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.

Buy a map

Fall 2012 map cover: Historic photos of cable cars lined up on Market Street to use the Ferry Building turntable; Muni centennial logo

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 available by mail order.

The "September 2012 map is the latest map issued. The sheet when spread out is approximately 35 by 22 inches.

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 ready to put in the farebox. Searching for money at the farebox can hold up your trip.

If you already have valid proof of payment, you can save time by boarding by the back door.

No need to show your Clipper card to the driver. Just tap and hold 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 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

Board Muni through the rear door only if you have 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 Muni adult fare 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

Children in strollers are welcome on Muni buses and trains. To ensure everyone’s convenience and safety, here are some tips for traveling with a stroller.

Only collapsible/foldable strollers are allowed on Muni
Please use your best judgment when traveling with a stroller and make sure that the stroller is not impeding the safe movement of passengers on the vehicle
Have your fare or pass ready before the bus arrives and always let passengers exit first.
If the bus or train is crowded, the operator may ask you to fold your stroller. Please listen to the operator’s instructions for your safety and the safety of other passengers.
Customers can request use of the lift or ramp to board and deboard with their stroller. Please hold on when using the lift and watch your head when entering and exiting the vehicle.
Operators will not be able to leave their seat and assist you when boarding or exiting the vehicle.
Your child may remain in the stroller while on board Muni. We recommend that the stroller seat belt be fastened. Please lock the wheels and hold on to the stroller at all times for the safety of all passengers.
Please keep in mind that the seats in front of the vehicle are reserved by federal law for passengers with disabilities. If you place your stroller in this area, you will have to move or collapse the stroller to accommodate disabled passengers.
When the bus approaches your stop let the driver know that you will be getting off with a child and stroller if you plan to request the lift or ramp.
Unfortunately, strollers are not allowed on Cable Cars.

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 intended for use only by disabled passengers or passengers with baby strollers. If you do not have a disability or a baby stroller, please do not attempt to board or alight by 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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