COVID-19 Developments & Response

Project Introduction

We are closely monitoring what is happening with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Please continue to check this page for the latest updates.

Key Updates:

Effective September 15: SFMTA Board of Directors approved a resolution endorsing the Riding Together: Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan .
Effective September 17: The Taxi Customer Services Window is open for limited services by appointment only.
Effective September 14: J Church Metro bus will be extended to Church & Duboce
Effective September 14: Parking enforcement resumes for timed parking, green zones, and Residential Permit Parking

Jump to topics using the linked list below:

COVID Muni Customer Reminders

Muni Service

Muni Alternatives

Parking Enforcement

Customer Service, Passes and Cards

Additional Resourses

COVID Muni Customer Reminders

Face coverings over the nose and mouth are required in San Francisco when outside of the home, including waiting for and riding Muni, or taking a taxi or shuttle. Please do not ride Muni if you are feeling ill, except as necessary to seek medical care after consulting with your medical provider. We're also asking customers to only take Muni for essential trips that can’t be made by walking, biking or other modes of transportation.

Backdoor boarding is required on all vehicles, except for passengers in wheelchairs or with other accessibility needs. If you need assistance, please request to board from the front door and an operator will help you access the ramp or the kneeler.

Muni Service

Muni Core Service Plan and Metro Service

Muni service is temporarily reduced in order to focus limited resources on our most-used routes and serve critical connections like medical facilities. When bringing back Muni routes, we are prioritizing capacity for physical distancing, high-ridership routes and communities most dependent on Muni service.

Get route-specific details on all Muni lines that are currently in service

Routes In Service

1 California, 5 Fulton, 7 Haight/Noriega, 8 Bayshore, 9 San Bruno, 9R San Bruno Rapid,12 Folsom/Pacific (Shortened), 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 19 Polk, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 25 Treasure Island, 28 19th Avenue (Shortened), 29 Sunset, 30 Stockton, 37 Corbett (Shortened), 38 Geary, 38R Geary Rapid, 43 Masonic (Shortened), 44 O'Shaughnessy, 45 Union/Stockton, 48 Quintara/24th Street (Shortened), 49 Van Ness/Mission, 54 Felton, 67 Bernal Heights

Muni Bus Substitution for All Rail Lines: J Church bus (Balboa Park - Church & Duboce) K Ingleside bus (Balboa Park - Embarcadero) L Taraval bus (SF Zoo - Embarcadero) N Judah bus (Ocean Beach - 4th & King) M Ocean View bus (Balboa Park - West Portal *for service downtown, transfer to L or K bus at West Portal Station) T Third bus (Sunnydale - Market & Castro)

Muni Owl Service

Late-night Owl service from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. instead of 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. All regular Owl routes are still operating with the exception of the 5 Fulton and 48 Quintara/24th Street, which are temporarily discontinued. The following lines will run 24 hours a day or provide special Owl Service:

L Owl*, N Owl*, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero*, 25 Treasure Island, 38 Geary, 44 O'Shaughnessy *, 90 San Bruno Owl, 91 3rd Street/19th Avenue Owl (*Owl route is different than daytime route)

See the COVID-19 Muni Owl Service Plan map for route details

Routes Not in Service

1AX, 1BX, 2, 3, 5R, 5 Owl, 6, 7X, 8AX, 8BX, 10, 14X, 18, 21, 23, 27, 28R, 30X, 31, 31AX, 31BX, 33, 35, 36, 38AX, 38BX, 39, 41, 47, 48 Owl, 52, 55, 56, 57, 66, 76X, 81X, 82X, 83X, 88, NX, F, E, Cable Cars

To preserve resources for distancing on high-ridership routes serving essential destinations and transit dependent neighborhoods identified by the Muni Service Equity Strategy, most routes currently not in service are limited, duplicative of existing service or low ridership.

Latest Muni Core Service Map

Core Service map graphic

Get Updates

For travel and transit updates, please visit our email and text alert subscription page. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest Muni and COVID-19 updates.

Muni Alternatives

Golden Gate Transit: Additional Bus Service

Golden Gate Transit is currently picking up Muni passengers at all Golden Gate Transit bus stops in San Francisco. Stops that were drop-off only or pick-up only will temporarily support local travel for both drop-offs and pick-ups.

Effective October 5: All Golden Gate Transit buses will use a long-term detour through Fisherman’s Wharf to accommodate the Shared Spaces program.
Financial District service: Routes operate weekdays between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Financial District via Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf and Levi’s Plaza.
Civic Center service: Routes operate daily between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Salesforce Transit Center via Lombard Street, Van Ness Avenue and Mission Street.

Golden Gate Transit fares apply, and Clipper customers will need to both tag on and tag off at the end of their trip. Fares are as follow:

Adult Cash: $4.75 / Adult Clipper: $3.80 / Youth/Senior/Medicare/Disabled: $2.25 (no change)

Visit the Golden Gate Transit website for bus schedules and maps.Face coverings are required

Paratransit

Paratransit service continues to operate as normal so that customers can travel for essential needs. Face coverings are required when taking a taxi or shuttle. We ask riders to cancel any non-essential trips. If you are a paratransit customer and you need to cancel a previously scheduled SF Access trip, please call 415.285.6945 as soon as possible.

The SF Paratransit Office will operate with limited capacity during regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.). Teller window hours are subject to change.

During this time, reduced staffing will be available to accept cash payments for monthly taxi debit card allotments only.

Essential Trip Card 

Temporary transit changes are hard for many people with disabilities and older adults for whom walking farther to an alternate bus or paying for other transportation isn’t possible. To address this need, the SFMTA created the Essential Trip Card to help older adults and people with disabilities take and pay for essential trips in taxis during this crisis. 

Eligible participants will pay 20% of the cost of a regular cab ride fare for essential trips, up to $60 in value per month. If you are a 65+ years old or person with a disability, you can apply for the Essential Trip Card  by calling 311 and mentioning  the program or visiting the Essential Trip Card program page to learn more.

Shop-a-Round Helps You Get Around

Shop-a-Round is a convenient, low-cost shuttle or subsidized taxi ride that makes it easier to go grocery shopping. This SFMTA service offers registered seniors and people with disabilities personalized assistance and a ride to/from the grocery store.

Customers do not have to be ADA-paratransit eligible to use the service
The service takes customers to select supermarkets in San Francisco to shop
The driver will help carry groceries on and off the shuttle/taxi

Essential Worker Ride Home Program

The city’s Essential Worker Ride Home program supports essential employees in San Francisco impacted by public transportation reductions. The program offers a taxi ride home from work to qualifying participants. To be eligible, you must commute to work via a sustainable mode of transportation. This program now operates at all hours.

Learn more about eligibility and how to apply on SF Environment's website.

Taxis and Ramp Taxis

Taxi services continue to operate as an essential service. Individual taxi companies are following best practices to minimize the risks of transmission. Face coverings are required.

To request a taxi you can continue to hail them in the street or at the nearest taxi stand. You can also search the taxi directory or the wheelchair accessible ramp taxi directory for links to apps and contact information.

The Emergency Ride Home program provided by official taxis will continue for individuals who work in San Francisco and are fulfilling essential job functions.

Taxi Drivers: Please see the COVID-19 Taxi Services Updates page or call 415.701.4400 for information on how Taxi Services is responding to the pandemic. The Taxi Services window is closed until further notice.

Bikeshare and Scooter Share

With roads that are relatively quiet, commuting by bike or scooter is easier than ever and an enjoyable alternative to getting around the city for essential trips. We are sharing best practices with operators that remain in service to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.

Some operators are offering free membership, rides and/or support to healthcare and essential workers, along with modified service. For more information, visit operator sites for updates:

Find a bike route for your commute using SFMTA's bike network map. The San Francisco Bike Coalition can help new bike commuters and offers free webinars on urban cycling.

Carshare

Car sharing services continue to provide short-term rental of vehicles of various sizes for grocery shopping and other essential trips. Face coverings are required.

Slow Streets

Beginning the week of April 20, select streets will be closed to through vehicle traffic to prioritize walking or biking and to provide more space for social distancing during essential travel. Due to difficulty maintaining physical distance outdoors, many pedestrians are choosing to walk in the street, exposing themselves to vehicle traffic. The Slow Streets program allows roadways to be used more as a shared space for foot, bicycle and wheelchair traffic, taking advantage of low vehicle numbers on some roads.

Local vehicle access is allowed (e.g., driveway access for residents) and streets are not closed completely.
People walking/running in the street do not have the right-of-way over motor vehicles.
Once installed, Slow Streets corridors are in effect 24/7.
Face coverings are required

We continue to monitor the use of Slow Streets to minimize impacts on surrounding streets.

Learn more about Slow Streets and see a map.

Shared Spaces: Use the sidewalk, parking lane or street for your business

Apply for a free, temporary Shared Spaces permit to use the sidewalk, parking lots, park space or parking lane for business operations, like seating, dining or retail pickup. There are also options to work with surrounding businesses and residents for full street closure activations to support local merchants. This temporary, revocable permit is valid until December 31, 2020, unless otherwise specified.

Parking Enforcement

Enforcement Suspensions

Parking enforcement is suspended for the following:

72-hour overtime parking limit and towing, except for towing in Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes
Commuter shuttle parking
Peak-hour commuter tow away zones

Active Enforcement

Enforcement is taking place for the following:

All “No Stopping” or “No Parking” zones
Posted construction zones
Towing in Temporary Emergency Transit Lanes
Towing where indicated on posted signs
Blocked driveways
Double parking
Parking on sidewalks
Fire hydrant zones
Red and yellow zones
White passenger loading zones, except in front of schools while they are out of session
Parking in bike or transit lanes
Parking meters
All time-limited parking (e.g., 1-hour, 2-hour, etc.) where there are no meters
Green zones
Residential Permit Parking (RPP) permits
- To make it easier for residents to purchase a permit prior to September 14th without having to come to the SFMTA Customer Service Center, we created a new online application process. Residents can apply online for a new permit or to renew an expired permit, or download an application at SFMTA.com/RPP.
- Turnaround time is about 1 week if online or 2 weeks in the mail. Once you are approved, you will not get a citation even if your permit sticker has not yet arrived.
- All parking citations must be paid before a permit can be issued. Research outstanding citations on your vehicle(s) on our Citation Payment and Inquiry page.

Street Cleaning

To ensure our streets are clean and ready to support the city as we reopen, parking violations for street sweeping enforcement have resumed. Please move your car on your designated street cleaning day(s).

Individuals who receive a street cleaning citation who are unable to move their vehicle should submit a citation protest to have their citation overturned. When completing the protest form you must either 1) submit proof of age (60+ years old), or 2) provide a letter from a healthcare provider indicating that you are part of a vulnerable population or have been instructed to quarantine/isolate.

Parking Meters

Due to demand for parking near local businesses meter pricing was updated and parking meter enforcement reprioritized:

Restored meter rates with a $0.50/hour decrease. Meter rates vary throughout San Francisco, based on the demand for parking on the block and the time of day. The minimum rate will be $0.50 per hour. Motorcycle meter rates will be fully restored.
Parking meter time limits are in effect. This ensures that people don’t leave their vehicles in one space all day, preventing others from accessing commercial corridors.
We accelerated the demand-responsive pricing process. We typically adjust meter prices (up, down or stay flat) based on demand data every 3 months. These increases or decreases are in $0.25 increments to make sure our policy is reflective of how many people are using an area. With so many unknowns during the health crisis, we aim to adjust rates every 6 weeks so we can better reflect San Francisco’s changing needs.
SFMTA Parking Control Officers have resumed regular parking meter enforcement.

City Business Parking Permits

Expiration date on current permits has been extended from June 30, 2020 to September 1, 2020.

Parking Garages

To minimize risk to the public and our garage staff, the SFMTA has closed some city-owned parking garages and limited others to monthly pass-holders only. We are prioritizing maintaining access to garages that are near essential services like medical facilities or markets.

Closed: The following garage will be closed to the public until further notice

Moscone Center Garage (call 415-765-9069 for assistance)

Open to the Public: The following garages are currently open to the public

Zuckerberg General Hospital Garage
St. Mary's Square Garage
5th and Mission Garage
Sutter and Stockton Garage
Union Square Garage
Civic Center Garage
North Beach Garage
Vallejo Street Garage
Pierce Garage
Portsmouth Square Garage
7th and Harrison Lot
Kezar Lot
Japan Center Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Japan Center Annex Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Golden Gateway Garage (Weekdays on modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Lombard Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Mission-Bartlett Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
16th and Hoff Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Performing Arts Garage (Modified hours only, please call 415-956-8003 for assistance)
Ellis-O'Farrell Garage - (Modified hours only, please call 415-765-9069 for assistance)
Polk-Bush Garage - (Please call 415-765-9069 for assistance)

Fines and Fees

Effective September 1, 2020, we are enforcing late penalties on parking and transit citations, and deadlines for submitting citation protests, payment and community service plan. Full payment of outstanding amounts due, or protests, for parking or transit citations issued before July 21, 2020, must be received on, or before, August 31, 2020. Standard timelines apply to all citations issued after July 21, 2020.

Payment options:

Submit payment online or by mail.
In person: Effective July 27, 2020, cash payments for citations will be accepted at SFMTA sales booths located at Bay and Taylor streets, Powell and Market streets, and Presidio Avenue and Geary Boulevard from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week.

Requests for 48-hour tow hearings may be requested at hearingsgeneral@sfmta.com or by calling 415.701.5401.

Customer Service Center, Passes and Cards

The Customer Service Center at 11 South Van Ness Avenue is open for the following limited services:

Residential Parking Permit Sales: Permit applications are also accepted by mail and online
Lifeline Program Enrollment: Lifeline program applications are also accepted by mail and online
- Enrollment only – no monthly sticker sales at the Customer Service Center at this time
- Monthly pass sales resume for the month of October 2020. Seven sales locations are open for monthly pass sales.
Community Service Enrollment
Payment Plan Enrollment

Get more information and find locations to purchase SFMTA passes, cards and services.

Regional Transit Card Discount ID Office

The Regional Transit Card Discount ID Office is temporarily closed.

You can now apply online to renew or request a replacement RTC Discount ID card. All fees associated with renewing or replacing your card online will be waived for San Francisco residents ONLY.

You can also download and mail a Renewal or Lost Card paper application to receive a new card. You will be required to pay any fees if you submit your application through the mail. If you have any questions, please call 415.646.2224 during the following times: Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Special Event Street Closure Permits

All special events are cancelled until further notice.

Lost and Found

Muni Lost and Found will be processed on a reduced schedule. Items will arrive at the lost and found office two to three business days from the time they are located, and it may take up to seven business days for you to be contacted.

To minimize exposure, we will only return critical items such as phones, medication, wallets, keys, travel documents, identification documents, etc. at this time. All other items may be picked up when the public health order is lifted and business resumes as usual.

COVID-19 Data Dashboard

Want to learn more about how the transportation system has been affected by COVID-19? Check out our COVID-19 Data Dashboard to see the data that is informing our COVID-19 and recovery planning.

Riding Together: Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan

On Tuesday, September 15, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved a resolution endorsing the Riding Together: Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan. This plan was developed in collaboration with regional leaders, transit workers, paratransit providers, rider advocates, and public health experts and is based on research of national and international best practices for riding transit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan establishes a baseline set of measures for Bay Area transit agencies to ensure the health of transit riders and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines common commitments and expectations for employees and passengers. The SFMTA will report monthly on the Agency's performance in aligning with the baseline measures set forth in the plan.

More information on SFMTA's health and safety tracking are available on SFMTA's Transportation Recovery Plan page.

Safety Measures We Are Taking

The safety of SFMTA employees and customers is our top priority. There remains no specific risk to transit or paratransit riders regarding Coronavirus, however, we are taking extra precautions to limit exposure.

Muni car cleaners, station custodians, and paratransit personnel are cleaning vehicles and high-touch surfaces regularly. Daily vehicle cleaning includes safe, strong disinfectants on high-touch surfaces at the end of service. High-touch surfaces such as railings in Muni subway stations are cleaned approximately every four hours.

In addition to the extra cleaning protocols, we are requiring operators to always use their security partitions. Operators have been given guidance that they can skip stops if their vehicles become too crowded to maintain social distancing between passengers.

You can help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Visit the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites for recommendations on simple daily precautions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Get Updates

For city and local Department of Emergency Management updates about COVID-19, text "COVID19SF" to 888-777.

Get Your Own Muni Inspired Virtual Backgrounds

Whether you’re telecommuting, teaching or learning online, or staying home and riding Muni for essential trips only – do it in style with these Muni virtual backgrounds. Download, save and use Muni virtual backgrounds for any of your preferred video chatting platforms.

Additional Resources