List of San Francisco Municipal Railway lines
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the primary public transit system for San Francisco, California. Muni is part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which is also responsible for the streets, parking, traffic signals, and other transportation in the city. In 2019, Muni had the eighth-highest ridership among systems in the United States, with an average weekday ridership of 684,600. Service is operated to all parts of San Francisco - including Treasure Island - as well as small sections of Daly City and Marin County.
Muni operates seven light rail lines in the Muni Metro system, two streetcar lines, and three cable car lines. Daytime bus service includes 44 local routes, 5 limited-stop "Rapid" routes, and 15 peak-hour express routes. Four additional express routes provide weekend service to the Marin Headlands, service to Oracle Park and the Chase Center and supplement BART in the early morning. Overnight night bus "Owl" service - part of the All Nighter network - includes eight 24-hour routes, two night-only routes, three bus replacements of Muni Metro lines, and five weekend early-morning Muni Metro replacement lines. Fourteen local routes, one rapid route, and four Owl routes run as electric trolleybuses. Muni service operates out of ten yards and garages: one cable car barn, three light rail / streetcar yards, two trolleybus garages, and four bus garages.
Routes have two-part names like "1 California" and "K Ingleside", where the second portion is usually a street served by the route. Light rail and streetcar lines are lettered, while bus routes are numbered. The letter/number scheme was created by Muni, while the two-part naming scheme was created by the Market Street Railway, which Muni absorbed in 1944. The three cable car lines are largely known by name, though they are abbreviated to PM, PH, and C on maps, and have internal numbers 59-61 for operational purposes.
Muni began service on December 28, 1912, when the A Geary-Park line was inaugurated, running between the Financial District and the Richmond District on the western side of the city. The streetcar system was expanded over the next 16 years, including the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1918 and the Sunset Tunnel in 1928. Muni began operating buses in 1917, and trolleybuses in 1941. The city acquired the competing Market Street Railway in 1944, doubling the size of Muni; its purchase of the bankrupt California Street Cable Railroad in 1952 made it the city's sole transit operator. Replacement of streetcars by buses in the 1940s and 1950s left only five streetcar lines; they were converted to Muni Metro light rail in 1980 with the completion of the Market Street subway. Numerous services changes over the lifetime of Muni gave rise to the lines in use today; a number of other lines have been discontinued.
Key
Cable car lines
All three cable car lines are based out of the cable car barn at Mason and Washington.| Route | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links |
| California | California and Market | California and Van Ness | 4,000 | |
| Powell-Hyde | Powell and Market | Hyde and Beach | 7,800 | |
| Powell-Mason | Powell and Market | Taylor and Bay | 5,100 |
Muni Metro and historic streetcar lines
Muni runs six Muni Metro light rail lines, plus a shuttle service. The K and T are interlined; trains switch designation at West Portal station and Embarcadero station. The S Shuttle operates at peak hours, and to serve events at Oracle Park and Chase Center.Two streetcar lines use historic streetcars but serve as full transit routes rather than mere tourist attractions. Muni Metro lines are based out of two yards at Balboa Park plus Muni Metro East; the historic streetcar lines are based at Cameron Beach Yard.
| Route | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links | |
| E Embarcadero | Jones and Beach station | 4th and King station | not available | ||
| F Market & Wharves | Jones and Beach station | 17th Street and Castro station | 19,700 | ||
| J Church | Embarcadero station | Balboa Park station | 15,500 | ||
| K Ingleside / T Third Street | Sunnydale station | Balboa Park station | 40,600 | ||
| L Taraval | Embarcadero station | Wawona and 46th Avenue station | 33,000 | ||
| M Ocean View | Embarcadero station | San Jose and Geneva | 31,600 | ||
| N Judah | 4th and King station | Judah and La Playa station | 43,000 | ||
| S Shuttle | Peak-hour service: Embarcadero; 4th and King Oracle Park events: 4th and King Chase Center events: UCSF/Chase Center station | West Portal station | not available |
Local bus lines
Muni operates 44 local bus routes. Most routes operate on weekdays and weekends; the 41 and 88 operate only during weekday peak hours. A number of routes have different terminals during evenings and/or weekends. Route 2, which uses diesel hybrid buses, is supplemented by short turn trolleybuses at peak hours. Route 5 uses trolleybuses only during evenings and weekends.| Route | Note | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links |
| 1 California | Clay and Drumm | Geary and 33rd Avenue | 23,500 | ||
| 2 Clement | Steuart and Market | Clement and 14th Avenue | 5,200 | ||
| 2 Sutter | Steuart and Market | California and Presidio | 5,200 | ||
| 3 Jackson | Sutter and Sansome | Presidio and California | 2,500 | ||
| 5 Fulton | Transbay Transit Center | Fulton and 6th Avenue | 8,400 | ||
| 5 Fulton | ^ | Transbay Transit Center | Cabrillo and La Playa | 8,400 | |
| 6 Haight/Parnassus | Steuart and Market | Quintara and 14th Avenue | 7,800 | ||
| 7 Haight/Noriega | ^ | Transbay Transit Center | Ortega and 48th Avenue | 9,400 | |
| 8 Bayshore | ^ | Kearny and North Point | City College | 22,800 | |
| 9 San Bruno | Market and Steuart | Bayshore and Arleta McLaren School | 9,700 | ||
| 10 Townsend | Jackson and Fillmore Jackson and Van Ness | 24th Street and Potrero | 6,500 | ||
| 12 Folsom/Pacific | Van Ness and Pacific | 24th Street Mission station | 6,300 | ||
| 14 Mission | ^ | Steuart and Mission | Mission and San Jose | 24,900 | |
| 18 46th Avenue | Legion of Honor | 19th Avenue and Buckingham Way | 3,200 | ||
| 19 Polk | Beach and Polk | Galvez and Robinson | 6,900 | ||
| 21 Hayes | Steuart and Market | Fulton and Shrader | 6,600 | ||
| 22 Fillmore | Fillmore and Bay | 20th Street and Third Street | 16,000 | ||
| 23 Monterey | Palou and Third Street | Great Highway and Sloat | 3,800 | ||
| 24 Divisadero | Jackson and Webster | Third Street and Palou | 12,000 | ||
| 25 Treasure Island | Transbay Transit Center | Avenue H and 13th Street | 2,800 | ||
| 27 Bryant | Jackson and Van Ness | Cesar Chavez and Bartlett | 6,200 | ||
| 28 19th Avenue | Van Ness and North Point | Daly City station | 11,700 | ||
| 29 Sunset | Bowley and Lincoln | Fitzgerald and Keith | 17,500 | ||
| 30 Stockton | ^ | Townsend and 4th Street | Divisadero and Chestnut Van Ness and North Point | 20,400 | |
| 31 Balboa | Steuart and Mission | Cabrillo and La Playa | 8,800 | ||
| 33 Ashbury/18th Street | Sacramento and Cherry | 25th Street and Potrero | 5,700 | ||
| 35 Eureka | ♦ | Castro station | Glen Park station | 1,100 | |
| 36 Teresita | ♦ | Forest Hill station | Valencia and Cesar Chavez | 1,500 | |
| 37 Corbett | ♦ | Masonic and Haight | Parkridge and Burnett | 2,200 | |
| 38 Geary | ^ | Transbay Transit Center | 32nd Avenue and Balboa Fort Miley Hospital 48th Avenue and Point Lobos | 21,500 | |
| 39 Coit | ♦ | North Point and Stockton | Coit Tower | 500 | |
| 41 Union | Main and Howard | Lyon and Greenwich | 3,500 | ||
| 43 Masonic | Marina and Laguna | Munich and Geneva | 12,600 | ||
| 44 O'Shaughnessy | 6th Avenue and California | Evans and Third Street | 15,500 | ||
| 45 Union/Stockton | Townsend and 4th Street | Lyon and Greenwich | 10,000 | ||
| 47 Van Ness | Powell and Beach | Townsend and 4th Street | 11,900 | ||
| 48 Quintara/24th Street | 20th Street and Third Street | Great Highway and Rivera West Portal station | 7,600 | ||
| 49 Van Ness/Mission | ^ | Van Ness and North Point | City College | 25,000 | |
| 52 Excelsior | ♦ | Forest Hill station | Dublin and La Grande | 2,000 | |
| 54 Felton | Newhall and Hudson | Daly City station | 6,800 | ||
| 55 16th Street | 16th Street Mission station | UCSF Mission Bay | 1,900 | ||
| 56 Rutland | ♦ | Visitacion Valley Middle School | Thomas Mellon Circle Arleta and Bayshore | 400 | |
| 57 Parkmerced | ♦ | West Portal station | Sloat and 36th Avenue | 2,100 | |
| 66 Quintara | ♦ | 9th Avenue and Judah | Vicente and 30th Avenue | 800 | |
| 67 Bernal Heights | ♦ | 24th Street Mission station | Ellsworth and Crescent | 1,400 | |
| 88 BART Shuttle | Balboa Park station | Sickles and Alemany Mission and Sickles | 400 |
Rapid bus lines
On five high-ridership corridors, local buses are supplemented with rapid buses with limited stops. The Rapid routes largely follow the route of the local buses, with some variations; at times when the 5R and 9R operates, the 5 and 9 are cut back to a shorter route. The 5R, 9R, and 28R operate only on weekdays until 7pm; the 14R and 38R operate every day until 7pm.| Route | Note | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links |
| 5R Fulton Rapid | ^ | Transbay Transit Center | Cabrillo and La Playa | 12,900 | |
| 9R San Bruno Rapid | ^ | Main and Mission | Sunnydale and McLaren School | 11,700 | |
| 14R Mission Rapid | ^ | Mission and Main | Daly City station | 18,900 | |
| 28R 19th Avenue Rapid | California and 6th Avenue | Balboa Park station | 4,500 | ||
| 38R Geary Rapid | ^ | Transbay Transit Center | Point Lobos and 48th Avenue | 29,500 |
Express bus lines
Muni operates several types of express routes. Twelve routes operate between outer neighborhoods and downtown. The local sections in the outer neighborhoods overlap with local routes of the same number, while the non-stop express sections operate on expressways or major arterials. They operate only during weekday peak hours, with service only in the peak direction. Buses in the opposite direction run deadhead except for the 8AX and 8BX, which are paired with the local route 8 in the non-peak direction. Eight of the express routes are paired into 'A' and 'B' types, which have different local segments on the same corridor.| Route | Note | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links |
| 1AX California 'A' Express | ^ | Davis and Pine | Geary and 33rd Avenue | 1,200 | |
| 1BX California 'B' Express | ^ | Davis and Pine | California and 6th Avenue | 1,500 | |
| 7X Noriega Express | ^ | Market and Steuart Main and Market | Ortega and 48th Avenue | 1,600 | |
| 8AX Bayshore 'A' Express | ^ | Kearny and Pacific | Geneva and Schwerin | 5,800 | |
| 8BX Bayshore 'B' Express | ^ | Kearny and North Point | City College | 5,600 | |
| 14X Mission Express | ^ | Steuart and Mission | Mission and San Jose | 4,200 | |
| 30X Marina Express | ^ | Howard and Steuart | Scott and Beach | 2,000 | |
| 31AX Balboa 'A' Express | Davis and Pine | Cabrillo and La Playa | 1,100 | ||
| 31BX Balboa 'B' Express | Davis and Pine | Balboa and Park Presidio | 900 | ||
| 38AX Geary 'A' Express | Davis and Pine | Point Lobos and 48th Avenue | 900 | ||
| 38BX Geary 'B' Express | Davis and Pine | Geary and 25th Avenue | 1,000 | ||
| Nx N Express | Bush and Montgomery Sutter and Sansome | Judah and 48th Avenue | 1,300 |
Three additional routes provide shorter-distance express service between the Caltrain commuter rail terminal at 4th and King station and business areas near Market Street. Like the outer express routes, they operate only at peak hours. The 81X and 82X operate only in the peak direction ; the 83X has bidirectional service.
| Route | Note | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Ridership | Links |
| 81X Caltrain Express | Beale and Howard | Townsend and 4th Street | 100 | ||
| 82X Levi Plaza Express | Sansome and Filbert | Townsend and 4th Street | 500 | ||
| 83X Mid-Market Express | ♦ | 9th Street and Market | Townsend and 5th Street | 300 |
parking lot in the Marin Headlands in 2007|alt=A bus in a parking lot, with grassy hills in the background
Four express routes provide specialized service. The 76X, which runs only on weekends and holidays, provides service to recreational and tourist areas in the Marin Headlands. The 78X and 79X provide service to the Chase Center; they run only before and after events at the arena. Route 714 is part of the Early Bird Express system, which provides service while BART performs seismic retrofit earthquake work in the Transbay Tube. It runs a limited number of trips during the early morning between 4am and 5am, while BART is closed.
| Route | Note | Inbound terminal | Outbound terminal | Links |
| 76X Marin Headlands Express | Sutter and Sansome | Fort Cronkhite | ||
| 78X 16th Street Arena Express | ^ | Chase Center | 16th Street Mission station | |
| 79X Van Ness Arena Express | Chase Center | Van Ness and North Point | ||
| 714 BART Early Bird | ^ | Steuart and Mission | Mission and San Jose |
Owl bus lines
Owl routes provide night bus service from 1am to 5am daily as a part of the Bay Area's All Nighter network.The 90 Owl route is a combination of the daytime 47 Van Ness and 9 San Bruno routes, while the 91 Owl route is a combination of the daytime K Ingleside, 8 Bayshore, T Third, 30 Stockton, and 28 19th Avenue routes. The 5 Fulton, 24 Divisadero, 44 O'Shaughnessy, and 48 Quintara-24th Street Owl routes are truncated from their daytime counterparts.
The K, L, and N Owl motor coaches replace daytime light rail service and run on surface streets, making local stops, rather than in the Market Street subway, Twin Peaks Tunnel, and Sunset Tunnel. The L Owl also covers the route of the daytime F-Market line. The L and N Owl buses run all night, while the K Owl runs only a small number of trips in the early morning and just after the subway closes.