The San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency is a vital artery in the body of the city.

However because getting around the city can be done in such a number of ways, for the unknowing traveller, the bus stops, cable cars, street cars and Muni* (also an abbreviation for the underground system) all these options can be totally overwhelming.

Fear not!

Help is at hand.

Monthly/Travel Passes:

If you are going to be staying in the city for a number of weeks and doing a lot of moving around of transport then I would recommend a monthly Travel Pass which is available from most Walgreens and stations at the end and very beginning of each month for $60 without the Bart* (another method of underground transport) and $70 with. (Subject to change).

Monthly Passes: All monthly passes are valid for one calendar month and are valid for unlimited use on all SFMTA vehicles.  Customers may also ride SFMTA/Muni vehicles for the first 3 days of the next calendar month.  Using a monthly pass on a Special Service route requires an additional payment.

• Adult “A” Fast Pass®, $70. Also valid for BART trips entirely within San Francisco only during the month shown on the pass. Valid for customers ages 18-64.
• Adult “M” Fast Pass®, $60. Muni-only pass, valid for customers ages 18-64.
• Senior Pass, $15 for April 2010; $20 effective May 2010. Muni-only pass, valid for passengers age 65+; ID required.
• Youth Pass, $15 for April 2010; $20 effective May 2010. Muni-only pass, valid for passengers ages 5-17; ID required.

Muni Passports are good for unlimited rides on the Muni, and includies the cable cars.

3-day and 7-day Passports are good for three or seven consecutive days. Passports may be purchased in advance.

Muni Passports at the following locations:

• SFMTA Customer Service Center, 11 South Van Ness Avenue at Market
• Muni Ticket Sales Location at Market and Powell Streets
• Muni Ticket Sales Location at Hyde and Beach Streets (near Ghirardelli Square)
• Passports are also sold every day at the information booths in the baggage claim areas at the San Francisco International Airport. Hours vary by location and are subject to change. As of Dec. 16, 2009, sales hours are as follows:
  • Terminal 1: 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
  • Terminal 3: 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
  • International Terminal “A” side: 1:45 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
  • International Terminal “G” side: 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m

1 Day Passport – $13

3 Day Passsport – $20

7 Day Passport – $28

These weekly passports are a real bargain if you can get your head round the public transport maps! And believe me, the latter, really aren’t that hard. Cabs are never going to be hugely expensive unless you are traversing from one side of the city to another but they do add up!

Maps:

Maps are available in most hotels or at the Concierge desks of most large department stores. As soon as you can get hold of one of these so you can start to get a feel for the layout of the city. Immediately you will see that it is totally true that SF is only ’7 by 7′ miles – however what most maps will miss out is the topography of the land and that is what makes it that little bit harder to get from one side to the other….

Walking:

It is my firm belief that if you have a comfortable pair of shoes, are in reasonable health and love adventure and beauty you can walk to pretty much anywhere in SF as long as you pace yourself on some of the more perilously steep hills. Even if you suddenly feel exhausted and need to break, it is often a wonderful suprise to find yourself in some quirky neighborhood with unusual architecture or colours and it is often these little treasures off the beaten track which you either don’t see in a taxi or are too busy to stop for.

Cable Cars:

It’s why most people come here and my god they are beautiful. A wonderful example of working history these machines run very specific routes but give a wonderful sense of the city as you ride their open sides.

Warning: The most obvious Cable Car rides (and maybe one of the nicest in regards to seeing things) start at Powell Station on Market and the queues for this build up very quickly early in the morning in the tourist season. So – if you want to travel on one of these consider which one you want, then see if you can pick it up somewhere other then at the start or you will just have to be prepared to get up early or queue!

Muni:

The ‘Muni’ as it is affectionately knowns runs the length of Market and has several different lines which branch off to various locations around the city. When standing on the platform always check whether you want to be going in or outbound. This is the crucial bit! Anything which is in the direction of the Ferry Terminal is inbound and anything towards Castro is out.

The machines/turn styles require $2 and only accept it in quarters.

This is an efficient and (when it’s working) a fast way to get around the city however as much is underground you won’t see much of the city itself…

Buses:

A pet hate of many – these are full with all the colors and smells of San Francisco. And I do mean all. Anything that goes through the Tenderloin is not for the faint hearted. However what I love about the busses is the fact that they really do make you feel like you are part of the city and all its colour, in every shape and form in which it comes..

Many of the bus stops now have automated time countdowns, but these are open to issues so take estimates with a pinch of salt.

The maps at first may look complicated but with a little time you will see that the colours and arrows are quite indicative and soon you will be bussing like a local!

Always enter through the front door and when leaving through the back doors you will need to step down on to the step and push. A requested stop is achieved by tugging on the cords which run along the sides of the bus.  While the seats at the front are reserved for Senior Citizens and those with disabilities.