SAN FRANCISCO—Cable cars are returning to San Francisco after a 16-month-long shut-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists and residents of San Francisco are able to ride on all three cable car lines for free during the month of August.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority announced the historic cable car service will be returning on August 2. There will be a limited free schedule on all cable car lines through the rest of August as a part of the soft-launch of the system.
Two cable car lines will start at Powell and Market Streets and continue to the Fisherman’s Wharf area. One car starts at California and Market Streets and continues to Van Ness Avenue. Passengers can board at the cable car turntables at the beginning or ending of each route or by locating a brown and white cable car sign post.
According to the SFMTA, hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day of the week. Face masks will be required while waiting for boarding, and riding on all Muni vehicles including the cable cars.
The SFMTA will launch another Muni Service Change adding several connector routes, and bridging service gaps in hill neighborhoods beginning August 14. Eighteen routes will be restored including the M Ocean View Metro rail, 28 19th Avenue, 31 Balboa, 52 Excelsior, and 66 Quintara.
Service hours will be changed from 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. everyday on selected routes. All other routes will operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., but may vary between weekday and weekend. Once testing is complete in September, cable car service will return to the Powell-Hyde, the Powell-Mason, and the California from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
