Customer Tips & Rules

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Fare Options

If you are a regular customer or plan to use Muni a lot while visiting, consider one of the following fare options:

Monthly pass: Good for one calendar month, with a 3-day grace period into the next month. Passes are valid on all Muni streetcars, buses and cable cars. There are discounted monthly passes for senior, youth and disabled.
Passports: Enjoy unlimited travel on San Francisco's world-famous transit system. Ride streetcars, buses and cable cars as many times a day as you wish with your Passport. Available for 1 day, 3 consecutive days or 7 consecutive days. 1-day Cable Car passes, available from cable car conductors, are good only on cable cars.

There are many places to buy passes and Passports.

Transferring from BART

If you travel on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and then plan to take Muni, a discount is available via your Clipper® card.

Note: If you use BART and Muni regularly, consider a "BART/Plus" pass. Each pass is good for a half-month period and gives you unlimited rides on Muni and many other Bay Area transit agencies as well as a predetermined amount of BART fare. For more information, contact BART at 415.989.2278.

Buy a map

December 2009 map cover: A 39 Coit Muni bus parks in front of Coit tower and a statue

One of the best deals around is the Official San Francisco Street & Transit Map. For $3, it gives you the following:

maps of all Muni lines:
- full system,
- downtown area,
- late-night "Owl",
- Market Street, with locations of stops and subway entrances;
detailed street map of San Francisco, showing parks, libraries, schools, and points of interest;
a complete street index;
text descriptions of all the lines; and
a frequency guide.

Get a map and learn how to use the system! Maps are available at most stores in San Francisco that sell maps, as well as from:

City Payment Center: City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 140 (info about the City Payment Center is available at www.sfgov.org).
Cable Car Ticket Booths: Powell and Market or Hyde and Beach.
More map sales locations

Muni maps are not currently available by mail order. Please check back for updates.

The "10 2010" (October 2010) map is the latest map issued.

View a gallery of some past map covers.

Muni maps are also online. Online PDF files of the Official map are intended for online use and will print only at 150 dpi.

Tips for speeding up your trip:

Have your fare or pass ready.

Boarding is quicker for everyone when you have your fare, pass or transfer ready to show to the driver. Searching for a pass or money at the farebox can hold up your trip.

No need to show your Clipper card to the driver. Just tag it to a reader.

Take a look before you board.

See if anyone is leaving by the front door before you board. That person may be a senior or a person with a disability. They may need an extra moment or two to descend the steps.

If no seats are available, please move back.

If you have to stand, please move as far as you can to the back of the vehicle. This will allow other passengers to board faster.

Leave by the rear door.

Leaving by the rear door lets other passengers board faster. If you are a senior or a person with a disability, of course, you are welcome to leave by the front door.

Get to know Muni's lines.

Buy a Muni Map.
Learn which lines operate most frequently in your area
Use the Route Guide for a general guide to which lines run when and where.

Give up front seats for seniors and persons with disabilities.

Federal law mandates that the front seats of the bus be given up for seniors and persons with disabilities. Please do not sit in those seats if a senior or person with a disability needs a seat.

On Muni Metro, take advantage of Proof of Payment

Here's the tip:

Speed up your trip by boarding at any door of any Metro streetcar with your Proof Of Payment. Open the rear doors by pushing the lighted white button.

And here's the rule:

You must have Proof of Payment on all Muni vehicles and in the paid area of underground Metro stations, even if you are not going to transfer. Violators are subject to fine.

Full details on Proof of Payment are available.

Compliments and Complaints

If you wish to make a compliment or complaint about our service, please call 311 (complete 311 contact info). You may also use one of the following forms to file your compliment or complaint online:

If your compliment or complaint is about a particular incident, please get as much information as possible and applicable, including the employee's name or badge number, the number or letter of the Muni line, the four-digit number on the vehicle (cable car numbers have one or two digits), the location, the direction of travel, and the time of day.

Any claim to recover for personal injury or property damage (offsite link) must be delivered to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors or the Controller of the City and County of San Francisco, or mailed to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, the Controller or to the Board of Supervisors at its principal office.

Boarding Muni

Do not board Muni through the rear door (except Muni Metro with Proof of Payment).
Always take a transfer as proof of payment when paying a fare on surface vehicles with cash, even if you are not going to transfer. A transfer is valid for 90 minutes.
Transfers are automatic with a Clipper card.

Riding Muni

Make seats available to seniors, persons with disabilities, and other passengers when needed.
Graffiti or other vandalism on Muni will immediately be reported to the police.
Do not smoke, eat, drink, litter, or disturb other Muni passengers. (California Penal Code § 374.4, § 64)
At any time, you may be asked to show a valid Muni pass, transfer, or fare receipt. (San Francisco Transportation Code section 7.2.101)
Stand behind the yellow line.
Avoid unnecessary conversation with the operator.
Report any unattended items to the vehicle operator or to Muni Passenger Service.
Your picture and voice may be recorded while you are riding a Muni vehicle.
Posted advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Muni or the MTA.
Children are not allowed to stand on the seats.

Animals on Muni

Non-service animals may not ride weekdays 5-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m..
During the permitted hours, a muzzled and leashed pet dog (one per vehicle) may be allowed.
All other pets and non-service animals must be carried in small closed containers.
A fare equal to the owner’s must be paid for each non-service animal. If paying fare with a Clipper® card, the animal's fare must be paid in cash or, at any Muni Metro station having the new faregates, with a Muni Ticket. (See Muni Ticket question "Can customers use the Muni Ticket for paying a fare for non-service animals?")
Information about service animals

Carry-On Items

Muni operators may refuse to allow articles on board that could create a nuisance or cause harm.
Food in open containers or poorly protected containers, such as coffee or soft drinks in paper or Styrofoam containers, whether covered or not, may not be allowed on board.
Other large objects may be allowed on at the discretion of the operator.
Aisles and doorways must be kept clear at all times.

Baby Strollers

If a baby stroller is allowed on board, the child must be removed from the stroller and the stroller must be folded up while it is on the vehicle.

Please also see "Use of wheelchair lifts and accessible wayside boarding platforms by non-disabled customers" below.

Use of wheelchair lifts and accessible wayside boarding platforms by non-disabled customers

Accessible wayside boarding platforms, the special ramped platforms marked with the universal access symbol and usually near an island streetcar stop, and wheelchair lifts are not intended for use by non-disabled passengers, including passengers with baby strollers or large packages. If you do not have a disability, please do not attempt to board or alight at these facilities.

Information for disabled customers about lifts and platforms

Other Guidelines

Safe and dependable service provided by courteous personnel is Muni's guiding principle.

Please cooperate with your transit operator in every way possible.

The following are not allowed on Muni vehicles or at Muni Metro stations (under San Francisco Transportation Code section 7.2.102 or under section 6 of the Municipal Police Code):

Smoking,
Eating
Drinking
Playing sound equipment without earphones
Littering.

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