Service improvements and increasing ridership numbers are making Transit Month even more joyful for us.
Muni moves San Francisco all year long. But September is special because it’s Transit Month!
We kicked things off this morning with a rally featuring Mayor Daniel Lurie and Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum on the steps of San Francisco City Hall. And we have a lot to celebrate this year:
• A strong Muni ridership recovery that shows an increasing demand for public transit since COVID. Earlier this year, our weekend ridership surpassed pre-pandemic levels!
• Service improvements that help you get where you need to go.
• Investments in the next generation of buses for a better ride.
• Efficiency improvements that help our agency make the most of limited resources.
This is, however, a challenging time for us. We recently balanced a $307 million budget deficit, thanks to a state loan and agency cost savings. But we still face an unprecedented financial crisis. So, it’s more important than ever to highlight the essential service that transit provides.
There are special events, activities and plenty of reasons to get on board this month. Everyone is invited to revel in the joys of transit, even if you’re trying it for the first time.
Where will Muni take you this month?
Muni’s Bussin’ Bingo
Bussin’ Bingo combines local flavor with transit pride. All month long, use Muni to visit participating businesses and organizations and collect stamps and stickers for your bingo card. You can head to a favorite neighborhood or discover a new one on a route you’ve never taken before.
• When: All month
• Where: Businesses across the city
How to play: Pick up a bingo card at any of the participating businesses or download and print your own. Then start collecting!
You can find details, including a list of participating businesses, on the Muni’s Bussin’ Bingo webpage (SFMTA.com/Bingo).
Read & Ride
What’s better than getting lost in a good book? Getting lost in a good book on Muni.
Turn travel time into reading time with Read & Ride, a brand-new Transit Month challenge from Muni and the San Francisco Public Library. You just log the time you spend reading while on Muni. Once you reach 10 hours, you’ll earn a limited-edition Read & Ride bookmark.
• When: All month
• Where: Your favorite Muni route or line
• How to join the challenge: Sign up for Beanstack through the San Francisco Public Library
Need a book? Check out the Transit Month Reading List, featuring some of our favorite books. Find your next great read and make your ride a page-turner. There’s more information on our Read &Ride webpage (SFMTA.com/ReadAndRide).
T Third Ride Along
The T Third is one of San Francisco’s most important transit lines. And the T Third Improvements Project (SFMTA.com/TThird) is making the line more reliable to help you get to your destination more quickly.
You can join us for a special T Third ride along. Just sign up here to get an inside look at the improvements and what they mean for your ride.
• When: Sept. 13
• Where: 4th & Brannan streets to 3rd Street & Kirkwood Avenue
Riders on a vintage bus were all smiles during last year’s Muni Heritage Weekend.
Muni Heritage Weekend
Take a ride through San Francisco’s transit history during Muni Heritage Weekend.
Hop aboard beautiful vintage vehicles and enjoy family-friendly activities celebrating the history of our iconic transit system.
• When: Sept. 19-20
• Where: Embarcadero Plaza
You can visit our Muni Heritage Weekend webpage (SFMTA.com/MuniHeritage) for more information.
55 Dogpatch Wine Progressive
Good wine, good neighbors and good transit? Now, those are reasons to ride. Let Muni be your designated driver during a special neighborhood wine progressive along the 55 Dogpatch route. Experience the flavor of Dogpatch without worrying about parking or driving.
• When: Sept. 26
• Where: Horsies Market & Saloon, Bar Part Time and Ruby Wine
Looking for more to do? Check out this calendar for a complete list of Bay Area Transit Month events.
Transit Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate all the ways Muni serves San Francisco.
Muni moves you
Muni connects people to the city and to each other.
However, we’re facing the largest financial crisis in SFMTA history. So, even though we’ve made significant progress cutting costs, more funding is necessary to keep Muni and other transit services running.
You can read more on our budget gap webpage (SFMTA.com/BudgetGap).
This Transit Month, let’s all recognize the vital role transit plays in our city and invite more people to experience it for themselves.