San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today announced a series of systemwide improvements to Muni service beginning Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. New service changes will enhance the customer experience, designed to boost trip frequency and reliability, and add capacity on some of the system’s most popular routes at no additional cost to the SFMTA. To date, the agency has identified approximately $250 million in cost savings thanks to systemwide operational efficiency improvements which include ongoing adjustments to system schedules and reducing service options that are redundant.
Changes to Muni service will serve key routes including the 1 California, N Judah and the 5R. Riders will see an uptick in bus availability and more room during peak hours, while other routes and lines will have adjusted stops and schedules to improve service predictability. Rider feedback, operator input, and Muni performance data play a crucial role in systemwide, ongoing service changes. In 2025, the SFMTA received the highest customer satisfaction survey rating in the agency’s history.
“These changes will bring immediate improvements to thousands of riders travelling key corridors to school and to work,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum. “We’re committed to bringing a more reliable experience to everyone who depends on Muni to get where they need to be. I want to thank our staff for getting creative and identifying how to get the most out of our limited resources and benefit our riders.”
Supporting Students Back to School
About 27% of SFUSD students rely on Muni to get to and from school, and nearly half of all high school students are choosing to ride transit. As the SFMTA faces the largest financial crisis in the agency’s history, programs like Free Muni for Youth continue to be one of the most utilized programs by keeping Muni affordable and accessible for San Francisco’s youth and families.
New Muni service changes will improve key routes that move thousands of students to and from school, ranging from elementary to university. With the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) welcoming students back on August 17, adjustments will immediately follow to ensure students and their families, and educators, have reliable public transit options. rely on.
As the new school year kicks off, several changes are designed to improve trips for students, including:
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Students and educators traveling from Visitacion Valley to Francisco Middle School will now have a “one-seat ride,” eliminating a transfer previously required on the 8AX Bayshore Express. Muni will run additional morning 8AX Bayshore Express trips, serving the 8 Bayshore north of Broadway.
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The 28R 19th Avenue Rapid will add a new stop at 19th Avenue and Eucalyptus Drive, giving students who attend Lowell High School another convenient option to get to and from campus.
“I won’t have to worry about missing the 28 bus and getting to school late anymore because there’s always going to be another one soon,” said Woody Szydlik, Senior student and member of Lowell High School Transit Club. “We are all excited for these improvements for the upcoming school year and hope this helps get the word out about them!”
With additional changes to help lower operational costs and eliminate service redundancy, the SFMTA is also adjusting a small number of underused afternoon school trippers, redirecting students to existing nearby service without changes to total trip time.
More Frequent, Reliable Service
Several of the City’s busiest lines will see improved frequency to and from Downtown to address crowding and reduce wait times on popular commutes:
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1 California: Service improves from every 10 minutes to every nine minutes, with buses arriving every four to five minutes between the Presidio and Downtown.
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This change comes in addition to the recently approved Chinatown Parking and Transit Improvements Project to maintain service reliability on the 1 while adding parking around Portsmouth Square.
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N Judah: Peak-hour service improves from every 10 minutes to every nine minutes. As San Francisco’s recovery rebounds, customers have shared regular feedback around crowding and wait times, and this change is also expected to ease evening congestion at the La Playa Terminal.
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5R Fulton Rapid: All trips on this route will now run 60-foot buses every 10 minutes, providing more capacity than the most recent route offered in February 2026.
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22 Owl: Riders depending on 22 Owl service, or the late-might and early-morning bus service, will benefit from a more reliable schedule, ensuring buses are on time and operational every 30 minutes. This is an important adjustment, helping keep riders moving and safe during late night hours.
Muni trips on several other routes will notice some added capacity hours, including the 22 Fillmore, 29 Sunset, 38R Geary Rapid and 49 Van Ness-Mission during morning peak hours, and the 29 Sunset in the evening.
"These changes show what Muni can do when it puts riders first and where efficiency creates a stronger system,” said Sara Johnson, San Francisco Transit Riders Executive Director. “A nine-minute N Judah is great news. But protecting it, along with the Owl service riders depending on how to get home safely, has to stay a priority."
For full details and information about the SFMTA’s new service changes, the public is encouraged to visit the SFMTA's Service Changes webpage (SFMTA.com/ServiceChanges).
Service Improvements Keep Muni Moving
The SFMTA continues to face a historic financial crisis, like public transit agencies across the Bay Area region and the country. Since 2025, the SFMTA has prevented a budget deficit growing to over $430 million, but without stable funding sources and ongoing operational efficiency improvements that include service changes, up to a quarter of Muni service will be eliminated, undoing key improvements, doubling wait times, and losing nearly 60% of late-night Owl service. August’s service changes underscore the agency’s efforts to maintain Muni service and operate more efficiently within current budgetary constraints.
More information about the SFMTA’s ongoing work to balance its budget and strengthen operational efficiencies may be found on the SFMTA's budget homepage (SFMTA.com/Budget).
About the SFMTA
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), is a department of the City and County of San Francisco, is responsible for the management of all ground transportation in the city. The SFMTA has oversight over the Municipal Railway (Muni) public transit, as well as bicycling, paratransit, parking, traffic, and taxis. Established by voter mandate in 1999, the SFMTA aggregated multiple San Francisco city agencies, including the Department of Parking and Traffic, Muni, and, since 2007, the Taxi Commission.
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