Mittens and presents and San Francisco landmarks all wrapped around your 49 Van Ness / Mission? That’s right – the Merry Days of Muni have just begun!
This festive bus wrap marks the start of a full campaign of merry moments for Muni riders. It’s our way of bringing local communities a little extra joy this holiday season.
Through the end of the year, we’re finding fun ways to connect riders as they take Muni to their favorite people, places and traditions across the city.
Meet the SFMTA designer behind our first holiday wrap – and see where the festive ride can take you.
Muni's first holiday-wrapped ride: Meet the artist
Meet Anton Belov, the SFMTA designer who created both our holiday pullover art and the Merry Days wrap it blossomed into.
When staff on our design team were asked to pitch ideas for holiday items, Belov wanted to create “something that felt festive and really San Francisco.”
“The patchwork idea came from thinking about how Muni connects different neighborhoods, people, communities – how it stitches the city together,” Belov said.
That’s why Belov included “little things recognizable to people who live in the city and who are visiting.”
The end result: a playful design bringing together parrots, coyotes, the Painted Ladies, Dragon Gate and more.
And for that vibrant color palette connecting the print’s many San Francisco icons? Belov looked back to Muni streetcars from the 1970s.
“I wanted people to get excited and surprised when they expected to see a regular bus in gray and red and then, all of a sudden, this bright wrap comes their way and makes them feel even happier going to work and school,” he said.
Belov was thinking of our operators, too. “I wanted them to feel joy and pride getting behind the wheel of a bus with all these fun features.”
And, for Belov? Doing this work fulfills his childhood dream. He started riding Muni in middle school to Roosevelt. For high school, Belov took Muni to School of the Arts, where he studied visual arts.
“I would see different art cards in the tops of my buses, but I always thought it was a pipe dream to have my own work on Muni.”
Now a designer on our creative services team, Belov finds it meaningful to help Muni get people where they need to go.
“Making sure we have reliable public transportation that’s affordable for everyone – whether you’re a student or a professional – that's so important,” Belov stressed.
“Muni is a system where, no matter your background, where you’re from or where you’re going, all these people end up in the same space at the same time, all participating in the ride,” Belov said.
“And, if my contribution is making that ride a little bit more festive? That makes me ecstatic.”
Take a festive ride along dedicated transit lanes
Starting today, one Merry Days of Muni bus will be picking up riders on the 49 Van Ness / Mission route. If you’re lucky, you might catch it on your way to local restaurants, shops, venues and more.
This north-south route starts near the Excelsior and turns back around by Fort Mason. You can find the full list of neighborhoods it passes on our 49 Van Ness / Mission Routes and Stops page. For ideas to shop and dine nearby, you can stop by our Go Local webpage.
Rides on the 49 are faster and more reliable thanks to our Bus Rapid Transit corridor. This route now has:
- 2.2 Miles of new transit lanes on Van Ness Avenue
- 13 Intersections with transit signal priority to keep transit moving
The impact: trips on Van Ness Avenue between Lombard and Mission streets are now seeing 36% time savings.
Stay in the loop on the merry times ahead
Our first holiday wrap kicks off a full season of fun, and we don’t want you to miss out!
- Follow our Instagram (@sfmta_muni) to stay informed of all the merry moments in store
- Subscribe to our blog, MovingSF, to get each story in your inbox
You’ll hear more from us in the coming weeks about Muni-themed gifts, events and more.
We can’t wait to see you on our first festive ride.
Comments are for the English version of this page.