San Francisco Muni: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni as it is commonly known, is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2000, it served 46.7 square miles (121 km²) with an operating budget of $380.9 million. In terms of ridership, Muni is the 7th largest transit agency in the United States. In 2002, ridership amongst all forms of transit totaled 233,015,740 persons, with markedly decreased ridership on weekends. Muni operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Muni is an integral part of public transit throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, connecting with regional services such as BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and AC Transit. Many weekday riders are commuters, as the daytime weekday population in San Francisco exceeds its normal residential population. Muni shares some stations with BART, which can lead to confusion amongst visitors. Travelers can connect to San Francisco International Airport and nearby Oakland International Airport via BART.

Muni operates about 1,000 vehicles: diesel and electric buses, light rail vehicles known as Muni Metro streetcars that run both under and above ground, PCC streetcars running on a heritage line, and the cable cars often featured as a tourist attraction. Many buses are diesel powered, but a few are zero-emissions electric trolleybuses powered by overhead electrical wires. All MUNI lines run roughly inside San Francisco city limits, except for occational weekend service to the Marin Headlands area, a popular hiking and biking destination. Most intercity connections are provided by BART and Caltrain heavy rail, AC Transit busses at the Transbay Terminal and Golden Gate Transit and SamTrans downtown.

During the late 1990s, amid aging equipment and allegedly poor management, Muni developed a reputation for declining service. San Francisco residents responded in 1996 by organizing Rescue Muni, a transit riders association. Infrastructure has since improved. Muni's previous Boeing streetcars were criticized as being unreliable, and are now replaced by newer Italian Breda streetcars.

Fares are currently $1.25 for adults and $0.35 for seniors over 65, youth aged 5-17, and disabled persons. Fares were increased in 2003 in the face of municipal and state budget cuts. Proof of purchase is handled through a transfer slip, either a piece of newsprint, torn to indicate expiration time (buses and streetcar) or print on thicker, card-board-like paper (subway stations and a few outdoor stops such as San Francisco State University), all of which are randomly checked by fare inspectors. Frequent riders can get a Fast Pass for every month, they are $45 for adults and $10 for youth and seniors.

All MUNI lines except for Cable Cars and a few less-used bus lines are wheelchair accessible.

The longest Muni line is the 24.1 mile 91-owl, a nighttime only route that blends several other routes together, and during the day the longest route is the 17.4 29 Sunset. The shortest route is the 89 Laguna Honda at .6 miles. The steepest grade climbed by Muni vehicle is 23.1% by a bus, 22.8% by a trolleybus, and 21% by a cable car.

Muni Lines

• 54 High-Floor Diesel Bus Lines (several articulated)
• 17 Trolleybus lines
• 5 Articulated Electric "Metro" (streetcar turned subway downtown) lines
• 3 Centrally Driven Cable Car lines going north from downtown
• 1 Heritage Streetcar line