San Francisco, CA – February 15 and 16 marked Muni Metro’s busiest weekend since the start of the pandemic. The spike in ridership highlights the success of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SMFTA)’s Special Events service – additional rail and bus service to support increased ridership – and free Muni offerings, demonstrating the strong demand for reliable, efficient public transit in San Francisco. Systemwide, Muni buses and trains provided more than 1.2 million passenger trips during the NBA All-Star Weekend and Lunar New Year Parade from Friday through Sunday.
“This historic weekend showcases the vital role Muni plays in connecting our communities to the city’s most celebrated events,” said Julie Kirschbaum, Director of the SFMTA. “We are proud to see the community embrace Muni Metro, especially during major events, and we are committed to continuing to provide safe, efficient and reliable service.”
Muni carried 402,000 trips on Saturday, February 15 – an increase of 45,000 trips compared to a typical Saturday. The Muni Metro system played a pivotal role, marking its busiest weekend day since 2019. This included 117,000 passenger trips on the Metro system – 50,000 more than a typical Saturday.
The N Judah and L Taraval lines celebrated their busiest Saturdays since 2019, and
the T Third line, serving Chinatown and the Chase Center, carried nearly 29,000 passengers, almost double its usual ridership. Of the 402,000 riders, Muni’s Special Events service supported the increased demand, moving 11,000 passengers.
Sunday ridership remained robust with 338,000 trips, up by 30,000 compared to a typical Sunday. It was the busiest Sunday of the year for routes serving the Chase Center, including the T Third, 22 Fillmore and the 15 Bayview Hunters Point Express.
This increase in ridership comes on the heels of SFMTA experiencing its highest recorded number of faregate exits from Chinatown’s Rose Pak Station, which happened January 25-26 for the Chinese New Year Flower Market, Night Market and Community Festival.
These events, paired with SFMTA’s free Muni and Special Events service, are key drivers of ridership, and are working in tandem to bring people back to San Francisco’s downtown core.
The success of the NBA All-Star Weekend and Chinese New Year Parade demonstrates not only the increased demand for public transit but also SFMTA’s capacity to adapt and meet that demand. Special Events service proved crucial in managing higher passenger volumes efficiently and safely.
ABOUT SFMTA
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco 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, walking, 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.
###