San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today announces that Muni’s post-pandemic recovery is gathering strength, with weekend passenger numbers higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.
In May 2026, Muni ridership reached:
- 100.5% weekend recovery, the first time ridership has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
- 81% total pre-pandemic recovery
- 538,000 average weekday systemwide boardings: the third-highest weekday ridership since the pandemic
- 126,000 average weekday Muni Metro Light Rail trips: A post-pandemic record
With events like Bay to Breakers, Carnaval, concerts and game days, people are jumping aboard and finding out why Muni reached its highest customer satisfaction rating ever. The 2026 customer satisfaction survey found that 48% of riders take Muni to get to leisure activities, the same amount as those commuting to work.
“Muni is essential to our city's recovery, and the May ridership numbers show what we all know: San Francisco is on the rise," said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. "Weekday rail ridership is at its highest since the pandemic began, and weekend ridership has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. San Franciscans rely on public transit every day, and we are committed to a Muni system that is clean, safe and reliable."
Downtown rail boardings have risen almost 14% from May 2025, and ridership on the Muni Metro Light rail system reached a record 78% of May 2019 levels. To date, Muni’s recovery has been driven by its high-ridership bus lines connecting neighborhoods across the city. The return of rail passengers is another sign that Muni’s investments in the customer experience are paying off.
“These numbers show why Muni matters to our customers and to the city,” said SFMTA Director of Transit Brent Jones. “Because of our focus on the customer experience, more and more people are choosing Muni to get where they need to be. Our priority is to be efficient for the public who depend on us as a lifeline for a thriving San Francisco.”
Downtown ridership continues to present opportunities for more growth and in recent months has been increasing at a faster rate than the rest of the system.
“This uptick in trajectory shows that transit riders are showing up and that Muni is capturing the momentum. These numbers are worth celebrating,” said San Francisco Transit Riders Executive Director Sara Johnson. “The growth concentrated downtown and in neighborhoods like the Western Addition and Castro reflects what riders already know: when Muni runs well, people ride. San Francisco Transit Riders will keep pushing to make sure this momentum translates into sustained investment in the system riders depend on every day.”
Efforts like the Muni Forward program, Fix-It! Week and the new fleet of Siemens LRV4s help Muni reduce service breakdowns that cause delays for riders and costly repairs for the agency.
- Delay events dropped in Market Street Subway by about 60% since May 2019
-
Service up to 35% faster and 51% more reliable on Muni Forward lines
“Clearly, everything Muni is doing to become safer, cleaner, faster and more convenient is working. I think these numbers also show that San Francisco is blossoming again — the more reasons people have to come to San Francisco — the more people ride Muni," said SPUR Transportation Policy Director Laura Tolkoff.
With the U.S. Men’s National Team playing a World Cup match in the Bay Area, the City's Fourth of July fireworks celebration, Stern Grove Festival, Outside Lands, Valkyries and Giants games and several other high-profile events this summer, Muni is growing capacity and reliability to contribute to San Francisco’s vibrancy with a transit system that can carry more riders. To keep up to date on ridership numbers, visit the SFMTA’s Muni data dashboards (SFMTA.com/MuniData).
About the SFMTA
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), 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.