All-door boarding

SFMTA home > Transit > Updates > All-door boarding

Rail lines: F, J, K, L, M, N, S, T

Bus routes: all

Date: effective July 1, 2012

Under all-door boarding, customers with valid prepaid Proof of Payment may enter through any door of any Muni bus or streetcar. As the operator of one of the busiest transit systems in the United States, the SFMTA has implemented all-door boarding to accelerate the boarding process and improve travel times for customers. Muni is the first transit system in the nation to offer all-door boarding on all buses and rail vehicles.

Permitted Rear-Door Boarding

Rear-door boarding is reserved for customers with valid prepaid Proof of Payment including:

Clipper® Card – Upon entry onto the vehicle, customers must tap their Clipper cards on the card readers adjacent to the doors. The card must have sufficient cash value, a valid pass or a valid transfer.
Limited Use Ticket – Limited Use Tickets are sold at ticket vending machines located at Muni Metro subway stations. Customers must tap their tickets on the card readers when entering Muni vehicles or when passing through a faregate at a Muni Metro subway station. The ticket must have a valid ride or a valid transfer.
Paper Pass – Acceptable paper passes include Lifeline Passes, Discount Passes (for youths, seniors and customers with disabilities), Visitor Passports, Cable Car Day Passes and CityPass booklets.
Transfer/Fare Receipt – A transfer/fare receipt is valid for 90 minutes of travel after issuance. Customers may ride any bus, streetcar or Muni Metro train as long as they complete their trip within the time indicated on the transfer/fare receipt.

If the card reader beeps three times and displays a red light, the Clipper card or Limited Use Ticket does not have sufficient value. Customers should then proceed to the front of the vehicle to pay the cash fare and obtain a transfer/fare receipt from the Operator as Proof of Payment.

Decal placed adjacent to the rear doors shows customer boarding and indicates acceptable (tapped Clipper card and paper Muni pass or transfer/fare receipt) and non-acceptable (cash) forms of payment

Required Front-Door Boarding

Customers paying with cash must board through the front door of buses and streetcars and the front door of the first car on Muni Metro trains. After depositing the correct payment into the farebox, customers must obtain a transfer/fare receipt from the Operator as Proof of Payment, even if they will not be transferring to another vehicle. Customers with tokens and Youth Tickets must also board through the front door and exchange them for a transfer/fare receipt.

Customers with valid Proof of Payment who require the use of the wheelchair lift or the bus kneeling feature should continue to use the front door.

Proof of Payment Required at All Times

Valid Proof of Payment is required at all times on a Muni vehicle or within the paid area of a Muni Metro station or boarding platform. Customers must tap their Clipper cards or Limited Use Tickets on the card readers adjacent to the doors and at station faregates in order to validate them. Clipper cards or Limited Use Tickets with sufficient cash value for a Muni ride are not considered valid Proof of Payment unless they have been tapped.

Transit Fare Inspectors randomly check customers for Proof of Payment. Customers without valid Proof of Payment are subject to citation for violation of San Francisco Transportation Code, Division I, Section 7.2.101 or 7.2.104 or California Penal Code Section 640.

Customer Safety

Please allow other customers to exit the vehicle before boarding.
Please stay away from the rear doors and behind the yellow line while the vehicle is between stops.
Please do not attempt to board when the doors are closing.

on-board advertisement, PDF

Please call for more information

For effects on traffic, see Traffic Updates or call 311.

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