Charter a Cable Car or Streetcar

We are fully booked for 2025. We are currently taking reservations for the month of January in the order we received them.

Want to take a group out for a special, rail-centric event? The SFMTA offers private charters on our historic cable cars and streetcars. Bring your friends, family, or coworkers out on a ride around San Francisco they'll never forget. 

Here's what you need to know in order to charter historic streetcars and cable cars--designated National Historic Landmarks in 1964.

Charter Reservations & Bookings - How do I reserve a vehicle?

1. Read this page in full.
2. Request a charter:
   1. Request a charter by emailing: events.muni@sfmta.com with the date and charter type (streetcar or cable car).
   2. Dates are released on a monthly basis using the schedule below. See Date Availability Section.
   3. Reservations will be issued on a first come, first served basis, in the order that emails are received. Please See Charter Availability section below
   4. Reservations must be made at least 14 days ahead and payment must be received at least 10 days in advance.
   5. Please keep in mind: San Francisco is vibrant city with an ever-changing calendar of unique public activities, and charters reservations are subject to cancellation or rescheduling if a conflicting event is scheduled after a reservation is made. For this reason, we do not recommend planning major life events around charters reservations.
   6. Note: Due to an extremely high volume of requests, we are unable to reply to requests for already booked dates. 

Charter Availability

Current Availability

• Streetcar Charters:
  • We are currently booked for the rest of the calendar year (2025).
  • The following dates in 2026 are open or opening soon:
    • open - None
    • opening soon - February 19 - February 28, 2026.
• Cable Car Charters:
  • We are currently booked for the rest of the calendar year (2025).
  • The following dates in 2026 are open or opening soon:
    • open - Jan 15 - Jan 23, 2026
    • opening soon - February 10 - February 28, 2026.
• New Dates:
  • Schedule for releasing new dates is below. We cannot save dates outside of this period.

Date guidelines:

• Frequency - Muni offers only 1 streetcar charter per week total and 1 cable car charter per week total.
• Special Events - Charters are not available on days with major special events such as parades, protests, large festivals, major construction, or other major city events.
• Multiple Requests - Multiple charters by the same requester are limited to 2 per year.
• Subject to Change - Please keep in mind: San Francisco is vibrant city with an ever-changing calendar of unique public activities, and charters reservations are subject to cancellation or rescheduling if a conflicting event is scheduled after a reservation is made. For this reason, we do not recommend planning major life events around charters reservations. The availability of specific vehicles, especially vintage streetcars, is also subject to change, including "day of" changes for staffing, weather, and vehicle maintenance reasons.  Muni will contact you as soon as possible if your reservation needs to be changed. Refunds will be provided for cancelled charters and changes from vintage to historic streetcars. 

Schedule for opening up new dates: 

Types of Charters

Muni's charters are trains and are only able to run on tracks. Muni does not offer any bus or motorized cable car charters, and we cannot pick up at various locations around the city. 

Streetcar Charters

• Route options:
  • F Market route is the sole routing option, which travels from the Castro to Fisherman’s Wharf via Market Street and The Embarcadero.
• Start/End location options:
  • Castro and Market
  • Jones & Beach (Fishermans Wharf)
  • Don Chee Way (Market Street Railway Museum) near the Ferry Building.
• Vehicle Options & Cost:
  • Historic Streetcars  = $496 for 2 hours + $248/hr for additional hours
    • Streamlined PCC Cars (max capacity 40 people)
    • Milan Car (max capacity 40 people)
  • Vintage Streetcars = $740 for 2 hours + $370/hr for additional hours
    • Car 1 (max capacity 40 people)
    • Melbourne Car 496 (max capacity 40 people)
    • Boat Tram 228 or 233 (Note: Guests must stay seated while on the Boat Tram. Standing & moving around is not permitted.) (max capacity 40 people)
    • Zurich Car 737 (max capacity 40 people)
    • Note: the SFMTA cannot guarantee the requested car will be available. The availability of specific vehicles, especially vintage streetcars, is also subject to change, including "day of" changes for staffing, weather, and vehicle maintenance reasons. The SFMTA will do its best to provide the requested car or your preferred backup car, and we will do our best to notify you in advance, if possible. Charters which change from Vintage to Historic will receive a refund for the difference in price.
• Food & Drink
  • Food & Drink may be enjoyed on streetcar charters. Guests are responsible for removal of trash and items brought on board.
• Dates
  •  
  • Due to a high volume of charter requests, we are unable to reply to emails requesting dates in the "booked" period.
  • Charters are unavailable during major city events.
  • Requests must be made at least 14 days ahead of the charter. We cannot take reservations more than 90 days in advance. Payment must be received at least 10 days before the charter (check or bank transfer).

Cable Car Charters

• Route options:
  • Powell-Hyde (most popular), which travels from Hyde & Beach in Fisherman’s Wharf to Powell & Market in Union Square.
  • Powell-Mason, which travels from Bay & Taylor in Fisherman’s Wharf to Powell & Market in Union Square.
  • California, which travels from California & Drumm downtown to California & Van Ness.
• Start/End location options:
  • Hyde Terminal for Powell-Hyde Line
  • Bay Terminal for Powell-Mason Line
  • Drumm Terminal for California Line
• Vehicle Options & Cost:
  • All Cable Cars (max capacity 40 people) = $958 for 2 hours + $479/hr for additional hours
• Food & Drink
  • Food & Drink are not allowed on cable cars.
• Dates
  • We are currently booked for the rest of the calendar year (2025). The following dates in 2026 are open or opening soon: Jan 9 - Jan 23, 2026, February 10 - February 28, 2026.
  • Due to a high volume of charter requests, we are unable to reply to emails requesting dates in the "booked" period.
  • Charters are unavailable during major city events.
  • Requests must be made at least 14 days ahead of the charter. We cannot take reservations more than 90 days in advance. Payment must be received at least 10 days before the charter (check or bank transfer).

Motorized Cable Car Charters

Muni does not offer motorized cable car charters (the type that can go anywhere because they are a cable car on wheels). Please check with local charter bus companies for this type of service.

Bus Charters

Muni does not offer bus charters. 

Guidelines During a Charter

• Food & Drinks - food and drinks are allowed on chartered street car vehicles only. Food is not allowed on cable car charters. All items brought on board the vehicle must be removed by the charter requester.
• Music - music is allowed on charters. Small, battery powered speakers are permitted; multi-piece sound systems are not permitted. Requesters must provide their own power source. Vehicle operators must be able to hear, and volume cannot be excessively loud.
• Safety (behavior) - all passengers must act safely and follow instructions of the operator. If the operator feels the passengers are acting unsafely, the charter can be terminated.
• Safety (exits) - aisles and exits must remain open and accessible at all times.
• Smoking - smoking or vaping is not allowed on any charter vehicle.
• On/Off Service & Stopping - Muni charters are trains that share the tracks with regular cable car and streetcar service. We are unable to provide on/off service, drop you off somewhere and pick up you later, nor can they stop while your group does something else.
• Bathrooms - Bathroom stops are not permitted. Please plan your charter length accordingly.
• Group Size - Muni charters can fix a maximum group size of 40 people. 

Cost for a Charter

• Cable cars are $958 for 2 hours + $479/hr for additional hours
• Historic streetcars are $496 for 2 hours + $248/hr for additional hours
• Vintage streetcars are $740 for 2 hours + $370/hr for additional hours
• Charters require a two-hour minimum.
• All payments must be submitted 10 days in advance of the charter date.
• Payment may be made by check or ACH bank transfer. Coming soon: Credit Card payments.
• See Cancellations and Refunds section.

Cancellations and Refunds

• Refunds - Refunds will be issued for cancellations made per the cancellation procedures defined below.
• Weather - Inclement weather may affect the ability to provide a requested vehicle. The SFMTA will provide another vehicle if the vehicle requested is not suitable for the forecasted weather. If weather causes disruption to rail service, the charter may be cancelled. The SFMTA will rely on www.wunderground.com as the official weather forecast.
• SFMTA unable to fulfill a confirmed charter - If the SFMTA is not able to fulfill a charter, the SFMTA will notify requesters as soon as possible. All charter requests are at the sole discretion of the SFMTA, and the SFMTA cannot guarantee a charter will be available. A refund will be provided if the charter must be cancelled and charters which change from Vintage Streetcar to Historic Streetcar.
• Cancellation - If charter is no longer needed, please cancel at least 14 days before the event.