The SFMTA recently celebrated a decade of transforming Muni with our report, “Fast Forward: 10 Years of Muni Forward.” Now, in 2026, planning and implementation of the next generation of Muni Forward projects is well underway. Over the past year, we’ve opened new boarding islands on the K Ingleside and M Ocean View, widened the sidewalk at bus stops on the 5 Fulton in the Inner Richmond, and installed transit lanes on San Jose Avenue on the M Ocean View line, just to name a few upgrades. This is alongside a host of other improvements we’re working on citywide. Read on to learn more about the work we’re doing to make Muni the go-to choice for travel in San Francisco in the years ahead.
Muni Forward makes getting around San Francisco faster, safer and more reliable. We’re expanding the Muni Rapid Network, making new connections and giving Muni customers priority on congested streets. Our work focuses on the busiest lines that carry over 80 percent of Muni riders.
Muni Forward improvements provide sustainable, transformative change to San Francisco’s public transit system. The SFMTA has built 100 miles of reliability improvements to keep Muni moving – with upgrades like red transit lanes, bus bulbs for faster boarding and traffic signals that stay green for transit. Since 2020, we've added over 27 miles of new or improved transit lanes, most recently on corridors like Geary Boulevard, 16th Street and San Jose Avenue. This is the fastest expansion of transit priority in San Francisco’s history.
Ridership has grown where we’re making improvements – that means less congestion on the road, quicker trips to downtown and city neighborhoods, and a greener city. Overall ridership on Muni Rapid bus lines – where we’ve focused the most improvements – increased by 34% from 2022 to 2025, outpacing the post-pandemic ridership gains the Muni system as a whole has experienced. Increases in ridership are especially pronounced on corridors like the 1 California, 22 Fillmore, 38 Geary and N Judah, which are all lines slated for even more Muni Forward improvements.
Muni Forward improvements take a systemwide approach, informed by ridership data, customer feedback and the Muni Service Equity Strategy. This groundbreaking strategy delivers transit improvements to neighborhoods with high percentages of low-income households, people of color and lower vehicle ownership – as well as on lines with higher rates of seniors and people with disabilities.
Muni Forward is also an essential component of the Street Safety initiative, the City's commitment to improve traffic safety and reduce injury collisions. Making needed safety improvements for people walking, including Muni passengers, is a vital part of improving the system as a whole. More transit riders also means fewer vehicles on the road, which helps make streets safer for people walking.
To improve the Muni customer experience, Muni Forward is also delivering technology and infrastructure improvements, making the system smarter, faster and more reliable. This includes new and improved signage at every Muni bus and train stop, expanded real-time information, larger stop footprints with more space for passenger amenities, transit stop lighting and smarter management of our service.
Rapid Network
Muni’s network of Rapid bus routes prioritizes frequency and reliability on our most heavily used bus lines. Identified with the letter “R” in the route number, Rapid bus lines run on Muni corridors with service every 6 minutes or better. These corridors benefit from a host of infrastructure and priority improvements and make fewer stops to get you from A to B faster. The Rapid Network complements Muni Forward initiatives on other lines all over the city.
Since it was introduced in 2015, Muni Forward has delivered substantial improvements in travel time, service quality, safety and rider experience to the Rapid Network. Some examples include:
- 5R Fulton Rapid – 12 percent time savings, 24 intersections with transit signal priority and two miles of new or upgraded transit lanes
- 9R San Bruno Rapid – 24 percent less variable travel times, 18 new pedestrian bulbs and four miles of new or upgraded transit lanes
- 14R Mission Rapid – 31 percent faster travel time in SoMa, 50 intersections with traffic signal priority and a 33 percent reduction in pedestrian injury collisions in the Inner Mission
- 28R 19th Avenue Rapid – 19 percent time savings on Lombard St, 51 percent less variable travel times on Lombard and Park Presidio and 35 new pedestrian bulbs
- 38R Geary Rapid – 18 percent time savings between Van Ness and Park Presidio, 67 intersections with traffic signal priority and 10 miles of new or upgraded transit lanes
For more improvements to lines across the Muni system, read our report, “Fast Forward: 10 Years of Muni Forward.”
Recent Updates
Recently completed projects include:
- 5 Fulton: Inner Richmond transit bulbouts
- 14 Mission: Mission Street transit bulbouts
- 19 Polk: Hyde Street transit lane
- 22 Fillmore: 16th Street Improvement Project
- 29 Sunset Improvement Project Phase 1 construction
- J Church: San Jose Avenue transit lanes
- K Ingleside quick-build
- L Taraval Improvement Project
- M Ocean View quick-build
- Transit Delay Hot Spot improvements at various locations
- West Portal improvements
What’s Next
The next phase of quick-build improvements are underway on the K Ingleside and M Ocean View lines. Following quick-build improvements, detailed design is underway for the construction of permanent improvements for approved projects on the 29 Sunset, 30 Stockton, 38 Geary, J Church, K Ingleside and M Ocean View.
Planning and outreach started in fall 2025 on…
- T Third reliability improvements
- 8 Bayshore: Visitacion Valley Stop Improvements
- Fillmore Street Transit and Safety Project (22 Fillmore)
- 29 Sunset Improvement Project – Phase Two
- N Judah Transit and Safety Project
In 2026, we’ll start outreach on additional Muni Forward corridors and Transit Delay Hot Spot improvements:
- California Street Transit and Safety Project (1 California)
- New top 10 Transit Delay Hot Spot improvements
Check out the full map of current and future Muni Forward transit priority improvements. Stay tuned for more improvements coming to a Muni line near you soon!
History: 10 Years – and 100 Miles – of Muni Forward
Muni Forward improvements are grounded in the Transit Effectiveness Project, the first major evaluation of the Muni system since the 1980s, approved by the SFMTA Board of Directors in 2014. Major financial support for Muni Forward reliability improvements is provided by the 2014 General Obligation Bond (Proposition A), approved by 72% of San Francisco voters, as well as a range of local, state and federal funding sources. Since 2014, we’ve delivered over 100 miles of transit reliability corridor upgrades, with many more on the way. Read more about Muni Forward’s first decade transforming travel in San Francisco in our report, “Fast Forward: 10 Years of Muni Forward.”
