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Starting next week, the SFMTA will implement additional service changes during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order. In response to changing ridership, these service adjustments will help us to focus resources on routes outside of the downtown area that are connecting people to essential jobs and services.
Beginning on Monday, March 30, all Muni Metro and light rail routes will be replaced by buses. Customers can take bus substitutions for the J, KT, L, M, and N lines using the same bus stops as the early morning Metro bus service. Muni Metro subway stations will be closed, except for downtown stations which will remain open to customers taking BART during their operating hours.
Closing the Muni Metro underground system will allow us to redirect custodial resources to other, higher-use facilities and minimizes risk to our station agents. Based on our ridership data and observations, we do not expect these changes to impact the ability of our riders and operators to maintain social distance. And while the rail system is closed to passengers, we plan on doing important maintenance work to our vehicles and infrastructure. It’s a unique opportunity to improve the state of good repair of our system and come out of this shutdown stronger than ever.
Muni Rapid routes—the 5R, 9R, 28R, and 38R—will also be temporarily discontinued, except for the 14R Mission Rapid. Riders can instead use local service for all stops during all hours of service. The 5 Fulton and 9 San Bruno will begin running longer buses to help maintain social distancing for the health care providers, critical service workers and others who still rely on public transit to get around the city for essential needs.
Beginning Saturday, April 4, the 47 Van Ness will be temporarily discontinued on Saturdays and Sundays. The northern part of the 49 Van Ness route will be extended between North Point and Fisherman’s Wharf to cover the 47 segment on weekends.
We are so grateful to our operators and our customers during this challenging time. Minimizing the risk of transmission for our operators and our riders is our top priority—in addition to the extra cleaning protocols we’ve implemented in recent weeks, we are requiring operators to always use their security partitions to minimize the risk of transmission to staff and the public. Similarly, we replaced cable car and historic streetcars with buses, so that every operator has access to a protective barrier. Operators can skip stops if their vehicles become too crowded to maintain social distancing.
Please remember to stay at home except for essential trips, especially if you are over 60 or have a chronic health condition.
We continue to monitor and make adjustments as the situation develops. For details on which Muni routes are currently affected, please visit our Reduced Muni Service page. (This page will be updated with the new service change details on Saturday, March 28.)
Published March 26, 2020 at 07:13AM
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