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so you’ll need to take your bike on BART. Bikes are allowed on BART at all hours, but during rush hours some limits apply. Between 6:30am and 9am, people with bikes are only allowed to travel in the ‘reverse commute’ direction from Embarcadero station in San Francisco to points in the East Bay. From 4pm to 6:30pm, people with bikes can travel only from points in the East Bay to San Francisco, and they must exit at Embarcadero station. During commute hours, you can also travel with your bike across the bay via the CalTrans Bay Bridge Bicycle Commuter Shuttle (510-286-0876; tickets $1; 6:30-8:30am & 3:50-6:15pm Mon-Fri), which operates between San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal and the MacArthur BART station in Oakland.

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BUS, STREETCAR & CABLE CAR

The city’s principal public transportation system Muni operates nearly 100 bus lines, the streetcar system, and the city’s signature cable cars. Buses and streetcars are referred to interchangeably as Muni and marked in this book with , while cable cars are marked with .

Some areas are better connected than others, but public transport spares you the costly hassle of driving and parking in San Francisco, and is often faster than driving during rush hour (7:30am to 9:30am and 4:30pm to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday). Nighttime and weekend service is less frequent. For fastest routes and the most exact departure times, consult http://transit.511.org.

Tickets can be bought on board buses and streetcars, or at Muni stations for the underground streetcars. On most Muni lines, free transfer tickets are available at the start of your journey and you can then use them for two connecting Muni trips within 90 minutes or so (but not BART or cable cars). Hang onto your ticket or transfer even if you’re not planning to use it again: if you’re caught without one by the transit police, you’re subject to a $75 fine (repeat offenders may soon be fined up to $500).

Discounts & Passes

Muni passes and discounts are available as follows:

One-day Muni Passport good for unlimited travel on buses, streetcars and cable cars $11

Three-day Passport $18

Week-long Passport $24

10-ride ticket book $20

Monthly Muni Fast Pass adult $55, senior, youth (five to 17 years) or disabled $15

Ticket books and Passports can be purchased at the Muni kiosk at the Powell St cable-car turnaround on Market St, at Montgomery station ticket booth, the half-price ticket kiosk on Union Square, and from a number of hotels. Fast Passes are available at the Muni kiosk at the Powell St cable car turnaround and from businesses that display the Muni Pass sign in their window.

Bus

Four public bus systems serve the Bay Area, and most leave from clearly marked bus stops; for transit maps, check out the website listed for each bus system. The main hub connecting San Francisco to points across the bay and beyond is the Transbay Terminal (Map; 425 Mission St); this is the SF terminus for Greyhound.

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MAGIC BUS

Ever since Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters boarded their bus with a declared destination ‘Further’ (Click here), buses have been the transport of choice for California hippies. It’s not too late to get on the bus, and go further with these biofueled buses:

Green Tortoise ( 800-867-8647, 415-834-1000; www.greentortoise.com) Quasi-organized, slow travel on customized, biodiesel-fueled buses with built-in berths that run from San Francisco to points across California and beyond, including three-day trips to Yosemite or Death Valley; three-to-five-day jaunts to Burning Man and other festivals; and three-to-seven-day coastal trips south to Santa Cruz, Monterey and LA.

Transported SF ( 415-424-1058; www.transportedsf.com) The journey is the destination with these DJ-equipped buses bound for organic Sonoma wineries, East Bay food-foraging expeditions, and nowhere in particular in the Mission.

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WITHIN SF

Muni (415-701-2311; www.sfmuni.com; adult/child under 4yr/senior & child 5-17yr $2/free/75¢; 5am-late Mon-Fri, reduced schedules Sat & Sun) bus tickets