NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS will be occurring all over San Francisco starting Wednesday, but before the clock strikes midnight the city’s public transit agency is preparing to ramp up services to meet demand throughout the night.
Muni will be running additional services on select bus and subway lines with all trips becoming free after 8 p.m. to make it easier for people to move around the city. Rides will be complementary until 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day and lines will run on a weekend schedule.
Extra Muni Metro subway service will be available from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. between West Portal and 4th & King stations, as well as Chinatown and 3rd & Mariposa stations.
Extra bus service, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., will be available on the lines 5 Fulton, 7 Haight/Noriega, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 25 Treasure Island, 38 Geary, 90 Owl ,91 Owl, L Owl, N Owl, and the westbound portion of the M Bus.
The additional service and free trips are a great incentive for people to leave their cars and avoid the headaches of driving, said MUNI spokesperson Michael Roccaforte.
“That’s the other great part about taking Muni on New Year’s Eve is that you won’t need to worry about finding a space or spending any money on your trip,” Roccaforte said.
Director of transportation for SFMTA Julie Kirschbaum said in a Tuesday press release that the agency has been offering free rides for 26 consecutive years.
“Muni is the best way to enjoy events across San Francisco, and by offering free service on New Year’s Eve, we’re making it easier for our customers to enjoy celebrations safely,” Kirschbaum said. “Despite a challenging financial situation, we’re proud to offer complementary and extra services on NYE for 26 years, because we know our customers rely on Muni to get them to and from where they need to be and keeping our customers safe remains our number one priority.”
Transportation officials and safety advocates continue to encourage people to use public transit to prevent alcohol related driving accidents.
The National Safety Council, a nonprofit working to minimize the number of preventable deaths across the country, analyzed previous years’ statistics and estimated that between 329 and 529 people will die in traffic-related accidents during New Year’s.
The organization stated a major contributor to motor-vehicle crashes during holidays is alcohol consumption.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records from last year show the percent of alcohol related driving fatalities during New Year’s was four percent above the usual average.
Parking garages operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency will be open and regularly priced, but are expected to fill up, especially those close to major events.
A free city-sponsored fireworks event will occur south of the Ferry Building, near Pier 14. Fireworks will take place at midnight and are expected to last about 15 minutes. The SFMTA said motorists should anticipate delays in the area from approximately 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
A concert series at Pier 80 running from Dec. 29 to Jan. 1 is also expected to add traffic delays every night. Popular electronic dance band Swedish House Mafia will be performing there on New Year’s Eve through midnight.
People using Muni to get to these events should step onto their trains or buses and not tap their bank or Clipper card. MuniMobile tickets should also not be activated during the free period.
For more information, visit sfmta.com.