Muniverse

A blog about transit in San Francisco

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San Francisco Muni streetcar no. 1059, painted in honor of the Boston Elevated Railway, at the Noe, Market, and 16th Streets.

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Two-car N-Judah train in the Inner Sunset district heading towards downtown San Francisco.

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All aboard the 'Goal Rush': SFMTA hops on World Cup fever with local watch parties - 48 hills

Catch soccer with the sea lions or grab a brew at a local pub—for prizes—as public transport whisks you from game to game.

The SFMTA has turned the World Cup into a pub crawl scavenger hunt. See how many stamps you can collect from participating merchants during the games. You can download a score card and learn more from the SFMTA.

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San Francisco Muni Streetcar no. 1071, restored to its original Minneapolis-St. Paul livery, passes through Dolores Park on the way to where the F-line starts in the Castro District.

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Trains passing on the L-Taraval line.

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Long-Awaited Powell Street Redesign Advances After Lurie Signs Private Funding Measure

Following legislation signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, the city accepted $14.5 million in private funding from SF’s Downtown Development Corpor

Construction is slated to start this fall on a complete redesign and rebuild of the three blocks linking Market Street, Powell Station, the cable car turnaround, and Union Square.

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N Judah Transit & Safety Project

The SFMTA is making plans to improve the N-Judah line from the Sunset Tunnel to Sunset Dunes. Now is your chance to contribute by answering an agency survey. The goal is to come up with short-term fixes and start making long-term plans.

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San Francisco Muni streetcar no. 1040 is the very last of 5,000+ PCC-type streetcars built in the United States from the 1930s through 1952.

It was part of an order for 25 single-ended PCC streetcars, numbered 1016-1040. It's the only one of its class restored for regular daily service on the F-Market & Wharves historic streetcar line.

In the mornings, it passes through Dolores Park on the way to where the F-line starts in the Castro District.

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Where the Bay Area's Streetcars Used to Go: An Interactive Map

This interactive map and timleline shows the San Francisco Bay Area's former streetcar routes, with photos.

Before cars and buses took over, streetcars are how people got around cities in the United States. San Francisco and the East Bay had very extensive networks, present in an interactive map with an archive of 2,800+ photos thanks to transit historian Chris Arvin.

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In San Francisco, Students Become Transit Advocates to Fix ‘the City’s School Bus’ | KQED

Muni’s 29-Sunset bus, which serves more than 35 schools, is often overcrowded and late. After years of student advocacy, SFMTA is rolling ou

School service is troublesome and buses often bunches up.

Teenagers swarm the sidewalks outside San Francisco’s Lowell High School after the final bell. They’re hoping to board the 29-Sunset, affectionately known as the city’s school bus — if they can catch a ride. Lowell junior Kaito Glaub watched as several packed buses came by and picked up a handful of students, leaving dozens behind. “A lot of people use the 29,” he said. “Sometimes it’ll take like 30 minutes before you can get on.”

Thanks to the Lowell High School Transit Club and other riders’ advocacy, the SFMTA is making some major changes to speed up the 29-Sunset. The 29-Sunset Improvement Project will consolidate some stops, upgrade shelters and lighting, widen sidewalks, traffic-calming, and roadway changes designed to cut down on delays and crowding.

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Muni streetcar no. 1006, part of San Francisco's historic fleet, turns onto 17th Street at Church Street.

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Americans Are Finally Using Public Transportation And All It Took Were Historic Gas Prices - Jalopnik

High gas prices caused by the war in Iran have led to increased public transit use from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and higher Amtrak r

It should not take a war and spiking gas priced to make people ride transit.

Unsurprisingly, the most significant shift has come in the state with the highest gas prices. While the national average is over $4.50 per gallon, California's average is around $6.14 per gallon. According to climate website Grist, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego have all seen jumps in public transit ridership. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System had a 6.5% increase. Metrolink, an LA-focused commuter rail system, saw a 4% jump. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency had its highest monthly ridership total since 2020. Outside the Golden State, the D.C. Metro and Amtrak have also reported increases.

At the same time ridership is increasing, transit agencies across the United States are facing large deficits and running low on funding.

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New railings along the streetcar stops in the Castro District quote local hero Harvey Milk.

"Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope will never be silent"

In 2008, we dedicated streetcar no. 1051 to Harvey Milk and the streetcar is part of the railing design.

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Oaklanders are flocking to hybrids and buses. Are gas prices driving a shift?

AC Transit, BART are seeing year-over-year increases in ridership, while car dealerships say hybrid sales are booming.

As gas prices climb, people are turning to hybrids, EVs, bikes, and public transit.

Last week, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, or AC Transit, announced that the agency had seen the first year-over-year ridership increase over three consecutive months this decade, which the agency called “a major milestone in the East Bay’s transit recovery.” AC Transit said the data showed a greater demand across its service area. 

BART ridership is growing too. March ridership was 20% over March 2025, but there were also a lot of events happening as well.

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A Muni bus and light streeks at San Francisco’s rebuilt Transbay Transit Center.

By Michael Cochran on Instagram

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$18 cable car rides, parking meter price hikes: SFMTA approves new budget

The cash-strapped agency raised some fares and lowered some fines.

The SFMTA has approved a two-year budget making drastic cuts if a pair of upcoming funding measures don’t pass.