San Francisco - Alison Bing [231]
The major bus routes are as follows:
5 Fulton From the Transbay Terminal, along Market and McAllister Sts to Fulton St, along the north side of Golden Gate Park to the ocean.
7 Haight From the Ferry Building, along Market and Haight Sts, through the Haight to the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park; daytime only.
14 Mission From the Transbay Terminal, along Mission St through SoMa and the Mission District.
15 Kearny From 3rd St in SoMa, through the Financial District on Kearny St, through North Beach on Columbus Ave, then along Powell St to the Fisherman’s Wharf area.
22 Fillmore From Dogpatch (Potrero Hill), through the Mission on 16th St, along Fillmore St past Japantown to Pacific Heights and the Marina.
33 Stanyan From San Francisco General Hospital, through the Mission, Castro and Haight, past Golden Gate Park to Clement St.
BUS SERVICES TO/FROM SF
To travel both to and around the East Bay, AC Transit (510-891-4777; www.actransit.org) offers bus services from the Transbay Terminal. For public transport connections from BART in the East Bay, get an AC Transit transfer ticket before leaving the BART station and then pay an additional 75¢.
Golden Gate Transit (Map; 415-455-2000; www.goldengatetransit.org), the main public transit company serving Marin and Sonoma counties, also connects to San Francisco, but be advised that service can be slow and erratic. Bus 70/80 runs from San Francisco to Petaluma ($8) and to Santa Rosa ($8.80); catch it at 1st and Mission Sts, across from the Transbay Terminal.
Greyhound ( 800-231-2222; www.greyhound.com; 425 Mission St) provides nationwide bus service from the Transbay Terminal and somewhat more limited service from its terminal in downtown Oakland (2103 San Pablo Ave). Regular services operate from San Francisco to Los Angeles ($39 and up, from eight hours) and Santa Rosa ($21 to $26); transfer for local buses.
Samtrans (800-660-4287; www.samtrans.com) runs buses up and down the peninsula between San Francisco and the South Bay, including two bus services to/from SFO. Buses pick up/drop off from the Transbay Terminal and other marked bus stops within the city; see the website for the transit map.
Streetcar
Muni Metro streetcars run both above and below ground, from 5am to midnight on weekdays, with limited schedules on weekends. The L and N lines operate 24 hours, but between 12:30am and 5:30am, ‘Owl’ buses replace the streetcars.
At underground Muni stations, you’ll need $2 in coins for turnstiles; change bills using the BART ticket machines, and don’t forget to grab your ticket as you pass through the turnstile. Above-ground, tickets can be bought on board in the front car, but you’ll need exact change. Streetcar arrival times are indicated on digital displays in stations and on some street-level transit shelters.
The most scenic route is the F-Market line, which runs mint-condition antique streetcars along Market St from Castro St to the Embarcadero, where they turn north to Fisherman’s Wharf. Other streetcars run below Market St Downtown, beginning at the Embarcadero. Beyond Van Ness Ave station, Muni lines split into five routes: J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Oceanview and N-Judah. The T line heads south along the Embarcadero through SoMa and Mission Bay, then down 3rd St past Dogpatch to Bayview.
KEY STREETCAR DESTINATIONS
F Fisherman’s Wharf and Embarcadero to Castro
J Downtown to Mission/Castro
K, L, M Downtown to Castro
N Caltrain and SBC Ballpark to Haight and Ocean Beach
T Embarcadero to Caltrain, China Basin and Bayview
Cable