re adding stops at two locations based on feedback from riders and operators:  Hudson Avenue and Cashmere Street will have new stops for both inbound and outboun...

Celebrate the Holidays at Union Square with Muni By Che Harmon Holiday Scenes in Union Square. As 2023 comes to an end, the holiday festivities in San Francisco are just beginning. Muni is your ride to the Union Square Christmas Tree, Ice Skating Rink and the return of Winter Walk.   The holidays at Union Square are a San Francisco tradition, and all of its festive attractions are easily accessible by Muni. Take Muni to Union Square to enjoy the iconic Christmas tree and ice-skating rink through Jan. 15 or take a stroll through Winter Walk and its wonderland design through Dec. 24. Enjoy Winter Walk's entertaining shows, food trucks, shopping booths and more, all making their festive return from a 5-year-break. Union Square is accessible through the Union Square/Market Street and Powell stations, as well as many other Muni lines that make it easy to get to.   We are also excited to continue our tradition of free Muni rides on New Year’s Eve starting from 8 p.m. on Sa...

How Your Feedback is Shaping the Bayview Community Shuttle By Hana O’Neill A new community shuttle is coming to Bayview-Hunters Point in 2024, and we need your help designing it! The SFMTA is partnering with the  California Air Resources Board  and nine community-based organizations to launch a dynamic service community shuttle that truly meets your needs. The shuttle is funded through California Climate Investments , a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.  A “dynamic service” shuttle is one that doesn’t have a fixed route like a bus line, but instead operates in a “service area.” The shuttle will pick up and drop off riders throughout the service area, which can help you reach destinations that were previously hard to get to. The Bayview is a geographically isolated community and the commun...

Take Muni for Free on New Year’s Eve 2023 By Janice Tan Ride Muni for free during New Year's Eve.   As the year comes to an end, we in San Francisco have a lot to celebrate. To keep that celebration safe, we are offering our 24th consecutive year of free Muni rides for all customers on New Year’s Eve. Let Muni be the designated driver for free from 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 through 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1.   Clipper Card customers should NOT tap their cards to make sure they don’t get charged a fare. MuniMobile passes will not be necessary. Metro fare gates will be open on New Year’s Eve starting at 8 p.m.  Riding transit is the safest way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, and we are happy to provide free Muni service as part of our ongoing commitment to the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities.   Whether your New Year’s resolution includes reducing your climate footprint, trying new restaurants or using more active trans...

SFMTA Introduces First LRV4s with New Seating Arrangement By Che Harmon New seating arrangement in LRV4 vehicles with seats facing the front or rear.  At the SFMTA, we’re committed to improving service every way we can, and your input is critical to doing it. Our LRV4 Muni fleet is newer and easier to clean and maintain. These state-of-the-art vehicles are helping us make dramatic improvements in Muni reliability, but we’ve heard consistently that passengers want more seating options. We’re listening and putting your feedback into action.  In early September, we introduced the addition of side-by-side seats facing the front or rear of the vehicle, also known as “transverse” seats. Car #2120 was the first of a hundred LRV4 cars to feature a revamped interior. This seating arrangement lets passengers choose whether they want to face forward or backwards, depending on the direction the train is headed.  The original interiors in Muni’s LRV4 fleet featured a bench arran...

Climb Aboard History At Powell Plaza By Edward Wright Powell Street Cable Car 503 at Market and Powell Street Turntable | August 13, 1945  They’ve been sung about by Judy Garland and saved by Dianne Feinstein, and now you can experience San Francisco’s historic cable cars in a brand-new way at Powell Plaza.   Starting this Saturday, Dec. 16, a 150-year-old cable car will be stationed at Powell Plaza every Tuesday and Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., weather permitting. Visitors and residents can climb aboard history, take photos and explore this mobile museum up close.  A true San Francisco original, cable cars were first invented right here in the city in 1873 by Andrew S. Hallidie. Our street-running cable car system is the only one of its kind remaining in the entire world, and San Francisco’s cable cars are a designated National Historic Landmark.  This pilot activation at Powell Plaza is a unique opportunity to learn about the history of these iconic vehi...

We all love Valencia Street. Let’s make sure it works for everyone. By Jeffrey Tumlin The center running bikeway installed in 2023 as part of the mid-Valencia pilot. San Francisco is a high-density city. This helps neighborhoods like the Mission thrive because they are where people live, work, visit restaurants and shop at our small businesses. It’s where different communities intersect with different needs. It’s where we come together. It’s the best of urban living. When we make decisions about improving our neighborhoods, we have to consider all of this. How can we advance goals that we all share, even when those goals conflict with each other? What’s happening right now on Valencia is a perfect example of this. Valencia is one of our city’s amazing merchant corridors with incredible restaurants and retailers that draw people from all over San Francisco and beyond. It’s also a key artery for bicycle commuters – with thousands of bicyclists using Valencia every day to avoid the ...

SFMTA Awarded Federal Grant for Safe Streets By Erica Kato Street safety improvements are coming to San Francisco's Tenderloin with the help of a federal grant.  We are thrilled to announce we are the recipient of an $8 million grant from the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program . The funds will be used for street improvements that are part of the Tenderloin Traffic Safety improvements Project . We are thankful to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Dean Preston for their strong advocacy and letters of support in our application.   The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program was established by President Biden’s historic infrastructure law, and provides $5 billion over five years for regional, local and Tribal initiatives — from redesigned roads to better sidewalks and crosswalks — to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.     Larkin Street ...

‘Muni Is My Ride’: A Celebration of Muni Riders and Operators By Sophia Scherr Muni is more than just a system of buses, trains, streetcars and cable cars. It's a living entity that pulses through the streets of San Francisco, connecting riders to the neighborhoods and people that they love. In the vibrant pages of "Muni Is My Ride," artist Keith Ferris and writer Lia Smith invite readers to celebrate the soul of Muni.   The project began as a collection of sketches depicting interesting passengers that caught Ferris’ eye. After a few years, he realized those sketches were something special: a mosaic of people who make up the heart of Muni. Ferris and Smith, who are both passionate about the transit system, found inspiration in each other as the project unfolded. What started as a passenger showcase grew to include portraits of Muni operators.   Ferris and Smith then embarked on a journey (during COVID no less!) to capture the essence of riding and operating Muni. The...

“120 years: SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-2023” Exhibit Opens Dec. 16 By Jeremy Menzies On Saturday, Dec. 16, a new exhibit featuring photographs from the SFMTA Photo Archive is opening at the Harvey Milk Photo Center with a reception from 2 – 5 p.m. The show,“ 120 years: SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-2023 " taps into twelve decades of image making by photographers working for our city’s transit agencies.   View east towards Ferry Building on Market Street from 4th Street, October 1, 1948. Since 1903, the development of San Francisco has been documented through the lens of our transportation system by more than two dozen people. Today, these photographs make up the vast collections in the SFMTA Photo Archive . With well over 100,000 images, the archive is one of the largest repositories of photos focused on our transit network.  West Portal Station with new Light Rail Vehicles at platform, February 18, 1982.  From glass plate negatives to digital image sensors, the tools of ...

SFMTA Pilots a New Artistic Way to Store Bikes By Jason Hyde The SFMTA’s new bike hangar storage.  Are you looking for a more secure, and affordable new way to store your bike around town? The SFMTA recently installed two new eye-catching bike hangars decorated by local artists with room for up to 12 bikes per hangar for just 5 cents per hour.   These hangers are a two-year Mayor-directed pilot intended to provide secure, medium-term bike storage. Hangars have limited, monitored access to make them more secure than our short-term bike racks.   We have partnered with the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District (YBCBD) and eLock/BikeLink on this pilot. Customers will need to download the BikeLink app to use the hangars and are encouraged to use their own bike lock inside them for added security. The hangar doors are designed with a hydraulic assist to facilitate opening and closing. We will assess whether the bike hangars are a good fit for San Francisco based on usage...

New MuniMobile® App Available Today! By Kharima Mohamed The SFMTA has released a new version of the MuniMobile® app, providing enhanced trip planning, service alerts and real-time transit predictions. The mobile app will continue to offer mobile ticketing people can access on their smartphones.   Meanwhile, the original version of the MuniMobile® app will be phased out and shut down on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.   What does that mean for MuniMobile customers?  MuniMobile® customers now can now download the new app to their smartphone. Customers will need to create a new user account with the new MuniMobile® app as accounts are not transferrable. Anyone with active tickets on the previous MuniMobile® app can use those tickets until they expire or until Jan. 15, whichever comes first.   However, as of today (Dec. 4, 2023), customers using the previous MuniMobile® app will not be able to buy new tickets. In order to ensure an easy transition before your next Muni tri...

It’s Electric! Battery Buses Then and Now By Jeremy Menzies Battery-electric buses and cars have been hitting the streets around the nation in recent years, and here in San Francisco, the SFMTA is currently running a pilot program to test battery powered buses across the system. The pilot analyzes not only the buses themselves, but also how the technology works in the real world of stop-and-go traffic and hill-climbing.    Surprising as it may seem, this pilot program is not the first time battery electric buses appeared on the streets of SF. Here’s a look back at one test that took place over 50 years ago.  While battery electric vehicles date back nearly 200 years to the 1830s, it took over a century for them to see widespread commercial success due to the limitations of the battery technology.  One of the first times Muni tested a battery-powered bus was in November 1972.  Dubbed the “Electrobus”, this small vehicle was tested on the 39 Coit route...

Taken with Transportation Podcast: Celebrating Culture and Community on a Cable Car By SFMTA staffers celebrate the launch ride of the 2023 Filipino American History Cable Car. Specially decorated cable cars climb the hills of San Francisco throughout the year in honor of different communities, cultures and history months. These cars help us celebrate the diversity of our staff and of the city as a whole, and the latest episode of Taken with Transportation , “Celebrating Culture and Community on a Cable Car,” takes you on board.  The program is the brainchild of SFMTA Cable Car Division Manager Fred Butler, who came up with the idea in early 2022. “We’d normally decorate a car for the Lunar New Year, and I sat back and was like, ‘We should do something for every type of person that’s here at the agency’,” Butler says. “And seeing that February was, you know, Black History Month, I said, ‘Let’s do a Black History car’.”  Butler worked with the agency’s Office of Racial Equ...

Temporary Parking Changes Will Support Valencia Street Businesses By Melissa Culross   Cars, bicycles and delivery vehicles all share space along Valencia Street. Photo credit: Shayda Haghgoo, SFMTA.   Valencia Street is home to one of the city's most eclectic and culturally diverse sets of restaurants, shops, nightlife and essential services. The heavily traveled corridor attracts residents and visitors of all ages and interests who get there by walking, biking, rolling and driving.   As part of our work to make Valencia Street safe and inviting for everyone, we’re making some temporary changes to our loading zones beginning this week to create more general parking on the corridor during the holiday season. These changes will help customers who drive patronize Valencia businesses while keeping the street safe for people on foot, bicycles and scooters. Small businesses are an important part of all that makes San Francisco the incredibly special city that it is, ...